Mission Her Justice - Anna Hackett
Chapter One
The bright Nevada sun speared into Jonah Grayson’s eyes. Stepping out of the large aircraft hangar, he slipped on his sunglasses and slid his hands into the pockets of his suit pants.
A hot desert wind made his jacket dance around him. His gaze locked onto the experimental jet-copter that swept into view, preparing to land. For a second, his hands itched, the pilot in him wanting to be the one behind the controls.
As the wide-bodied, twin-rotored X8—able to fly like a jet plane as well as like a helicopter—lowered to the tarmac in front of him, he reminded himself that his flying days were behind him. Ended by the crunch of metal and breaking glass.
Dark thoughts stirred, but he focused on the X8. He had a different job now. Equally as rewarding.
As the jet-copter’s rotors slowed, several tall, fit, black-clad bodies exited from the aircraft.
His team.
Team 52.
He’d selected each and every member himself. Jonah was damn proud of his team, and the work they did.
The tall, powerful team leader strode toward him. That same hot breeze ruffled Lachlan Hunter’s dark hair, and his gold-brown eyes glittered.
Jonah studied the body armor the man wore. Jonah had just approved the expenses for a new version. The team scientist, Dr. Ty Sampson, was in his lab, several stories beneath their feet in the secret Area 52 base, working on a lighter, tougher, more flexible armor.
“Director, only you would voluntarily wear a suit in this heat,” a female voice drawled.
Jonah saw Lachlan’s second-in-command, Blair Mason, grinning at him. Her blonde hair was in a neat braid, resting over one shoulder. His only response to her comment was a brief quirk of his lips.
Both Lachlan and Blair had been former special forces Marines—Force Recon. Both had been injured in the field, and they’d thought their careers were over. Lachlan had lost an arm, and Blair an eye, on a terrifying mission. Then Jonah had recruited them, and offered them a second chance to serve their country…and the world.
They’d also both received high-tech, experimental prosthetics.
In the bright sunlight, Blair’s eye glinted silver. It offered her better vision than the eye she’d lost. Lachlan’s biomechanical arm was hidden under his armor. It was stronger, harder—a weapon all by itself.
“Did you retrieve the gem?” Jonah asked.
Lachlan nodded. Another member of the team—lean, dangerous, former CIA agent Seth Lynch stepped forward, holding a small containment box. A thick, glass panel allowed Jonah to see the large, pale-pink diamond resting inside.
“The recovery in San Francisco went fine.” A faint smile on Lachlan’s lips. “We ran into an old friend of mine. A former Ghost Ops buddy, Vander Norcross. He’s taking care of the cleanup.”
Which no doubt included some dead bodies. Jonah nodded. “Well done. I assume there aren’t any diplomatic issues or authorities for me to deal with?”
Jonah was well versed in defending his team and their actions to the powers that be.
“Not this time,” Lachlan said.
“Good. Get the artifact to Arlo.”
“On it, boss-man,” Seth replied.
Big, former SEAL, Smith Creed, sauntered past with a nod. Behind him followed former Delta Force soldier, Axel Diaz, the team’s medic Callie Kimura, and former MI6 agent, River Elliott-Hall. River was their newest addition to the team, and living with Ty.
Callie smiled, which lit up the angles of her face that showcased her Hawaiian heritage. “I can’t wait to see my sexy geek.”
Jonah shook his head. “He’s in the computer room.”
“Hope you aren’t still keeping him working overtime?”
Inside the pocket of his suit pants, Jonah’s hand curled into a fist. “Brooks hasn’t finished the task yet.”
“Tracking down your mysterious, redheaded intruder.” River’s accent was a crisp, British clip.
“Yes.” Jonah would find her. Whatever it took. He ran a covert black ops team, for God’s sake. He had specialized resources at his disposal.
A few weeks ago, a woman had broken into his Area 52 office and tied him up. She’d managed to infiltrate a secret, highly secure base, without being seen.
And she’d delivered a warning. Protect his team.
Jonah’s teeth clicked together. He would find her, and get the answers he wanted.
Starting with who the hell she was.
With the team, he entered the hangar, appreciating the drop in temperature. Air Force personnel moved around, and several prototype planes rested in the hangar.
While the world was curious about the secrets of Area 51 next door, Area 52 sat quietly, unassumingly, in its shadow, known to the world as Tonopah Test Range.
Below the hangar lay a secret base that only the president and a select few knew about.