Page 8 of The Hyena’s Guardian
“Potentially both,” the broad-shouldered man said from his chair.
Matt turned toward him slowly. The man’s expression never changed.
Matt glanced between him and the silver-haired woman before sighing. “Well...this place is making a memorable first impression.”
The faintest twitch touched the corner of the silver-haired woman’s mouth.
“Good. You’re paying attention. Overconfidence gets people killed here.”
Matt leaned back in his chair. “You people have a deeply concerning definition of reassurance.”
Keene moved toward the far wall and crossed his arms while the woman tapped her tablet once before lifting her gaze to Matt. “I’m Commander Vale.”
Her authority felt nothing like Mac’s. There was nothing instinctively protective about it. Mac led like people belonged to him. Vale led like everyone belonged to the mission.
“This,” Vale continued, gesturing toward the others, “is Dr. Soren and Agent Baptiste.”
Soren acknowledged him with a small nod while Baptiste barely lifted two fingers from the armrest in greeting. He looked entirely too relaxed for someone that dangerous, and Matt glanced between them with growing concern.
“Please tell me at least one of you is secretly normal.”
“No,” Vale, Soren, and Baptiste answered.
Matt rubbed a hand over his face. “Fantastic.”
Commander Vale ignored him entirely. “You’ve reviewed the operational overview provided to you?”
“Depends how generously we’re defining provided.”
“The version you signed for.”
“Then yes.”
“And you still chose to come.”
Matt shrugged lightly, though the question landed heavier than he wanted to admit. “Somebody has to handle the ugly jobs.”
Baptiste spoke again. “That answer usually comes from people trying to prove something.”
Matt’s attention shifted toward him. “And what answer were you hoping for?”
“The honest one.”
Matt was beginning to think Valker treated silence like an interrogation tactic. “Honestly? I got turned into something I never asked to become, and Valker looked like the first place that might actually understand what the hell to do with that.”
Nobody interrupted him, which somehow made continuing even harder. “So either this works,” he finished, “or I made a spectacularly bad career decision.”
A faint twitch pulled at the corner of Baptiste’s mouth while Commander Vale studied him for another long moment before nodding once.
“That answer,” she said calmly, “was considerably better.”
Matt glanced toward Keene. “Do all of you interrogate people recreationally?”
“Yes,” Keene answered.
Matt sighed. “I was starting to think speaking in riddles was a hiring requirement.”
Baptiste laughed. “You’ll fit in eventually.”
