Chapter Thirteen
Phoenix
“Combined resources.” I looked between my sister and former best friend.
“Front facing, one company. Yours. Behind the scenes, Alpha Elite Security and Paragon Operations will have mutual interests.” I nodded toward the window and the view of the adjacent high-rise.
“I’ve made an offer on the building next door.
” I refrained from mentioning that the acceptance of that offer was contingent on the outcome of this meeting.
Maila didn’t say anything.
Alpha’s jaw ticked. “Ground Branch?”
“I’m not CIA.”
“But you were,” he stated. “You didn’t orchestrate the explosion on that mission a decade ago. You also didn’t cover your tracks by yourself. This has SAC written all over it.”
I neither confirmed nor denied it. The CIA’s Special Activities Center was responsible for a lot of shit.
Staying on track, I laid out the rest of my offer.
“AES will be the client-facing arm of operations—military defense contracts, corporate and private security. Paragon will be behind the scenes. Joint interests, but assignments and missions parsed out by risk assessment, manpower, response time, and availability.” All orchestrated by me.
All so I could still operate, because no matter how well I’d cleaned up after my missions, there would always be threats—threats I now needed to protect more than just myself from.
Alpha’s expression and tone turned lethal.
“First, you are not putting Maila in danger. Full stop. Make no mistake, you’re only standing here because you’re my wife’s brother.
But if that association or this conversation puts her at risk, I won’t hesitate to eliminate the threat.
Second, presumptions aside, and you have a lot of fucking presumptions, without full transparency on where and what you’ve been doing over the past decade, without my own risk assessment, this conversation isn’t happening.
Which means we’re a long way from even discussing the remote possibility of a partnership. ”
Which was why this wasn’t going to be a partnership. “Neither Maila nor your men are in any danger from me.”
“Transparency,” Alpha demanded.
“Classified.” This wasn’t a fucking exercise in HUMINT. He knew as well as I did the risks associated with intel breaches.
Alpha didn’t drop it. “The Secretary of Defense granted my security clearances.”
POTUS gave me mine. Didn’t mean I was going to tell Alpha or anyone else about the past decade. “Then you understand how the transparency you’re asking for would compromise Maila more than anything you’ve already put her through.”
Alpha’s nostrils flared with an inhale.
A hint of the sister I used to know surfaced. “I neither want to know, nor have any interest in what you’ve been up to.”
Holding Maila’s gaze, I took note of what she thought was an inscrutable mask of indifference.
In reality, it was more of a tell than anything she’d given me since I’d walked in here.
Tipping my chin, I acknowledged her comment.
“Noted. And so we’re clear, I understand this isn’t a form of forgiveness.
” I hadn’t apologized. Yet. But the simmering anger just under the surface that she thought she was concealing would be my in.
“Good,” she retorted. “Because I’m not offering any.”
I may not be familiar with the smaller nuances of the woman she’d become over the past decade, but I knew my sister.
I’d also been trained to break people. If I had to manipulate her emotions, I would.
Getting her on board meant Alpha would follow suit.
“Understood.” Turning my attention back to my former best friend, I laid out the final part of plan.
“You retain all your defense contracts. I take over Black Ops.”
Alpha didn’t give any tells, but I knew I’d pissed him off even more.
“Assuming you did your research, assuming you’re the parallel defense contractor who’s been running off-the-books Black Ops for the past few years, then you already know what AES has been handling and what we’re capable of.
” He glanced at his watch. “Conversation’s over.
I have a meeting, and Maila has an appointment. ”
Knowing Alpha’s Falcon was fueled up and on the apron at Miami Executive Airport, I took advantage of the opening. “Maila, dinner tonight?”
Making his first mistake, Alpha answered for her. “Already told you, conversation’s shelved. You’re not going to manipulate her over a meal or outside my presence.”
“No manipulation.” I glanced at Maila. “I’d like to have dinner with my sister.”
“Your sister,” she stated acerbically. “Now I’m something to you?”
Releasing her nape, Alpha moved in front of her. “You’re leaving.”
Yes, I was. “Think about the offer. I’ll circle back in twenty-four hours. That should be enough time for November to run a risk assessment for you.” Knowing I was being an asshole with that last statement, I turned to go.
“Why now?” Maila demanded.
The question Alpha should’ve asked before anything else. I glanced back. “Why don’t you ask your husband?”
Purposely planting discord, not waiting around for fallout, I strode to the elevator.