Page 82 of Covert Mission

Thing 1 stopped in his tracks when another man called out to him. So, Thing 1’s real name was Jerry. When the other man hurried off, Jerry restarted the tour by taking them to a small building with a red cross over the doorway. “This is our infirmary. Our medic had an unfortunate accident last month and can’t continue doing his job.”

Jerry flung open the door and motioned them inside the establishment.

Violet walked around the treatment room, opening drawers and cabinets, examining the contents.

The enforcer glared at her. “Why are you poking into every nook and cranny in this room?”

“I’m a paramedic. If I’m going to work here, I need to know where my supplies are located.”

Interest flared in his eyes. “No wonder the leaders wanted you to join us so quickly.” Jerry shifted his attention to Teagan. “Are you a paramedic, too?”

She shook her head. “Sharpshooter. Military trained.” Plus much more training beyond that. Maddox had sent her to PSI to train specifically with Alex Morgan, a world-class sniper. Alex had upped her skills several levels by the time she left the training school. Now, every time she and her teammates returned for training, Teagan always had more one-on-one instruction with Alex. Her instructor was scary good at what he did, and she had the greatest respect for him.

“You any good?” Contempt filled his voice.

Unlike Seth, she wasn’t interested in pushing Jerry’s buttons yet. “Good enough to get the attention of Richardson and Peters.”

“Snipers are thick on the ground around here,” he muttered. “Mostly they’re a bunch of country boys who like to shoot anything that moves.”

Did that include people? “Then I suppose we’ll see how I measure up.”

He turned back to Violet. “Seen what you need to?”

“For now. Thanks for showing us the clinic, Jerry. You’ve made my job easier.”

Violet’s slow smile appeared to unsettle the enforcer. He shifted his stance uneasily, then cleared his throat. “No problem. I’ll take you all to the training center next, then make our way around the outside of the compound until we end up at the cafeteria. It will be time for dinner when we get there.” Jerry motioned for them to follow him.

Little boys playing soldier was her first thought as they explored the compound. The more places Jerry showed them, the more Teagan’s assessment of mediocre training and facilities grew. Fortress training facilities had this place beat hands down. Even the Army training facilities were better than this.

Fortress had world-class trainers. Maddox only hired the best. The Brotherhood’s trainers had much work to do to upstage the black ops training teams at PSI.

The only thing she found more than adequate was the stockpile of weapons and ammunition. One thing she could say about The Brotherhood. They had money and didn’t mind spending it. The facilities might not be much to speak of, but they didn’t skimp on weapons and ammunition. If they used them well was another question, one she’d have the answer to tomorrow.

At last, Jerry led the group to the cafeteria. All eyes in the large room turned toward Teagan and the others as they stepped inside.

Peters approached them, a wide smile on his face. “I see you’ve finished your tour. Please, join me for dinner.”

Seth rested his hand on Teagan’s lower back as they followed Peters to his large table. He seated her beside Violet and took the empty seat between Teagan and Peters.

Peters motioned for the server. A young woman hurried to their table with a loaded tray of glasses filled with iced tea. “Bring our dinners, Jillian. My new friends are tired and hungry.”

“Yes, sir. Right away.”

“Thank you, my dear.”

She hurried to the kitchen for their food, and the rest of the occupants of the dining room resumed their conversations. Glances continued to shift their direction as Peters engaged the infiltration group in small talk while they waited for Jillian to bring their meals.

“So, what did you think of our fine facilities?” Peters asked Seth.

“I’m more interested in the trainers than the facilities.”

“We have the best of the best.”

“You know the type of training we have. Are you sure you want to make that claim?”

“If you want the job as my personal enforcers, you’ll have to earn the post.”

“How?”