Her Fierce Warrior (X-Ops #4)(35)

Thorn's eyes narrowed. "You're not going to let us send her, Sergeant  Rios? I don't remember asking for your permission. Minka is currently in  this country on a political asylum visa that the rest of the Committee  and I arranged. One word from me and that visa will be revoked. Keep  that in mind before you start deciding what you will and will not  allow."

Angelo tensed, ready to launch himself across the table and punch the  asshole right in the face. He probably would have too, if Landon hadn't  put a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"The ultimatums and threats aren't helping the situation," John said firmly. "Sit down, Angelo."

Angelo didn't like the idea of letting Thorn think he'd won, but John  was right. Punching the guy wouldn't make the problem go away, so he sat  down, then allowed himself to envision all the different ways he could  have killed Thorn right then.

"Thomas, Minka's control is extremely tenuous at this point. Even if you  could get her hybrid side to come out, there's no guarantee that it  would do what you want," John said. "She's as likely to try to kill you  as help you."

Thorn nodded. "Dick mentioned that. But he also said Sergeant Rios seems to have a knack for keeping her calm."

"So, it's your intent to send them in as a team, then?" John asked.  "Even though Minka obviously has no field training and Sergeant Rios  isn't a member of the DCO?"

"They wouldn't be part of the actual team going in," Coleman said. "Her  job will simply be to guide them to the facility. His will be to keep  Minka calm and in control. She wouldn't be in any danger." He gave  Angelo a pointed look. "Besides, I'm sure Sergeant Rios wouldn't mind a  free ride back to Tajikistan. It's about time he rejoined his A-team,  isn't it?"

Angelo's heart dropped. This was worse than just taking Minka back to  Tajikistan. For whatever reason, Coleman was using this mission as a way  to get Angelo out of his hair and back to his team. Angelo had woken up  this morning assuming he and Minka would have at least another week  together, hopefully more. Now it looked like their remaining time  together was going to be measured in hours.                       
       
           



       

Angelo could barely breathe as the rest of them discussed how fast the  mission could be pulled together. Thorn was pushing for them to move  ASAP and already wanted to set up a mission briefing for that afternoon.  It was insane to go into something like this so fast and with so little  planning, but Angelo got the feeling that what Thomas Thorn wanted, he  got.

Thorn and Coleman left a little while later, the deputy director saying  he'd get the ball rolling on the mission briefing. Angelo stared down at  the conference table, wondering how in the hell he was going to break  it to Minka. She'd be terrified about going anywhere near those doctors,  not to mention devastated that he probably wouldn't be coming back with  her after the mission.

"What if I just refuse to go?" he asked suddenly, searching for something-anything-to stop this from happening.

John shook his head. "I wouldn't recommend it. Thorn will call your  bluff and send some other operative out to try to control her. Are you  willing to let anyone but you protect Minka?"

"No." Angelo ground his jaw. "I'm just pissed at being manipulated by  that prick." He looked at Landon. "I thought you said Thorn was the one  bankrolling these doctors. If that's the case, why the hell does he want  us to track them down? Shouldn't he know where they are? And why does  he want us to capture them? Won't they lead back to him?"

Landon shook his head. "I wish I knew."

"It's possible this is all a charade and Thorn is only acting gung ho  about tracking down the doctors because he already knows they aren't  still at this facility-if we find it at all," John said.

Angelo frowned. "That makes no sense. Who's he trying to impress? It sure as hell can't be us."

John shrugged. "I agree. I doubt he's doing this for anyone in the DCO.  This has something to do with the Committee, but with both houses of  Congress out of session and no one even in town, I couldn't tell you  what it is. All I can assume is that there's a game going on here that  we can't see yet."

"Do you think there's a chance we've been wrong about Thorn all along?"  Ivy asked. "What if someone else on the Committee is funding the hybrid  research and Thorn is actually trying to stop these doctors?"

John didn't have an answer to that.

Damn, Angelo hated all this cloak-and-dagger shit. If he had wanted to  play games like this, he would have joined the CIA instead of Army  Special Forces.

"Can Minka do what Thorn is asking, Angelo?" John asked. "Can she access  her hybrid memories and find the facility she escaped from?"

Angelo thought about it. He remembered her describing how she'd gotten  her claws to extend by letting the beast out in a controlled manner.  Then there was the way her eyes had stayed completely green last night  while they'd been making love. That told him she'd been subconsciously  keeping the beast in check even while she'd screamed in orgasm.

"My first instinct is to say no, but that would just be me trying to  protect her," he admitted. "In reality, she probably can. She still has a  long way to go, and there will be setbacks along the way, but right  now, she's gaining control of her hybrid side more and more every day. I  don't think there's anything she can't do if she really wants to do  it."

John was silent as he considered that. "That's amazing. Tanner has been  working on controlling his rage for almost a year, and he's only started  making headway these past couple months. Zarina said Minka is the same  kind of hybrid that Tanner is, but Klaus and Renard have obviously  improved the serum since leaving Washington State."

Angelo saw Ivy and Landon exchange looks.

John must have seen it, too. "What?" When Ivy and Landon didn't answer,  the director scowled. "If there's something I need to know, I'd rather  hear it now than wait for it to come out at the wrong time. So spill  it."

Ivy hesitated, looking at Landon again. Her husband nodded.

She sighed as she turned back to John. "I guess it's time we told you  anyway. Minka wasn't made using the same serum Klaus and Renard used to  turn Tanner. She was made from serum with my DNA."

John's eyes narrowed. "Run that by me again."

Ivy swallowed hard. "When Landon and I went to Washington State to find  Stutmeir, Stutmeir captured and tortured me. Klaus and Renard were  thrilled to get their hands on a shifter, so they took samples of my  DNA, hoping it would accelerate their research."

John didn't say anything for a long time, but it didn't take a genius to  figure out he was steamed. "Klaus and Renard have had access to your  DNA for nearly a year, and you just decided to fill me in now? Why the  hell didn't you tell me when it happened?"                       
       
           



       

"We were worried you'd figure out that I'd violated DCO orders and let  Ivy's shifter identity be compromised because I refused to kill her,"  Landon said.

John swore. "Do you think I give a shit about that? That's a stupid  directive put in place by Thorn and the Committee after what happened  with Adam. I never expected you to carry it out. Besides, you made it  clear the first time we met that you'd never turn against your partner,  no matter what. Hell, that was a big part of the reason I wanted you  with her. After all the shitty partners she'd had, Ivy deserved someone  who would have her back." He shook his head. "No, what pisses me off is  that you forced me to operate in the dark for almost a year when I could  have been helping you."

Ivy gave him a sheepish look. "Landon would have told you a couple  months ago, once we realized you were really on our side, but I wouldn't  let him. I was hoping against hope that he and I could find the doctors  ourselves. Then, no one would ever have to know what Stutmeir and his  doctors had done to me, and Landon and I would never have to explain  anything."

John's expression softened. "You should have told me, Ivy. You're like  family to me. I had a right to know. But I understand why you didn't."

Angelo wondered if Ivy and Landon were going to mention the part he and  the other members of his A-team had played in rescuing her out in  Washington. He sure as hell wasn't going to say anything about it if  they didn't. There was no need to put the rest of his team on the DCO  radar, too.

"So you think Minka's rage issues are being tempered by your DNA, huh?" John asked.