Page 101 of Storm Warning

“We’ll worry about that later. What do you have?”

“A story.”

“Good or bad?” Violet settled deeper into a recliner.

“It starts out good and turns bad.”

Rayne wrinkled her nose. “I’m not a fan of those, but let’s hear it.”

“Years ago, Nathan Berkley called me into his office, which was unusual for him.”

“Wait.” Noah frowned. “Was he your handler?”

“He became my handler the minute I accepted this first mission. Anyway, until this point, I had been an analyst, though The Company trained me to be a field agent as well.”

“Why send you out on this mission? What was so special about it they needed your dual skills?”

“Obsidian Storm didn’t trust anyone, including anything connected to the Internet.”

Iona looked puzzled. “They used paper to keep track of the business side of the terrorist group?”

She shook her head. “They used a computer not connected to the Internet. Any numbers and names they wanted to communicate to the outside world went out via their satellite phones. What I didn’t know when Nathan talked to me is thatanother CIA operative had infiltrated their organization the year before I arrived.

“In interacting with the terrorists, he made a mistake that cost him his life. After that, Obsidian Storm was locked down. Before he died, the only thing the agent sent to Nathan was a warning that the group planned something big inside the US borders in the next six months to a year. No matter how hard Nathan tried, none of his other field agents got anywhere in the quest to join the group and learn their plans.”

Grant flinched. “Sounds a little too familiar.”

“Oh, yeah.” Seth nodded. “Reminds me of our experience with The Brotherhood a few months ago. Go on, Riley.”

“I was so glad to be heading out into the field that I didn’t ask questions. Rookie mistake on my part. The operation was a simple one, according to Nathan.”

All the operatives groaned. Yep, she’d also been gullible too. “Other operatives would provide a distraction to keep the soldiers in the compound busy. My job was to get inside, locate the computer used by the head of the organization, and hack it.”

Andre’s brows furrowed. “How were you supposed to get inside the compound?”

“That was up to me. The other agents’ job was to provide the distraction. I didn’t know who the agents were. They were supposed to do their thing at the front gate while I infiltrated the compound from the back by any means necessary.”

Elias snorted. “Did Berkley give you the schematics of the compound?”

“Are you kidding? Of course not.”

“Unbelievable.” Seth rubbed his face with his hands. “There had to be more than one computer in that compound. How did you figure out where the right computer was located?”

“I didn’t like the timeline for the mission, so I infiltrated early.”

Andre’s head whipped toward her. “Without a partner or any backup in the area?”

Riley nodded. Andre and the others wouldn’t like parts of the story she was laying out for them. Too bad. They hadn’t been there, and she’d been crazy enough to make the attempt without an entrance or exit strategy. Her survival had been a miracle.

“How early?”

“Two days. I found a safe place nearby and watched the compound and its rhythm. That’s how I discovered people from the area went in and out of the compound to do laundry, cook, clean, garden, everything. The soldiers did nothing but terrorist cell business, guard duty, and whatever their leader, Eduardo Garcia, told them to do. I found clothes that matched the local natives, and when the housekeeping staff entered the compound the next day, I went with them. Maria was kind enough to hire me when I told her I was running from an abusive boyfriend and needed money to escape his clutches.”

Rayne smiled. “Oh, I like that one. Maria must have been very kind-hearted to hire a complete stranger. I assume you didn’t show her any identification.”

She shook her head. How like Rayne to ask such a question. “I didn’t have extra identification in those days. Maria accepted my story when I told her I was hoping to earn enough to purchase new identification before my boyfriend caught up with me. She believed everything I told her.”

Riley wrinkled her nose. “I still feel guilty about lying to her. We have to lie sometimes while doing our jobs. I understand that. However, I feel like I duped a good woman with a trusting soul who did her best to protect a young woman.”