Page 60 of The ARC Unit: Breach

“Your field qualification is current?”

“Yes.”

“Undercover work?”

“Limited. Source meetings, interviews under cover, translations, some surveillance exposure. Nothing resembling what this team does on entry.”

Wolf’s eyes flicked toward me at the last sentence.

“Languages?”

“Italian, French, Russian and Serbian are strong. I can work comfortably in all four.”

“And the cover?”

Raven answered. “Finance. We can place her adjacent to Bellandi’s social circle without inventing a résumé so impressive somebody wants to verify it over dessert.”

Vale’s mouth moved by perhaps half a millimeter. On her, I suspected that counted as amusement.

“Can you support her?” she asked Wolf.

He did not answer immediately. I turned my head toward him.

Wolf looked at the estate map rather than me. “If she follows instructions.”

My jaw tightened.

“Ms. Mercer, undercover work has very little interest in your pride. Neither does a bullet. If Wolf gives you a boundary while you are under his operational command, you follow it first and argue afterward.”

I wanted to object to the way both of them seemed to think I had arrived in Germany specifically to wander into gunfire out of spite. The infuriating part was that the rule itself made sense.

“Understood.”

Vale looked back to Wolf. “Then build it. If the cover doesn’t survive review, she doesn’t go. If it does, I approve the attempt. Observation only unless the situation changes enough to justify more.”

“Understood,” Wolf said.

Vale’s eyes returned to me. “Do not make me regret hiring you, Mia.”

“Trying not to.”

“Try harder.”

The screen went dark.

Jackal waited approximately one second.

“That’s my type.”

Wolf turned from the monitor. “Nobody asked.”

“That’s never stopped me before.”

“We know.” The answer came from Viper, which made Jackal look personally wounded.

“You’ve been mean to me all week, Vipey.”

“It’s Tuesday.”