Page 98 of Covert Mission

“Whether or not I do, I’ll make my position on electronic surveillance clear.” His lips curved. “They won’t like it.”

“Should be fun. Ready for those phone calls?”

“Yep. Let’s go.”

They returned to the house and locked themselves in. Teagan called first.

“Yeah, Maddox.”

“It’s Teagan. You’re on speaker with Seth.”

“Sit rep.”

She summarized the events of the past twelve hours, ending with, “We’re guarding Peters and training enforcers and guards for the camp.”

A slight pause. “You sure that’s wise?”

“It’s the best way to gain access to the inner circle as fast as possible, sir.”

“You’re playing a very dangerous game, and your lives aren’t the only ones on the line. You’re responsible for your teammates’ lives as well.”

“We’re aware, sir,” Seth said.

“Feds know all this?”

“No, sir. Our next call is to Burnett.”

“I suspect he won’t be any happier about your tactics than I am.”

“After taking down the enforcer team before driving to Haven, we had Richardson’s targets on our backs. The enforcers and camp guards are his responsibility, and he’s doing a poor job training them. We embarrassed him, and he won’t forget it.”

Maddox snorted. “Richardson wouldn’t be the first officer who climbed the ranks without learning true leadership skills.”

“No, sir. When Peters pitted our team against fourteen enforcers and we defeated them, he ordered us to kill the losers and take over as his personal bodyguards. We refused to kill the men. To reduce suspicion, we volunteered to train the protection teams.”

“I understand but I don’t like it. Do you have a plan?”

“Turn them into a cohesive unit fast.” He laid out the plan he’d cobbled together while carrying out other tasks.

“It’s a good plan,” Maddox admitted. “Don’t train them too well, Dixon, or you’ll make your own task inside the compound harder.”

“Copy that, sir.”

“Teagan, what do you need?”

She scowled. How did he always know? She closed her eyes and sighed. “A session with Lang.”

“What happened?”

“Nothing yet.”

“But you think it will.”

“The threat is there.” Heat burned her cheeks. “Peters and Richardson want to punish us for infractions. Based on my observations, I’ll draw the short straw. They’ll use the threat of disciplining me to control Seth. I need a brief session with Lang, sir. A mental reinforcement.” A reminder she could protect herself, that she wasn’t trapped with no way out.

“I’ll call Marcus. When can you talk?”

“As soon as Seth reports to his boss. Fifteen minutes.”