The Darkest Corner (Gravediggers #1)(42)

"What's that supposed to mean?" Axel asked.

"It means you are an experiment, plain and simple. And the alpha team of this particular experiment didn't work out the way it should have. They were terminated. Once we changed the selection criteria and focus, we got better candidates. You. But everyone is replaceable. You, me, The Directors," she said. "Everyone."

Deacon froze, as did the others. He'd had no knowledge of others who'd come before him and failed. It was a sobering thought. The crux of it was that if he wasn't here, living on the mercy of Eve Winters, he'd be dead anyway.

"The Gravediggers were created for one purpose-they are a strike force that puts an end to domestic terrorism. Period. Terrorism is a moneymaking business and our lawmakers know this. Terrorism feeds billion-dollar weapons contracts, and global fear allows these contractors to push the lobbyists' agendas through. 

"It's taken years of research and resources, and billions of dollars to fund this brainchild. You've been selected from a global database of the most skilled agents in the world. This is not a United States problem. It's a worldwide problem. The United States is the center. Nothing can shut down global economics and trade faster than a terror attack on U.S. soil.

"I don't have to tell you what a well-strategized terror attack can do. The Perfect Day is about hitting us where we'd hurt the most and doing the most damage. Schools, commerce buildings, media outlets, the United Nations building, Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and banks. Their goal is to shut everything down. Once it's shut down, it'll be that much easier to do the same in other countries, one after the other.

"To be successful at this we have to focus our energy on what's around us. You have access to all agency databases. It's something none of the other agencies have. And our technology is able to match and discard possibilities with impressive accuracy. We are able to move without restriction, and we eliminate problems without having to gain permission or cut through red tape. We have autonomy where all other agencies have their hands tied. But there are sacrifices that must be made and consequences if the rules aren't followed."

"We're at your mercy," Colin said, the bitterness in his voice thick.

"Yes," she said, and then she looked back at Deacon, her face unreadable. "Bring Tess in. At this point in the game she's a possible asset, and we still don't know if her family has potential Mafiya information that could be of use. I don't care what you have to do to convince her to stay. Just do it. And if we discover we don't need her, then we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

The good news was that he no longer had to think of a way to deceive The Directors into letting him pursue Tess. The bad news was she was now on their radar. The fault was partly his. Eve had seen something in the way he'd talked about Tess, and she'd pissed him off by saying Tess's life would be forfeit if things went south. He'd given Eve a weapon to hold against him.

They'd be lucky if they all came out of it alive by the end.





CHAPTER EIGHT




Tess tried her best to avoid Deacon the rest of the day, but she found herself sneaking glances, looking for him as she went about her day-to-day business.

She didn't need complications in her life, and she had a feeling Deacon would be a big complication. Once she'd finished working on Mrs. Schriever and the lady was presentable, Axel and Elias helped Tess lift her into the casket and roll her into slumber room one.

Something weird was going on. Elias and Axel had both given her an odd look, and they were both quiet. That wasn't unusual for Axel, but Elias pretty much talked all the time, so she knew something was up when he barely uttered a few words and got to work.

She'd had no clue where Deacon had spent the rest of his afternoon. He was almost always there to help her set up a viewing. Setting up the guestbook, chairs, and preparing the cookies and coffee. And if there was rain, like there had been all day, then he made sure there was space for umbrellas and wet things, so people weren't dripping all over Mrs. Schriever.

Elias and Axel knew the drill as well as Deacon, but their silence was so unnerving she gave them a shopping list of supplies she needed from the mortuary supply center and had them make a trip into the city just to get them out from underfoot. They were being too weird. Or maybe she was just being weird because one kiss from Deacon had made her an insane person.

Deciding that if she didn't get a fresh cup of coffee now she probably wouldn't get one before the end of the night, she headed out of slumber room one and put her hand on the newel post on the stairs to swing around the corner. Deacon stood about a foot in front of her, and she let out an unladylike squeak before slapping her hand over her heart in surprise.