Page 24 of Ruthless Touch

Our front company in South Korea is a fake modeling agency.

Thanks to today’s technology, despite the distance, Director Hart sees us regularly.

More often than not it’s video calls like this—the stern, equally sharp-eyed and sharp-tongued director dragging us for our failures.

I’m not sure who’s better in these situations.

KD tends to interrupt with attempts to get back in her good graces while I usually take the tongue-lashings in stubborn, almost defiant silence.

It doesn’t slow Director Hart down either way. The forty-seven-year-old Black woman with a bob cut that’s as blunt and severe as her stony face was once in the military with my father before she started the Vanguard Agency.

She was in Seoul at the time Dad and Uncle Jerald were getting into weapons dealing and knew them well.

But her personal connection to my family doesn’t matter. She treats me like any other agent, making no attempt to mince words as we start this virtual meeting.

She tells us exactly how much we’ve fucked up.

“You didn’t just miss the target—you lit a signal flare over the entire operation,” Director Hart says in her cold, matter-of-fact delivery. “The Cheongryong now know we’re here. That was never supposed to happen. This was meant to be a discreet, near-invisible mission. You’ve turned it into a liability. Months of preparation, gone. Our intel? Compromised. Our presence? Exposed.”

“Director, if I may—” KD starts, but I give him a light kick under the conference table. He turns his words into an unconvincing clear of his throat, then flashes a sheepish grin and mentions his allergies.

She presses on without missing a beat.

“If they retaliate—and make no mistake, we all know the dragons are bloodthirsty—it won’t just be your problem. It becomes the agency’s problem. And there will be consequences for both of you, Onyx and Silk.

“But especially you, Silk,” she hisses through clenched teeth. “You’ve been unacceptably sloppy and distracted. Not to mention you were not authorized to go after Rhee Gun-woo. Whatever personal baggage you’re dragging into this operation needs to be checked at the door and left out of the field.”

“There is no personal baggage,” I blurt out before I can stop myself. “I’ve explained the reason the mission on Lieutenant Im went awry. It was because his enforcer?—”

“I’ve heard your excuses. None of them are good enough. We have a client who has shelled out unspeakably large sums to get this carried out and I intend on delivering. You’ve got little time to course correct. You better get to it.”

The screen goes blank, a dialogue box popping up to tell us she’s ended the call.

KD sighs and stands up, stretching his broad, muscular body like he’s woken up from a nap. But the expression he wears on his face is plain as day—I told you so.

“So you were right,” I say. “For now…”

“I hope you’re joking. You heard what Hart said. We’re running out of time and we need to be on our shit if we’re pulling this off. The objective to take out Im failed, but that means we move onto the next target.Together.” His lips bend into a vague frown. “You should take the rest of the day off. I’ll handle the tactical planning for our next hit. Go clear your head and get some rest.”

The stubborn streak in me comes close to objecting. My mouth even opens to utter the words, then the bruise in my side aches and I’m reminded how I’m not in the best shape this morning after my fight with Gun.

Releasing a deep sigh, I rise to my feet. “Alright, fine. I’ll take the day. But no big decisions without me, and I expect to see a copy of the mission brief before we finalize it.”

KD snaps into a rigid military stance, arms pinned at his sides, and then gives a mock salute. “Yes, General Silk. Mission brief will be ready tomorrow, General Silk. Now go get your ass some rest, General Silk.”

I can’t help smirking and rolling my eyes as I pass him by and head for the door. “You’re lucky I haven’t made you drop and give me twenty.”

KD’s thick laugh follows me out the room.

It’s a sound that follows me all the way out of the building as my mind travels back to the past, and I think about how he’d fought our breakup.

But KD was always determined to work it out.

Iwas the problem.Iwas the distant and withdrawn one.

The one emotionally shutdown and damaged. The one who couldn’t open myself up and trust no matter how hard I really wanted to.

…which is just another reason why it’s better if I’m a lone wolf. If I stick to relying on myself only and letting good guys like KD get with good girls like Priscilla.