CHAPTER 3
Aric left his bewildered friends in the weapons room and fell in line behind Nikolai and the lithe, brunette beauty who looked like she’d just returned from days of intense wilderness training. Either that, or a vigorous roll in the hay--assuming the hay was full of pine needles and moss and several seasons’ worth of fallen leaves and bramble.
Both possibilities intrigued him.
Especially the latter.
He couldn’t help but admire the view as he followed Kaya Laurent’s swift, long-legged stride up the corridor. She wore black fatigues that hugged every curve, her emptied weapon belt cinched around a slender waist. Sleek, silken tendrils of coffee-brown hair had escaped the ponytail that rode at her back, bouncing with each clipped step she took at Niko’s side.
They walked into an open meeting room and the commander closed the door behind them. “Take a seat.”
Aric walked to the round table and sat down in one of the empty chairs that surrounded it. He waited for Kaya to take her place beside him, but instead she circled to the opposite side and sat about as far from him as she could get.
He smirked, watching her do everything she could to ignore him. Evidently, he hadn’t won any points with the lethal beauty.
“So, I guess we can skip the introductions,” Niko said as he strode over and seated himself between them. “Looks like you two have already had a chance to meet.”
“Yes, sir.” Kaya didn’t spare Aric as much as a glance while she spoke. “We’ve been introduced.”
“Kaya was kind enough to explain some of the command center policies to me when I bumped into her in the weapons room.”
Now her gaze swung to him, a flicker of shock in her deep brown eyes. She was outraged, but kept her reaction on a short leash. Despite her silence, a flush of furious color splashed across her high cheekbones.
God, she was beautiful. He’d noticed that the instant he laid eyes on her. Even if he wasn’t gifted with a flawless memory, it would be impossible not to notice every feature and nuance of the female who’d gotten his attention so thoroughly by pressing the razor edge of her dagger under his chin.
Nikolai’s head swiveled from Kaya to him in question. “Care to explain?”
Aric cleared his throat. “We’ve met, sir.”
“Good. Then let’s get started.”
He no sooner said it than the wall-length flat-panel screen lit up with an incoming video call. Lucan Thorne’s dark-haired, grim-faced image filled the display. The Order’s founder wasn’t calling from his private office at the D.C. headquarters, but from the technology center. Banks of touch screens and wafer-thin displays illuminated Lucan from all sides.
As the two commanders exchanged perfunctory greetings, Kaya had gone utterly silent, her gaze locked on the screen while she surreptitiously brushed at the dirt smudges and small debris that clung to her clothing from whatever she’d been doing in the moments before this meeting had been called.
Aric wanted to tell her not to worry. Even disheveled she was a sight. Not only because she was gorgeous, but for the way she carried herself. Confident. Competent. Determination shining in her dark eyes.
Nikolai gestured to her now. “Lucan, this is Kaya Laurent, the trainee I told you about.”
Trainee?
The way she handled herself with a weapon, Aric had assumed Mira’s friend was already a member of her team or well on her way to becoming one.
The Order’s leader gave Kaya an acknowledging look. “I’ve heard good things. Not only from Niko but from Mira as well.”
“Thank you, sir. I’m doing my best.”
“Keep it up.” Now, Lucan’s shrewd gray gaze swung to Aric. “Ready to get to work?”
Aric grinned. “Always.”
“I’ve asked you both to be here tonight because we have a task that requires a certain combination of skills,” the warrior elder explained. “Opus Nostrum has been coming at us hard since the Order killed their leader, Reginald Crowe, a few weeks ago. Between bombings and assassinations and the recent uptick in Rogue activity around the world, Opus is doing its damnedest to keep us busy. Apparently, they believe if they make sure the Order has one fire after another to put out, we won’t have the time or resources to come after their members.”
“They thought wrong,” Nikolai interjected. “We’re not going to stop until we’ve torn the mask off every one of the bastards who make up their cabal.”
Lucan nodded. “Which brings me to the reason for this meeting. Gideon’s run across some intel that suggests a high-value target with possible Opus ties will be attending a big social gathering in Montreal tomorrow. We need to have eyes and ears on the inside, but it’s imperative that we don’t tip our hand that we’re closing in on this new lead. Not to Opus, and not to the bastard we’re all but certain is allied with them.”
“What kind of event are we talking about?” Aric asked.
“A wedding reception,” Lucan replied. “For Anastasia Rousseau and Stephan Mercier.”
“You’re talking about the former Prime Minister’s granddaughter,” Kaya pointed out. “Her wedding has been the most anticipated social event of the year. From everything I’ve heard, there are likely to be close to a thousand people in attendance.”
Lucan’s expression said he already knew all the particulars and had accounted for every one of them. “We need someone present to verify our intel firsthand. The best way to do that is to get inside the target’s head.”
Nikolai turned to look at Kaya. “That’s where you come in.”
“You want me to read the mind of someone at the reception? No problem.” Tenacity glittered in her gaze. “Just tell me who I’m looking for, and I’ll handle it. I only need to get close enough to touch him.”
“Unfortunately, that’s not going to be easy,” Niko said. “Our target is high profile. He’ll be guarded on all sides.”
“And we can’t afford to let him know that he’s been made,” Lucan added. “Which means we need to take extra precautions to ensure he’s got no memory of any interaction with you, assuming you’re successful at getting close enough to read him--”
“I’ll be successful, sir.”
At that confident blurt, Niko slanted her a wry smile. “No one here doubts you, Kaya. Or you, Aric. You’ve both exceeded expectations in your training. That’s why you’ve been tapped for this operation.”
“Combined with the fact that neither of you has been active on patrol,” Lucan said. “The risk of being outed as members of the Order won’t be a factor.”
Aric chuckled. “Never thought my lack of experience in the field would be considered an asset.”
“This time, it’s exactly what we need,” Lucan replied. “And since the wedding reception is being held at noon in the Rousseau estate’s garden, the fact that you won’t go up in smoke before you have the chance to mind-scrub the target makes you uniquely qualified for this assignment.”
“Point to the daywalker,” he quipped. “I won’t let the Order down.”
“See that you don’t.” Lucan glanced to Kaya too. “We’re counting on both of you to make this happen. We can’t afford to let this new lead slip through our fingers. It’s going to take teamwork to get it done, and get it done right.”
Kaya nodded, but the look she gave Aric was less than enthused. “I’ll do whatever it takes, sir.”
“That’s what I want to hear,” Lucan replied. “Let’s run through some scenarios for rolling out this op. Meanwhile, Gideon’s working on new IDs for both of you. They’ll be waiting for you in the morning, along with your invitation to the reception.”
“And we’re certain our target is going to be there?” Aric asked.
Lucan grunted. “He’ll be there. Your target is the groom.”