Tempest - Kris Michaels Page 0,52

Guys, I know the financials are important, but you've got to see this." A flurry of clicks sounded before a momentary silence.

"What the hell am I looking at?" Fury growled.

"Screenshots off the Darknet. Her mother’s email server is on the Darknet. Tempest's woman captured the address with these pictures. Holy shit. I can totally hack this. It will take time, but if I can get into her email system without her organization knowing about it..."

"Do we need a warrant?" The comment came from Dom Ops.

"For the Darknet?" the woman asked and scoffed, "What is she going to do? Complain I hacked her illegal email account?"

"I meant for evidence reasons. Bringing these people to justice."

Archangel responded, "We will need a warrant if the server contains data we want to use to prosecute them in the future. I'm authorizing CCS to work on the information for now, pending a federal warrant. Jewell, we need to know what country the server is in, and do not hack the email server until we get the warrant. Tempest, the summary you provided appears concise and to the point. Regina may well be one of the three we are looking for, but until we can verify suspicions, everyone will stand by for instructions. Archangel out."

"Guys, you made my freaking year. Honey, you get Alonzo to take the day-to-day ops and order us a pizza for dinner. No way I'm leaving until I get this puzzle solved. What? Oh, right. CCS. Out."

"If you need assistance let me know. Sierra team is in south Florida on standby. Alpha Out."

"Dom Ops will start working on this information. We'll keep you apprised as we can. I'm out."

"Well my friend, I miss one day, and you launch a multi-department operation." Anubis laughed. Tempest could imagine the man shaking his head as he was doing it.

"The world was a much quieter place when you were sitting your ass on your porch every night," Fury agreed.

He snorted his reply, "I have years of inactivity to make up for."

"I think you're doing a hell of a job." Fury's evil chuckle came across the connection. "Tell that knucklehead and his partner, they're with you until this op closes."

"I'm the partner." Smoke presented a hand for a high five from Tempest. He rolled his eyes and left the man hanging.

"No, you're not. I'm out."

"You know, a guy could get a complex." Smoke crossed his arms over his chest.

"Don't blow up any more substations," Anubis scolded.

Smoke pointed to Tempest as if Anubis could see his actions. "What? It was his idea! Why am I taking the shit for this?"

"I'm sorry, Tempest. I don't know how you're going to remain sane after two weeks on a boat with him."

Sage chuckled. "Amen."

"Hey? Et tu Brute?" Smoke gaped at his partner. Sage shrugged and smiled. "Fine, see if I offer to help again."

"You owed me for the free rent," Tempest reminded him.

"Oh. Yeah. Okay. Whatever it takes, man."

"For as long as it takes." Tempest and Anubis finished the statement, but Anubis continued, "Two weeks. Damn. Good luck, my friend. Annex out."

Warmed from the sun and rocked by the soft waves which lapped the side of the boat, Pilar drifted in contentment. They'd eaten a huge lunch and were being lazy in the setting sun. Luke lay beside her. His tan, shades darker than hers, took on a reddish hue today. "I think you've gotten a little too much sun."

He shifted at her mumbled words. "You're not pink."

She tipped up her head and glanced down at her exposed skin. "I have on protection."

He sat up and scanned her from head to toe. "Not that I can see."

"Does it bother you?"

His eyes held hers as he slowly shook his head from side to side.

The bleating, sharp, ringtone she'd assigned to her mother wailed from the phone she'd tucked away under the chair to shield it from the heat of the sun. "Crap."

"Who is it?"

"My mother."

"Answer it. Keep up the story."

She rolled her eyes and patted around on the deck to find the phone. She put it on speaker. "Hello."

"Where are you?" The uncaring, modulated tone bordered on disinterested.

"Umm... I don't know? And to be honest, I don't care. I've been lying in the sun, drinking yummy frozen drinks with copious amounts of alcohol and eating way too much food. Oh, I slept in this morning. The first time in years."

"You mean you have no idea where you are?" The snip in her mother's voice got a little tighter.

She glanced at him and