“Where do you put it?” Kreed turned to Aaron and asked.
“I told you, fast metabolism,” Aaron shot back.
“That reminds me. We have dessert with real pure cane overly processed sugar!” Colt clapped his hands together, pushing back from the table.
Chapter 11
While the house was huge—more space than two people could ever need—the group huddled together around the living room coffee table. The jovial nature of dinner all but gone as they discussed the current plan to infiltrate Redemption Apostle Tabernacle.
Aaron had both his laptop and iPad out as Kreed and Mitch debated the case. If he hadn’t just spent the last several months listening to them, he’d be convinced they were fighting. Instead, he knew their process of hashing out possibilities and sat waiting for either one to request information he could access to help substantiate their observation.
In the beginning, Mitch expressed strong doubt when he, Aaron, and Kreed discussed the reason for focusing on this particular church. Mitch had actually argued, believing the better option was the church in the Maryland area that both the CIA agent and his attorney attended. Aaron watched as Mitch became animated and vocal, a total bulldozer when he got something in his head until Kreed raised his voice, stopping his partner with three simple words, “It’s this one.”
Impressed with how simply Kreed took control, the best Aaron could figure was years of working with Kreed’s gut instinct had Mitch slowing his roll. Mitch stared at Kreed for several long seconds before dropping down on his knees beside the coffee table, wanting to see the church layout a little closer from the iPad Aaron used.
Since then, their entire dialogue hinged on this being the spot to stop this particular crime wave in its tracks. Like Aaron, Colt and Jace were little more than bystanders as Cody entered the discussion, adding valuable input as the three talked about the tactical plan they wanted Director Skinner to put in place. As much as the entire group believed in the importance of keeping this quiet, they also believed whole-heartedly in their ability to fully trust Director Skinner.
Kreed finally confessed that, behind everyone’s back, Kreed had already set the wheels in motion with his direct supervisor. Even Connors didn’t know how in-depth Skinner’s involvement had become or the backup he’d put in place to protect Kreed and Aaron while undercover.
They had their undercover space secured already. The government had leased a home, strategically across the street from the massive church complex. The owners, senior citizens, had decided to vacation abroad for the next several months, the government footing their bill. Aaron added the senior citizen couple to his fake bio and updated everyone on the backstory he’d created. He’d pose as their grandson, who had moved to the area after finishing his graduate work at New Hope University. Since Kreed was now divulging the secret of Skinner’s full participation, Kreed signed into email on his phone and forwarded a thick file of places, buildings, and professors he needed to associate with in order to pull off years spent there on campus.
“Midlothian looks like a little Podunk town. What if things go bad? How long will it take to get Skinner’s team in there?” Aaron questioned as he moved his finger around the screen, looking at the layout of the city.
“Are you doubting my ability to keep you safe?” Kreed asked smugly, effectively not answering the question. The deputy marshal was good at deflecting.
“Well, kind of,” Aaron replied, using his finger to pinch the screen back to a more concentrated view, showing the entire size of the compound. Then he returned his gaze to Kreed and waited for his answer.
“I already told you. It’s my job to keep you safe. I’ll handle those details. Besides, all you’re supposed to do is set the place up, get the transmission going with Connors, and keep your head down. We’ll handle the rest,” Kreed said, patting Aaron’s thigh. He didn’t doubt Kreed Sinacola could keep him safe, but had the guy just dismissed his value in the outcome of this case? He took a deep breath and let the tension of that thought roll off his shoulders. He and Kreed would be having a talk about that later.
“Is the plan to get Aaron hired a secure one?” Colt questioned. Both he and Jace had remained so quiet throughout most of this exchange that Aaron had almost forgotten they were there. All eyes turned to Colt.
“Yeah, I think so. That’s on me, but I have a solid plan. I’ll have a job there by the end of the day tomorrow,” Aaron answered, not divulging anything more about his strategy. He never talked about the way he manipulated code or the ease of breaking through the most complicated security firewalls. No one needed that information. Not right now. With this group, less was most definitely more. “I need some time, though, before I go over tomorrow. All I’ve got’s my laptop, so it’ll take me longer. I need to get into their system and find my triggers.”
“No more all night gaming?” Kreed teased, ruffling the back of his hair. He’d pulled that same move a couple of times already today. It was a friendly gesture, maybe a little intimate, and he wasn’t entirely sure Kreed even realized he did that. Aaron quickly lifted his hand to finger-comb his hair back in place while he dodged that question.
“This whole thing’s put a damper on every part of my life. I’m vested in getting the answers and doing it as quickly as possible,” Aaron responded, getting to his feet. He sure didn’t want Kreed digging too deeply into his gaming activities. “We should get going. I have a lot to get done in a short amount of time.”
“All right,” Kreed said, rising a little slower. “I think it’s late enough to travel.”
“What’s that mean?” Aaron asked. He’d begun loading his equipment back in his backpack, but stopped and looked down at his watch. It wasn’t that late.