Page 98 of Storm Warning

Her lips twitched at the corners. “In his late thirties.”

Andre folded his arms across his chest. “That is not old.”

“To a teenager, that’s ancient.”

Grant flinched. “Ouch. Tell us ancient ones how you really feel. When did Berkley make his move?”

“During my last semester of college. He said he had a job opening for a computer expert with my qualifications. I was beyond excited about the possibility of a job in my field.”

“Did he tell you who his employer was?”

She shook her head. “He said they were important people who saw great value in me and my skills.” Riley groaned. “I was such an idiot for not insisting he give me the name of the company where he worked.”

“You were too relieved to have a guaranteed steady income,” Iona said. “I don’t blame you since you only had yourself to depend on.”

“Ignorance doesn’t excuse my foolishness. I learned from that experience, though. I questioned Zane and Brent in great detail to make sure I didn’t repeat the same mistake.” She lookedat Andre. “Do you want me to tell everyone about the terrorist group called Obsidian Storm?”

Seth stiffened. “Obsidian Storm? Tell me she’s joking, Andre.”

“Sorry. I can’t.”

He groaned. “Holy smoke. I thought they were gone for good.”

“Wait.” Riley stared at Echo’s leader. “Are you saying what I think you are?”

“Echo unit was sent after Obsidian Storm to clean house. We wiped them out.”

“We thought we did.” Andre grimaced. “Looks like we were wrong.”

Noah shook his head. “When we left their compound, no one was left alive. We followed our orders to the letter.”

Grant gave a slight nod. “But that mission left a nasty taste in our mouths.”

“He’s right.” Andre wrapped his arm around Riley’s shoulders. “I remember feeling like we had just completed someone else’s agenda besides the Army’s.”

The room fell silent as everyone stared at them. Riley stiffened. Oh, man. “What’s wrong?”

Smiles formed on several faces. Elias chuckled. “Not a thing.”

Andre glared at his teammates. “Knock it off, guys.”

Grant looked from one to the other. “What’s going on here, Andre?”

“Riley is mine,” he said flatly as though daring them to argue with him. “I love her. If you have anything to say about it, we’ll be having a long, painful conversation, after which you can go to the hospital for stitches.”

Laughter filled the room, followed by congratulations from everyone. Seth grinned. “It’s about time you wised up.”

“Took you long enough.” Grant shook his head. “You’re pathetic, buddy.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Andre scowled. “Can we get back on task, please?”

“Afraid we’ll scare her off?”

His hold on her tightened. “You won’t.”

“He’s right.” Seth held up his hand. “We need to get back on topic. The fun can wait until later. Riley, when were you in the Chihuahua Province for the Obsidian Storm operation?”

“That was my first mission for the CIA.” She glanced at Grant. “After that mission, I had a foul taste in my mouth, too. I realized then that I couldn’t follow my handler’s instructions without question anymore. I knew something was off the further into the mission I got, but I couldn’t figure out what was wrong. I was in Delgado on May 5, and I remember because it was Cinco de Mayo and everyone was celebrating. They were drunk as skunks, which made my mission easier.”