Sapphire Read Free

well-trained an agent as he’d seen. Hell, given her MMA moves and Kung Fu aerials she’d give Cat Zingano a run for her money. But her refusal to follow Riley’s order, or even Ian’s commands, should be a deal killer, should preempt, negate, any skills she might have. He shook his head in dismay remembering her yanking the com out of her ear, clearly annoyed that her commanders were interfering with her important work. Giving her a direct order. An order that could mean life or death. Her life or death.
    Turning back to Riley and Ian, Jase took a deep breath. He didn’t want to get ahead of himself. After all, Ian had asked him if he thought the young woman could handle the op they were planning. It was an important assignment, a certain career builder. Particularly for a young female agent on the move. He owed them, and her, a thoughtful response. Dragging his hand though his already tousled hair, he spoke carefully.
    “I’ll admit, your agent couldn’t be any more Roberto Ventrilo’s type. Christ, talk about bringing the fucker’s most lascivious wet dream to life.”
    Jase didn’t add, although he could have stated the obvious—Sapphire was every man’s wet dream, including his own. Shoving at the thought that had his prick saluting in agreement, Jase continued.
    “Look, we know what this op will entail. Roberto Ventrilo is the smartest, most vicious son of a bitch I’ve run into and that is saying something. Moreover, he can spot a trap like a Cheetah sees a Gazelle 500 yards away. It’s taken me months to worm my way into his confidence. In the process I’ve killed six men and permanently disabled another half dozen. And my track record doesn’t come close to Ventrilo’s. I’m telling you, this guy eats his enemies for breakfast, picking over their entrails for the choice bits.”
    Jase sat back in his chair and stroked his day old beard thoughtfully holding Riley and Ian in his narrowed gaze.
    “Add to that that the asshole is the ultimate personification of the target market for Esquire magazine, not only in looks but actions. As sophisticated as the Prince of Wales and as canny as Machiavelli. I don’t have to tell you that the only way we are going to succeed is if we have the smartest, most competent, and best trained team on the ground.”
    Jase rose to his feet and began pacing across the room. Turning back to the two people who were watching him intently, he added, “A cohesive, crack team that above all else works as a team . The underlying criteria being that all members follow orders, knowing that if they don’t the chances of our succeeding are nil.” He paused for emphasis. “And that the chances of the whole damn bunch of us getting killed are excellent.”
    ~~~
    Pausing to shore up her confidence, Gabriella hesitated at the door to Riley Davis’s inner office. She smiled to herself, thinking how difficult it was to call her boss by anything other than her Code Name. The most sophisticated and most intimidating woman she knew had told Gabriella at their first meeting that she could call her by her given name when they were in private. Even so, Gabriella found it difficult to call the imposing woman “Riley.” Her boss’s code name, Diamond, was so much more appropriate. As beautiful and as hard and invincible as the Hope Diamond, her commander epitomized her elected name. Even after working with her on several missions, Gabriella could hardly believe she’d been chosen by the founder of LOTN Inc. The meaning of the acronym had caught her by surprise. At first daunted by the implications of the name, Ladies of the Night, the double entendre amused and challenged her. Particularly when she met its progenitor.
    Riley Davis was infamous among former female Special Operatives. True to the outdated double standard of the military, the women who served in these exalted and highly dangerous positions weren’t given the titles their male colleagues were. In all branches of the