Page 24 of Wild Fever

Kara shook her head. "That's my leverage. That's the only thing I have.”

"Like I said, it's my way or the highway.”

She considered it for a moment.

16

“When is the drop supposed to take place?” I asked.

“This afternoon,” Kara said. “2:00 PM.”

I pulled out my phone to take a picture of her.

Kara’s face wrinkled with protest. "What are you doing?”

"Finding out if you are who you say you are.”

She made an annoyed face.

"My way or the highway, remember?"

I snapped the photo and texted the image to Isabella. [Who is she?]

She responded a few minutes later.[Interviewing a new girlfriend, are you?]

[No.]

Another moment passed, then I got a phone call. I stepped out of the salon and into the galley for some privacy.

JD entertained Kara.

"Her name is Kara Valentine," Isabella said. "Yes, that's her real name. She's a contract player. Recruited out of college by the CIA as an asset. Mostly as a honeypot. Codename: Fever. It seems fate has a sense of irony. Trained at the Farm, but never officially part of the agency. Specialized in non-lethal asset compromise, seduction intelligence, and psychological leverage. Spent two years working for the company, assigned covert HUMINT ops across Europe. Went out on her own after a situation that resulted in collateral damage. Unofficially burned. Now she specializes in corporate espionage—mostly biotech, aerospace, defense, etc. A little high-stakes blackmail, and the occasional termination—clean operations. She doesn’t seem to get her hands dirty, but she pretty much takes whatever job comes her way." Isabella paused. "Be careful with this one, Tyson. She excels at interpersonal manipulation, and she’s skilled with a firearm. She has moderate cyber skills, but no deep-level hacking. She can be highly persuasive, exhibits strong compartmentalization, and low emotional tethering. She's most likely a high-functioning sociopath.”

"Good to know. That pretty much describes more than half the people in this business,” I joked.

“There are a few exceptions,” she reminded.

“Have you ever worked with her?”

“No. And I wouldn’t.”

“Why?”

“Call it a vibe.” Isabella paused. “You sure can pick ‘em.”

I laughed. "What can I say? Trouble seems to find me.”

"Not everyone can be saved, Tyson. Sometimes people will pull you under with them.”

"I'll be careful.”

"I hope so.”

“What about the data files?” I asked. “The encryption?”

I gave her the scoop about the beacon embedded in the files.

"That presents a problem, but I'm sure there's a workaround. I would need access to the files. Do you have them?"