[BAD 07] - Silent Truth by Sherrilyn Kenyon Page B

Fratelli camp, where she remained against her will. Supposedly.
    Hunter had yet to be convinced Linette was entirely trustworthy. No BAD agent had met her in person.
    But that might change tonight since, according to her last missive, Linette was supposed to be in attendance at the Wentworth event along with three Fratelli superiors, each from a different country—a UK representative, a Russian spokesman, and one from the U.S. known as Fra Vestavia, who BAD had a keen interest in.
    Vestavia had infiltrated the DEA, as Robert Brady,then disappeared before being exposed as a traitor and was now perched at the top of BAD’s list of wanted criminals.
    Hunter had his own elite wanted list, with the assassin who killed Eliot first in line to answer for his sins.
    But Hunter’s assignment for BAD was priority one.
    After four years of patience, he could not afford the mistake of rushing.
    Once he retrieved the USB memory key Linette planned to drop tonight, he did intend to review the information before passing the key to BAD. Linette indicated the key would include copies of kill photos Vestavia had received, the pictures marked with an unusual emblem as confirmation of the contractor’s kill.
    She described the spoon-shaped design as having a smiling skull with sunglasses in the bowl and the body of a chameleon on the handle. The same design engraved on a titanium baby spoon with a carved Jackson’s chameleon for a handle found by FBI at Brugmann’s home on the coast of Kauai the night Eliot had died.
    The FBI had dubbed the assassin in the Jackson Chameleon—the JC killer—and connected that death with some that went back ten years.
    Why a baby spoon? A macabre calling card.
    As if the shooter had taken to killing since birth.
    Hunter pushed those thoughts out of the way and continued moving through scattered pods of guests, careful not to make eye contact. Most gave him a subtle double take.
    They were deciding if he was who they thought he was.
    BAD assets scattered throughout the party had enteredas catering and additional security, filling in holes created when specific personnel on the staff came down with a case of intestinal flu.
    Amazing what modern medicine can do to cure or to induce an illness.
    Everything was in place for a successful mission.
    BAD agent Carlos Delgado entered Hunter’s field of view wearing a navy suit and a wire curling from his ear. He’d inserted as part of additional security for the event. Venezuelan by birth, Delgado’s dark eyes squinted with suspicion at everything he observed.
    Carlos coordinated the on-site team.
    He was also the one who’d captured Gabrielle last year and understood the risk involved with trusting an informant no one at the agency had ever met or could vouch for.
    Gabrielle used her amazing electronic skills for BAD now, lived with Carlos, and believed completely in her friend Linette’s credibility.
    All well and good, but Hunter hadn’t survived this long in covert work by giving trust so easily.
    Before tonight, Linette’s only contact with BAD had been limited to electronic means, which made her an easy gamble to stake a bet on until now. But the Fratelli could discover her duplicity at any time. If that happened before she had a chance to alert BAD, the Fratelli could use her to flush out anyone she’d been in contact with, which would expose Hunter.
    Just another reason this type of op fell squarely on the shoulders of BAD when it came to walking into situations other agencies would hesitate to touch.
    BAD sometimes had to move on an opportunity withminimum intelligence and maximum gut instinct.
    Heading toward him, a sultry redhead slowed her steps, intentionally trying to grab Hunter’s eye when she passed. He returned polite interest.
    Any more and she’d have doubted his authenticity.
    The room oozed gorgeous women. Could one of them be Linette? Much simpler for her to identify Hunter than for him to pick her out. All she had to do was watch for