Without a Net by Lyn Gala Page B

witnessed a string of illegal sexual encounters,” Ollie shot back. “These people are so far over the line that it’s not funny. We have enough to close the place down now.”
    Kemboi frowned, and the other two went quiet. Kemboi finally asked, “Are you kidding? We close them down on a code violation for sex acts, and the kidnapping ring moves somewhere else. That’s not an option.”
    “Suck it up, Robertson,” Jackson said. “It’s not like they were doing anything you didn’t enjoy.”
    Something inside Ollie snapped. “That’s right, all gay people are perverts who like seeing abuse passed off as kinky fun, right?” Ollie demanded.
    “Hey!” Jackson was up and out of his chair in a second. “I’m not some freaky sexist. I never said gay people or gender-fluid people or any people were anything. I’m talking about you. You weren’t even trying to scream out any panic words. I mean, you paraded around for the calendar people, and now you had a whole room full of eyes on you. It must have been a fantasy.”
    Kemboi stepped in. “Jackson, one more word and you are on report for harassment.”
    Jackson snorted his disgust and sat back down, and Ollie had this vision of the man not bothering to show up when Ollie needed backup. If Jackson wasn’t an outright member of a hate group, he had a few sympathies going. He was right there with those freaks who thought the world would be great if everyone followed some of those radical countries and killed all the gays. Then they could go after all the gender-fluid folk, all the people who liked their sex spicy, everyone who had sex outside of marriage, and throw in a few public-speech advocates and burn them alongside the so-called freaks just for shits. That was the world these assholes wanted.
    “I’m not going back in there,” Ollie said. “Those people are beyond insane. I don’t feel safe on this operation, and I’m pulling the plug. Department policy says I cannot be asked to go back into an undercover situation if I feel my life is at risk.” Ollie had rights, and it was time he took care of himself, because his backup team sure as hell didn’t have his back.
    Kemboi took a second to glare at Jackson before he turned his attention back to Ollie. “We’re the third agency to try to get someone in here. ATF tried and failed; major crime tried and failed. But you…you did it. You got them to take you in as an employee. You can’t walk away.”
    “ATF? Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms tried getting in there? Does that mean they’re running guns?” Ollie asked with horror. That had been left out of the briefing.
    “Wrong letter,” Kemboi quickly assured him. “The ‘T’ got involved because word was that these folks were selling that genetically modified, superjuiced marijuana. They couldn’t get anyone inside, though, and they had no proof. They couldn’t afford to keep the surveillance up when they struck out so magnificently on getting an operative in there.”
    “I can see why they couldn’t get anyone inside. These people are crazy. Absolutely insane. I’m not going back in,” Ollie said firmly.
    “Fuck,” Jackson said with entirely too much amusement in his voice. “I didn’t know you were such a pussy.”
    “Fuck off.” Ollie flipped Jackson off. Cooper looked confused.
    “Hey, both of you, knock it off,” Kemboi said. “We have a job, and we’re all tired. Robertson, you’ve had a twelve-hour shift, most of it in a difficult and dangerous situation. You kept your cool, but you aren’t up for making rational decisions right now. Too much adrenaline. And Jackson, stop with the asshole impressions. We’re a team, and if Robertson hadn’t taken the job as bait, you were next in line, so think about that before you let your mouth run.” Kemboi turned his back on them and focused on the computer station they’d set up for surveillance.
    “Ollie, check in at the flop hotel with your secondary team and then slip out the