Page 2 of Redeeming Violet

“You’re questioning my choice of firepower when a fucking spook called my private cellphone, knows my address, and…” He was cut off by a knock on the door. “Can get past building security.”

Zane ambled to door, checked the peephole, and threw the door open, uncaring he looked like Rambo.

I thought I heard a feminine giggle before Zane barked, “What the fuck woman? How’d you get up here? Never mind, I don’t want to know. I knew I should’ve installed my own system.”

“May I come in?” she asked.

This woman had no sense of self-preservation. Zane Lewis was an opposing man standing at six-foot-three. He was so large I couldn’t see the woman who called herself Violet, if that was her real name. His hand was also on his P226 at his thigh, yet she still asked to enter. Either she had a death wish or she was plain stupid. Much to my surprise, Zane stepped to the side offering her entrance and I got my first look at the petite brunette. Not at all what I was expecting. She was younger than I thought, and absolutely stunning. I shook my head to dislodge the fantasies my mind was conjuring up and back to the situation at hand. There was a traitor in our midst and she needed to be dealt with accordingly.

She walked in and wasted no time. “Have you already confirmed what I told you?” she asked.

Zane narrowed his eyes and asked, “Why are you here?”

“I already told you. I have credible intel that says Wolf and his team are walking into an ambush.”

“That’s not what I’m asking. Why are you here - in my living room? You could’ve alerted a hundred different people in your office, including the National Security Advisor. Maybe the Secretary of Defense. Yet you’re standing your skinny ass in my house. What. The. Fuck?”

She didn’t even flinch at Zane’s gruff comeback. If anything, she stood taller and crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t know who I can trust.”

“But I’m supposed to trust you?” Zane asked.

“No. You’re supposed to trust my intel.”

“Like that can’t be faked. Again, what the fuck?”

For the first time since Violet walked into Zane’s apartment, she turned toward me. “Is he always like this?”

“Only with people he doesn’t like,” I told her.

She didn’t seem to be deterred and pulled a laptop out of her messenger bag, knelt down in front of Zane’s coffee table, and powered the machine on. Zane looked at me, his eyebrow cocked up in his signature look of annoyance and asked, “Can I shoot her now?”

“Not if you don’t want to have to explain to the management why the carpet needs to be replaced.”

Violet didn’t care Zane was plotting her murder and continued to click buttons on her keyboard until she’d pulled up the file she wanted.

“Here.” She turned the laptop so Zane and I could see the screen.

“Jesus.” I muttered. It was the flight plan and mission information for Wolf’s team.

I scanned the top-secret document, reading the mission specifics, something that no one outside of the platoon’s chain of command should have.

“Where’d you get that?” I asked. My phone was already in my hand, ready to call Tex.

“It doesn’t matter.”

He answered on the first ring and before I could press for more answers. “Go.”

“Mission is compromised. Call them back.”

“That’s a no-go. All comms have been severed. They’re dark.”

“The pilot?” I asked.

“Negative.”

“Sat phone, personal cell, a smoke signal?”

“No. No. And triple no. They’re ghosts,” Tex said.