yesterday. You here now? Was Marcus in the room? It almost felt like . . .
A.J. heard a slight crack as he squeezed his palm around his sunglasses.
“What are you doing here?” he overheard Wyatt speak up.
A.J. snatched the bottle of water Harper had placed in front of him earlier, her nose scrunched as if she’d been able to smell the booze on him. Hell, his body was so infused it was probably like a fresh coat of paint on his skin.
“I thought you were working on last-minute wedding details,” Wyatt said while Natasha kept the folders clutched to her chest with one hand and reached out and placed a palm on her future husband’s chest with the other.
“I’ll explain,” Admiral Chandler spoke up, his deep tone deflating any of the residual humor that’d been left wafting in the cool air between the guys.
Wyatt hesitantly went back to his seat, but Natasha remained standing at the head of the table alongside her father, who was out of uniform and in a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved, gray button-down shirt. The casual look worked for the man, but it didn’t make him any less intimidating.
It had to be weird for Wyatt to now report to his fiancée’s father, but no stranger than Knox working for his old man. AKA—the Commander in Chief of the United States.
Admiral Chandler gripped the back of the empty chair and looked at Harper, then on to the guys, before his eyes came to a halt on his future son-in-law. “We’d planned on making this announcement when everyone could be here, but the President and I will be phoning the others after this meeting.” His voice was a bit raspy as if he’d smoked a cigar or engaged in a shouting match before showing up.
Wyatt shifted in his seat, clearly on edge with his fiancée, a CIA officer, in the room.
Natasha set the stack of folders on the table and tucked her blonde hair behind her ears, her gaze following the same pattern her father’s had moments ago.
“When you men first began operating for the previous administration, you had a liaison between those in charge and yourselves.” The admiral’s words had A.J. releasing his viselike grip on the bottle of water, and he let go of the tight hold of his sunglasses, as well.
A.J. hadn’t even remembered gripping them, too surprised by Natasha showing up to their meeting. Plus, that bump on the back of his head was still playing tricks on him, because for a moment, he could’ve sworn Marcus was in the room with them, in that empty seat, listening to mission instructions.
I don’t believe in ghosts. Nope. He shook his head a little too hard, attracting the attention of Roman, who was now eying him with concern instead of focusing on the new Secretary of Defense.
“As I’m sure Luke will tell you when he speaks to you later, having that separation between our men and the President didn’t work too well,” Wyatt informed the admiral. “We don’t need someone else to report to. We don’t want someone.”
“And he speaks for all of us,” Chris said in agreement.
“I thought you might say that.” The admiral pulled out the empty chair and took a seat, but Natasha remained on her feet. “But this will be different. The President and I believe we need someone who can be the eyes and ears at the various agencies who can point out potential problems that need to be handled by alternative means.”
“We’re the alternative means, I assume?” Harper asked for clarification, and the admiral nodded.
“We’ve created a task force of agents. One highly qualified and heavily vetted agent or officer from the FBI, DHS, CIA, DIA, and lastly, the NSA,” he explained, his voice low. A touch smoother than before. A ring of decisiveness coming from a man with decades of experience under his belt.
“You’re on that team?” Wyatt’s gulp was nearly as audible as A.J.’s own swallow at the news.
“Yes.” Natasha’s voice was pillow-soft as her eyes swept to her fiancé. “But I’ll also be the liaison between that department and you all.”
Wyatt immediately stood and turned his back to the room, his hands falling to his hips.
It was obvious it was taking Natasha every ounce of energy not to go to him. To remain professional, to prove she was up for the job.
But was she really ready to be not only a CIA officer on a new task force, but also an intermediary between the government