Tempest - Kris Michaels Page 0,27

needs to be blind. No favoritism or immunity can be levied, and even then, so many escape the grasp of the law. I've sworn to uphold the system. I'll be breaking that oath when I turn over confidential information. Are you sure your organization can utilize it without anyone knowing I supplied the information?"

"I'm certain." He'd seen Guardian pull a magic rabbit out of its hat so many times he had no doubt his handlers could do it again.

"Then I'll make the call after the captain contacts me tomorrow. Oh, I'm not going into work tomorrow. The thought of putting it––" she pointed to her toe underneath the ice pack "––in heels makes me want to cry."

"I take it no heels isn't an option?"

She rotated her head and blinked owlishly at him. "Mr. Wagner, I believe we need to work on your haute couture education."

"Obviously." He chuckled and raised the back of her hand to his lips. "I'll see you soon."

He stood up but she reached forward and grabbed his hand. "Wait, how are you going to get out? The alarm is running again. Did you stage another outage?"

"No. Nothing so drastic. I bypassed the alarm system at the back door, putting it into a loop. It thinks it’s locked, but it's not. Instant access and departure."

"You did all that in the time the power was out?"

"Well, I admit, I didn't break and reset my little toe..."

She barked a laugh. "Go. Be safe and I'll see you soon."

He leaned down and tilted her chin placing a quick kiss to her lips. The sweetness damn near killed his willpower, but he managed to break the kiss, keeping it a promise of more rather than claiming what wasn't his. Yet. He stood straight and her uninjured fingers went to her lips. To hold you until we're together again.

He forced himself across the distance to her door, removed the chair and checked the hall before he slipped into the darkened hallway. He moved from the house and skirted the sensors that would trigger the back spotlights. Two weeks with Pilar. The thought put a smile on his face until he remembered who'd be on the boat with them. Smoke. The man was movie star handsome. Literally. Fuck him, perhaps he'd have a talk with his old 'friend' before Pilar stepped foot onto the ship.

He jogged down the beach to the parking lot where he'd meet Smoke and Browning. He had an operation to put into motion. He smiled as his feet found purchase in the hard-packed sand by the surf. Anubis was probably going to regret the offer of assistance.

Chapter 8

"Dude, you didn't take very long." Smoke greeted him as he jumped into the back of the old SUV.

"Did you have any problems?" Tempest asked as they sat in the vehicle and watched his six to make sure he wasn't followed down the beach.

"None. Man, you ought to have seen those sparks flying. It was like the world's biggest Roman candle." He elbowed Browning who snorted and shook his head.

"Is that offer to help while you're on down time still good?" Both men's heads whipped back to look at him. They looked at each other before they sent their gazes back to him. He pointed at Smoke and moved his finger between the two men. "Okay, that was weird."

"You're serious?"

"I am. I need a charter boat, a captain and crew I can trust implicitly."

"What's the scoop?" Smoke said as he started the vehicle.

"Head back to the safe house. I have a feeling we're going to need a touch of Guardian magic to make this happen."

"Th-this? Wh-what is th-this?" Browning asked.

Okay, so yeah, Browning had a stuttering problem, but it wasn't so bad he couldn't be understood. Probably more of a hindrance than anything.

"I may have stumbled onto a member of Stratus."

Smoke jerked the wheel and immediately righted his course on the road. "Are you fucking shitting me?"

"Not in the slightest."

"We need to brief Fury." Smoke said and Browning nodded in agreement.

"And I need to call in to Anubis."

Browning rolled his head and stared at Tempest for a moment before he signed, “Shadow?”

He arched his eyebrow and stared back at the man. Browning shook his head and signed, “Please tell me you have better impulse control than this guy.”

He chuckled and signed back, “Everyone has better impulse control than this guy.”

Browning cracked up; his rich laughter filled the vehicle. Smoke snapped his eyes to the rearview mirror and glared into the backseat. "What? What