Cocky Protector - Kat Mizera Page 0,3
to my chest, brushed my lips across hers, slipped out of the alcove, and strode toward the exit without looking back.
Chapter One
Sometimes life has a way of kicking you in the face, and getting called into your boss’s office when you worked for the CIA was kind of like getting called to the principal’s office in high school. I had handlers who gave me assignments and monitored my missions; getting called into the big man’s office could only mean trouble. I figured I deserved it, but I’d also given nineteen years of my life to my country so I hoped he’d cut me a little slack.
“Close the door, Ross.” The director of my department, a stern-faced man who looked like he had something perpetually stuck up his ass, was named Alton Mourns. That was his real fucking name, which always made me want to laugh, though I managed to keep it in check on the rare occasion I was around him. Today, I was probably going to struggle with that.
I shut the door and stood in front of his desk, wondering if I was getting the can or a reprimand or something else.
“Have a seat.” He met my gaze with a look I couldn’t read so I sat down and stared back. I wasn’t afraid of the asshole, but I needed one more year to get my pension, and while I didn’t really need the money, the benefits were good.
“What’s your relationship to the Queen of Limaj?” he asked abruptly.
I frowned. “Um, childhood friend. I think we made out once or twice when we were teenagers. Now she’s married to a king who happens to be a friend of mine. Why?”
“Can you get close to her?”
“Close? Close as in…sleep with her? Talk to her? What kind of close are we talking?”
“Close as in, her inner circle.”
“I’m already in her inner circle,” I replied, holding back a scowl. “What’s this about?”
“We believe the government there is in the process of putting together an intelligence agency and I need intel on that.”
“I can give it to you,” I said, leaning back in my chair and relaxing now that I knew this wasn’t about me. “They are. It’s not a secret.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes. Why?”
He blew out a breath. “I need you to find out why and who’s running it.”
“Sir, those things aren’t secrets. I already know the answers and they don’t have any problem with me telling you. The king himself is putting it together, with help from Prince Sandor and Joe Westfield.”
“Fucking Westfield. He was a pain in my ass when he was a Marine, more of a pain in the ass when he worked for us, and now that he’s in the private sector, I want to cut his balls off.”
I decided to sit back and let him vent. Joe Westfield was one of my closest friends and confidants. “Is there a reason for you wanting to know this? They’re just trying to protect themselves.”
“We don’t want them forming another intelligence agency. They’re too close to both Russia and the Middle East. It makes them vulnerable.”
Okay, that was the dumbest thing I’d ever heard. “Sir, they want to be our allies. King Erik has been rebuilding the country since he took power early this year, and the only reason he hasn’t sent an ambassador over here is because he doesn’t have enough people he trusts in his organization yet.”
“Precisely. Now he’s forming an intelligence agency—with those same people he can’t necessarily trust. I need you to stop it.”
“That’s not going to happen.” I was probably kissing my pension goodbye, but it really wasn’t up to me. I knew Erik well enough to know he wasn’t going to take direction from the CIA or any other foreign power.
“Are you refusing an order?” His eyes narrowed.
“No, sir. I’m telling you the facts. Erik needs intelligence to help protect himself and his people. He’s not going to stop doing what he’s doing because you, or I, said so.”
“Your job is to convince him. One way or another.”
Our eyes met across the desk and I didn’t even blink. “What does that mean? I’m not going to kill the King of Limaj. He’s my friend and his people are our allies.”
“They’re no one’s allies right now. They’re a lone entity trying to rebuild trust and relationships. Until they do, they can’t be trusted in the espionage world.”
“So what are my orders, exactly?”
“To get King Erik to stop what he’s doing and focus on building the government. In