Page 26 of Benedict’s Rejuvenation (Dark Patriots #5)

“Ben is right. And you haven’t considered what her sister will do if we ask her little sister to do this. Keeley will fucking go crazy. If we actually did the mission with Kensy, Keeley would demand to be there with us,” Ben argued.

“We figured that was the case. We knew the response this request would cause and all the arguments against it. Since we have no other recourse and time is of the essence, we made an executive decision. I’m sorry,” Sean stated mysteriously. I watched Sean press a button that was on the table.

A woman’s electronic voice announced, “ Code Black. We are now Code Black .” Security screens slid over the windows and the door.

I knew what it meant. The room had been sealed against entry or use of electronic devices or other equipment.

It meant that no one could record anything said inside or hear it from the outside.

It was our version of a SCIF, a sensitive compartmented information facility, similar to those used for highly classified meetings within the government.

“What the hell is the meaning of this?” I asked.

“It’s so we can do this,” Gabe said.

He pressed the buttons that would allow us to use the screen attached to a computer. It was how they held video conference meetings, but those usually didn’t involve turning the room into a SCIF.

The screen came alive with a screensaver featuring a logo and the words Dark Patriots . Less than a minute later, it was replaced by a man we knew. I stiffened in my seat. If Anderson was involved, this was more involved and crucial than we’d been told.

The man before us was one of mystery, and not even those he worked with regularly knew exactly what his job title was or who he worked for, other than that it was for the US government. Not even his great-niece, Zara, married to a Warrior in Hunters Creek, Demon, could shed light on him.

However, no matter his title or agency, he would have your back and would do whatever it took to bring down those who threatened the safety of the United States and its citizens. I had tremendous respect for Anderson.

“Hello, Patriots, thanks for setting this up. I wish I could’ve been there in person to ask this, but I couldn’t get back in time.

Sean, based on their faces, I presume you told Ben and Beau what was requested of them and Kensington Mills.

I’m sorry we have to ask this of her, but we don’t have a choice.

Of course, if she says no, we would never force her.

It’ll make gaining entry harder but not impossible.

The biggest worry is time. It’s why we can’t afford to wait until a suitable candidate versed in this kind of undercover work can be found.

I’ve been made aware of the possible captive that Wynne has.

And freeing her, if she exists, is an objective, as is discovering anything else about those like her. However, it’s not the main objective.

“We have reason to believe that Joshua Wynne is engaged in espionage. The last several cases have allegedly been orchestrated by him, working as a liaison. He obtains assets adjacent to the individuals in question, utilizing their knowledge, and those assets work on the ones with the secrets to reveal what they know. How they exactly do it, we can’t say.

Coercion and sex are the main ones, no doubt.

“These leaks pose a threat to our national security. Luckily, we’ve discovered them and prevented them from becoming fully realized before the true damage can be done.

It was from our last apprehension that we discovered the Wynne connection.

I would never ask this if it weren’t for the number of people who could be hurt or killed because of this man.

Kensington must be asked to join this mission.

If she says no, then her sister Keeley would be our next choice. ”

When Anderson finished talking, there was dead silence in the room as Beau and I absorbed what he said. The bosses had already heard it. Why didn’t they tell us this from the beginning? It didn’t make it easier to ask, but I saw why they wanted us to ask her.

“Anderson, this is more falling to Ben to do the requesting rather than Beau, as we originally thought. Kensy and Ben are in a relationship. She’s his girlfriend,” Griffin advised Anderson.

I saw Anderson grimace. “Damn, I hated to ask Beau to speak to his future sister-in-law about it. Requesting you do it due to your relationship makes it worse. I’m sorry.

However, you must see that, regardless of how distasteful it may be, having one of the ladies assist us with this would be a huge help.

Going in without them isn’t likely to get us inside his estate.

There are no blueprints or other details that outline the interior of his home.

Drones can see the outside of the house and the property, but that’s all.

“Getting workmen in there fails every time. He has his own people to do any kind of work needed. And the ones who built the place for him, all the workers and the contractor, are dead. Some mysteriously disappeared, and the rest were attributed to accidents or natural causes, but no one was suspicious, so they weren’t autopsied.

I have no doubt he had them killed so they couldn’t tell what they did for him. ”

It was getting worse the more we heard. Espionage could kill thousands if not millions.

There was no way we could say no, as much as I hated to admit it.

And while Anderson said Kensy or Keeley didn’t have to do it, they didn’t have a choice.

Not if we wanted the best chance of finding the proof and eliminating Wynne and anyone else involved with him.

Son of a bitch, I’d have to ask my woman to relive aspects of her nightmare.

If Wynne had taken the Ferrante woman, it would stir up memories for Kensy.

Even if he hadn’t kidnapped a woman, this mission was dangerous, and I would be taking her into the fire with me.

I glanced over at Beau. He was staring at me.

“Ben, we don’t have a choice. We’ve got to ask them. You know Keeley won’t allow Kensy to do it without her, and she’ll do everything she can to convince her to stay behind,” Beau said.

“I know. And the likelihood that Kensy will stay behind is almost zero. Fuck,” I muttered.

“Again, I hate to ask, but we need one of them. If they both go, that may improve your chances of getting inside. I’ll await your answer, but we need it as soon as possible. We have to make a move on him,” Anderson added.

There was some back-and-forth talk, mostly routine stuff that I half-listened to as I began working on how to broach this. Thankfully, Beau and I had at least a four-hour flight to Montana to work it out. This wasn’t the way I had planned to return to see her.