Page 38 of Kane (Ghost Ops #4)

Alex leaned back in his chair. “Honestly, I don’t like the woman much, but I know she can be trusted.

I have my reasons, and I promise you they are airtight.

Diana Corbin is no traitor to her profession.

She’s professional and determined, and she will not take what we give her lightly.

She won’t fob it off on anyone else either.

” He frowned as if considering something.

“There are things I can’t tell you. About all of us.

Why we’re here. Diana knows the reasons.

She was trusted with them by high-ranking people.

What we’re doing here, what she’s involved in—there’s every chance your father is connected to it through the weapons trade. ”

Daphne’s gaze shot to Kane. He had the grace to look sheepish at the revelation he too had secrets. She swiveled back to Alex, determined.

“I think if I’m trusting you with this absolutely huge piece of my life—this thing that has the power to end it if not handled right—then I deserve to know what you’re involved in. I’ve spent enough time with my head in the sand.”

Alex sighed as if he was the most put upon human on the planet.

“Can’t do that, Daphne. But I will tell you that we’re a military special forces team, and we’re here to protect something important.

This range, everything we do, is geared toward that goal.

We report to the highest levels of government, and that means we have the ears of important people.

So does Diana. If anyone can put a stop to the threat your father poses—to you and to others—then it’s her.

You’ll have to trust me on that—and you’ll have to keep everything I just told you to yourself, which means I’m trusting you as well. ”

She stared at him, her heart thudding. She’d played her hand, and though she hadn’t gotten precisely what she’d wanted, he’d given her something. What choice did she have, really? It was either run—which they seemed determined not to let happen—or trust them to do what they said they would do.

“When you say special forces team… Is that like Navy SEALs or something?”

“Oh Lord, here it comes,” Chance muttered beside her.

Alex let out a breath. Closed his eyes. Opened them again. “Yes, like Navy SEALs. We were in the Army, not the Navy, but we can do exactly what they can do. They get all the glory—SEAL Team Six, Bin Laden, television series, blah blah blah. We are no different. Except maybe we don’t brag as much.”

Someone coughed. She thought she heard the word “Bullshit” in it. Alex turned to focus on Ethan, who pointed at Kane. The rest of them laughed.

“I do not brag about being a special operator,” Kane said. “Never needed to. It’s clear I’m exceptionally competent and manly just by looking at me.”

“I can smell the shit from here,” Seth said, not looking up from his computer.

“Y’all are just jealous. And stop making me look bad in front of Daphne.”

“Since when have you needed help for that?” she asked, eyebrow arched.

Kane tilted his head back and sighed loudly. “I’m completely misunderstood around here.”

Daphne wanted to laugh, but she didn’t. The moment seemed perfectly normal, like something that would have happened just a couple of days ago.

She liked it, but she didn’t fool herself they were back on solid ground.

Especially now that she knew he’d been keeping secrets too.

They were going to have words about that.

Eventually.

“Daphne,” Alex said, swinging her attention back to him. “Need your permission to move forward.”

She fiddled with the card on the table. If she didn’t give it to them, then what? Nothing would ever change and she’d always know there were people she might have helped escape her brother’s clutches.

“I want to be informed,” she said, fingers closing around the card.

“I don’t want to be patted on the head and told the men are handling it and not to worry.

I didn’t risk everything to be kept in the dark and told a bunch of shit.

I don’t expect to be in the loop on your secret stuff, but if it involves the O’Malleys, then I want to know. Deal?”

Alex gave another one of those soul-deep, utterly put upon sighs. One day she wanted to know what that was about. But not today. Today she wanted agreement.

“Unless it involves something we can’t talk about, you’ll know what we know. Once we know what’s on the card, I’ll call Agent Corbin to come to the range. You can be at the meeting and tell her anything you want her to know. Will that work?”

Daphne swallowed. She felt like she was standing at the edge of a precipice. When she took the first step, there was no turning back. But what was there to turn back to?

Nothing.

“Guess it has to,” she said, sliding the card over to Seth.

He gave her a kind smile as he palmed it. “Thanks, Daph. I’ll take good care of it.”

“Please do. That’s my life you’re holding. Literally.”

Kane’s leg brushed hers beneath the table. Reassuring her. When she lifted her gaze to his, they locked and held until she felt the tension in her body start to ease.

“Seth won’t let you down, Sunshine. None of us will. Promise.”

There was a quiet murmuring around the table, but she couldn’t look away from Kane. He was her strength. Her will. Her reason for wanting to be better. Not that she could tell him any of that. He’d run screaming if she did.

A throat cleared. “If you two are done with the longing looks,” Alex said, “Let’s talk about protection.”

Daphne must have started because Kane pushed his leg into hers again.

“He means a protective detail. For your safety.”

“Fuck me. Yes, that’s what I meant. Sorry, Daphne. A protective detail to keep you safe. We need a schedule and a plan. Thoughts?”