Tempest - Kris Michaels Page 0,91

of the things we found are extremely concerning, possible connections which need to be verified. We have the best people available, in our organization and others, working to track down members of Stratus. With the exception of a few the Council knew about, and had already sanctioned, the leaders will be brought in. Our timeline and our rules this time. The head has been chopped off, but the limbs are still deadly. It is going to take time to sanitize this mess."

"I meant what I said about working with Sierra team. I like the idea of having down time, of working with a team. I hate to admit it, but having backup when I was in the field made shit easier."

Fury snorted through his nose and nodded. "Yeah. Hurts to admit doesn't it?"

"Like a motherfucker." Tempest chuckled. "I may be getting long in the tooth, but I can show those men on Sierra team a thing or two."

"I've got no objection to you working with them. Travis is a damn good skipper; you'll have to respect his position."

"Not a problem as long as he understands I'll do my own thing when the situation calls for it, without getting in his way too much."

A grunt of agreement was all he got. "What did the doctors say?" Fury nodded toward Pilar's room.

"She needs to wake up." It had been twenty-four hours. He closed his eyes and sent the millionth prayer today up toward the big guy.

"She will."

"I'm not allowing anything else."

Fury nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. "I need to tell you something."

He tightened, the assassin never hedged or beat around the bush he was about to chop down, so this hesitancy was unusual. "Spit it out."

"Your woman, I've seen her before."

"What, like on a mission?"

"No, like on the ranch in South Dakota."

"She's never been to South Dakota." At least not that she'd told him. Tempest moved so he was between the door and Fury. What the fuck was the guy getting at?

"Yeah, I get it, but dude, she is the spitting image of Tatyana."

"Who?"

"The wife of a friend, he manages the day-to-day operations at the Annex. She's now a Guardian and has been searching for her sister who was taken from their village in Russia when the girl was very young. I haven't seen Pilar without the swelling, but... You know how Smoke gets so much shit because he looks like his younger brother?"

"Yeah."

"She's an exact copy of Taty."

"But she's Regina's daughter."

"Remember what Jewell said about not being able to validate the birth records with a hospital or the State of Florida?"

Tempest rubbed his neck. "Yeah. But how could we know for sure?"

"DNA. Let me take a sample with me. We'll be able to know for sure, but I got to tell you, the resemblance is uncanny. Lycos, Anubis, Moriah and Asp agree. Anubis pulled me aside before I could gather them up individually to confirm my observations."

"Do what you need to do. But I'm not going to get her hopes up. If this woman is related, then we'll deal with it after she wakes up. If she's not... impaired."

"She's got the best docs. There is no swelling in the brain. She'll come out of this." Fury clasped him on the shoulder—the assassin's equivalent of a bear hug.

He extended his hand. "Thanks for the backup here, for the support while I was at the Rose, and for not losing faith in me."

Fury took his hand. "You are the reason the Fates are no more. You're the one person who knew where to start and how to finish it. The world owes you a debt of gratitude."

"I'd settle for a drink when she's better."

"Deal. Whatever it takes, my friend."

"As long as it takes."

He watched Fury exit and waved at Lycos as the pair left. He quietly opened the door and went back into Pilar's room. The background was filled with soft beeps and the occasional pumping fill of the automatic blood pressure machine. He moved the plastic chair from beside the window and settled it beside her bed. He'd always heard patients who had someone talk to them when they were in a coma could hear what was said. He didn't know whether or not to believe it, but if there was a chance, he was going to make sure Pilar knew he was there. He glanced at the closed door and chuckled. Like anyone was going to care if he was talking to her. The nurses and doctors here