Mission: Impossible to Deny (The Impossible Mission Romantic Suspense Series Book 7), Jacki Delecki [polar express read aloud .TXT] 📗

“Don’t use your CIA bullshit techniques on me. It was too painful to be around each other. No scheming for world domination with our game.”

“I’m sorry. I’m flying blind here about Theodore Thompson. I’m trying to get a take on your relationship for insight into him. Nothing more.”

“Sure. And I have a nice bridge to sell you.” He fell back against the seat, looking straight ahead.“Tex is brilliant but shy. The kid who never fit in. He has no need to sell the game to terrorists. No reason. No psychological bullshit will give you a motive for Tex … or me. I’m here to protect Tex, not assist you in profiling my friend into a terrorist so you can move up the CIA’s food chain.”

“Well, that was clear. And if your friend is innocent, why so much anger on his behalf?” She glared back.

She had a glimmer of respect for Reeves. No one ever called her out except for her oldest brother, who was more like a father to her after her father’s death. Reeves wasn’t in the least intimidated by her CIA status. Of course not. He had Richard Dean as his ally.

He shook his head. “ Don’t you ever give up?”

“Not when terrorists are holding our country at ransom. And I’m sorry if I’ve hurt your sensibilities. But honestly, your feelings mean shit to me. I’m here to do my job.”

“Well, that was clear.” Throwing her words back at her, he turned and stared out his window. “Once you ‘interview‘ Tex, you can go on your merry terrorist hunt back to DC.”

“You don’t care that your game is being used against our country?”

“Of course, I do. And I plan to stay and work with Tex and solve how they hacked our firewalls. The company that manages the game does some refreshing of the app. They don’t tinker with the source code. It was part of our agreement when we hired them. Have you looked into the employees at our management company?”

She controlled her urge to tell him that she didn’t need help doing her job. “Yes. So far, everyone looks clear.”

“If there is anyone who can break the ransomware, it will be Tex and me.”

She wanted to rail against the man and call him out for his arrogant response, but how could she fault him? She and the CIA needed all the help they could get in solving this fast. And she’d be a fool to turn down his assistance, not to mention her boss’s directive. She’d be watching him closely. She wasn’t ready to give him a pass … yet. But it was getting more difficult to mistrust a man who wanted to protect his shy friend and save the US. And who made her dormant girly parts wake up and pay attention.

They drove the rest of the way in uncomfortable silence. If she were a different sort of woman, she would try to smooth over the hostility bouncing between them. Women were supposedly peacemakers, but not in her family where it was every man and woman for themselves. The loser got stomped all over if they didn’t know how to fight back. She was well prepared for the CIA since she knew when to negotiate and when to do some stomping of her own.

She had to find a connection with these two men and the use of their game. She didn’t believe the criminals picked a random game. If Reeves and Thompson were innocent, someone might have wanted revenge.

“Was there anyone else who worked on the game … like a professor or other students?”

 She might not be glamorous like the women Reeves was used to, but she was good at her job. She was a damn good agent. And her gut was shouting to keep pushing these men. Tex and Reeves might not be behind the attack, but they were key to finding whoever was.

“No. We developed the game together. It started as a joke, and we were pretty bored with our classes. And writing the game was way more fun and more of a challenge than any of the assignments our professors could come up with. One professor took an interest in our game, but he was interested in all our work since we ended up in his department.”

The car climbed into the hills, up a twisting road with vineyards on each side. She had never been to this area of the country. She knew from the grocery store tabloids that movie stars had homes here, and now she understood why. The day was clear, the sky an azure blue with a few puffy clouds as if arranged in a Monet landscape painting. And the temperature was perfect, warm with no hint of DC’s unbearable humidity.

The driver turned into an unmarked driveway. She strained to see over the seat to scout out their approach to the house. The dirt road weaved through trees and bushes as they continued to ascend. Her instincts flared. They were driving into an isolated area. Was this a trap set by Thompson or whoever was behind the attack? It would be easy with Thompson’s skill to use the address to lure them into an ambush. At this moment, she wished she had her Sig Sauer tucked into her skirt.

 As the car scaled the hilly incline, they finally came into a clearing with the house in view. Three police cars and an ambulance and van with a medical examiner surrounded the ranch-style mansion.

She felt Reeves’s body tighten and his inhaled breath. “What the fuck?”

“Let’s not jump to conclusions.” What an inane thing to say with the ME’s van parked front and center. She hated what was coming next for him. In ten seconds, she had made a lot of deductions, and none of them bode well for Theodore Thompson or his protective friend.

Reeves was already opening his door before the driver had stopped.

“Reeves, wait. They’re not going to allow you anywhere near