The Operator

“The longer you sit here, the harder it will be to slip them.” Leaning back, he dropped an ankle on a knee. “Me, I’d bug out. Find a hole. Leave Silas to do what he does best. Wait for Silas to find you. He will, you know.”

It was a good idea, but if she left, they might kick Silas out of the lab. The chance that he could reproduce the maintenance drug was worth hanging around for.

“But you never listened much to me, did you?” he said.

“Clearly more than I should.” The elevator dinged again—this time for real. Allen’s voice filtered out even before the door opened, and she stretched her arms in a façade of confidence across the back of the couch. The silver doors opened. Harmony strode out, followed by an older man in a suit and tie. It was there Peri’s attention lingered, recognizing his wealth and privilege—the expectation that his word would be acted on without question.

“Oh look. Your new leash holder,” Jack said, rising to help himself to a coffee from the narrow table against the wall.

The man’s shoes were high-end, and she breathed deeply, looking for the scent of cologne. His Burberry suit was perfection even if it was a bit stiff, woven from black and white threads to give the illusion of gray. He’d gone gray with his tie as well, lined with white and silver. His piercing blue eyes undimmed by age took everything in with efficient swiftness. Peri pulled her arms back to herself, unconsciously accepting his authority until Jack snorted and she shifted her posture to one less accommodating.

“Mr. Steiner, this is Agent Peri Reed,” Allen said as he pushed ahead of Harmony to do the introductions. “Peri, this is Mr. Steiner. He’ll be directing your involvement in bringing in Michael Kord and Bill Heddles.”

Peri stood, slowly extending her hand. “Steiner,” she said, thinking the sound of his suit sliding over itself was soothing. “Nice sandbox you have here.”

He shook her hand, his eyes showing no emotion. “Thank you.”

Her attention strayed to Jack, and he shrugged his opinion. It was obvious that Steiner relied too much on what other people told him. But she probably should play nice if she wanted to keep Silas in his lab.

Allen, ever the political grease, jiggled on his feet nervously. “Ah, I’ve been telling Steiner what I know of Michael. They’ve been monitoring him for six weeks.”

“Really.” There were chairs surrounding them, but no one was sitting down. “How long have you been watching me? Did you see my abduction the other day? What did you think? I should have killed Michael and walked away by the looks of it, but then we wouldn’t be here having this conversation. Maybe you would have sent me a big, fat check if I had.”

“I read the report,” Steiner said smoothly, but she’d seen his flash of ire, and the need to bait him was irresistible—if Jack laughing at the coffee counter behind him was any indication. “I’m pleased you agreed to help us capture Michael,” Steiner finished evenly.

“Agreed?” Peri smiled brightly to make Allen cringe at what might come out of her mouth. “That implies I had a choice. I had a choice?”

“Sir.” Allen adjusted his glasses, giving her a look to shut up. “What she means—”

“No, I’m curious,” she said, not flinching under their stares, her thoughts on the adjacent garage and her chances at simply walking out. “What are you going to do with Michael and the rest of us drafters once you find us? Put us in camps? Science labs?”

“Peri, stop it,” Allen said outright.

But she was learning so much, and she watched in interest as Harmony tried to get her superior’s attention. Steiner was impervious to the woman, focused on Peri, the man clearly knowing she was seeing how far she could push before someone pushed back.

“What happens to Michael afterward isn’t your concern,” Harmony said, and at that, Peri’s fake good mood vanished. Harmony saw it leave, and there was a rush of motion as the woman stepped in front of Steiner. Tension sang in Peri, and she glanced at the camera, wondering who was behind it watching.

“It’s very much her concern,” Steiner said, and Harmony flushed when he physically moved the woman out from between him and Peri. “I’d be uncomfortable if she didn’t ask. Reed, the entire branch of the CIA was kept in the dark about Opti’s special skills until Opti was shown to be corrupt and other heads were put in charge of disbanding it.”

“Thanks to Peri,” Allen muttered.

Behind him, Jack shook powdered cream into his coffee. “He’s got that right.”

Steiner sighed at the raw emotions. “If drafters were any other group of people, it wouldn’t matter,” he said, noticing Peri looking over his left shoulder at Jack. “But every one of you is highly trained and unwilling to live quietly.”

“I was working in a coffee shop,” Peri accused. “That’s not exactly noisy.”

“You were gaining the trust of high-profile people who had their fingers on the pulse of the economy. Your ability to steal secrets and sell them was unparalleled.”

“I was giving them a secure place to work, not stealing their secrets,” she said, peeved.

“You were surrounding yourself with everything you lost,” he said, and she met his gaze, unwilling to drop her eyes. “That you limited your guilty pleasure to that is why you’re here and not in the Opti-designed cell that waits for Michael.”