As he worked at the table, Kreed gave a couple of silent prayers. The first one was that he’d get a hold of himself where those nipple rings were concerned. The second? Well, that belonged to the problem of his rock hard cock. He needed the evidence growing inside his jeans to lay the fuck down. This was bad. He had a civilian under his care and protection who was going undercover in dangerous territory. What the fuck was wrong with him?
On a low, disgusted growl, Kreed began an inner reprimand. The mission came first. Whatever he wanted to do with Aaron Stuart should have already happened and, since it hadn’t, should be put on the farthest backburner until they were safely on the other side of this particular mission. Kreed had led this whole investigation to this moment. He fucking had to focus.
With a deep breath, Kreed slowly exhaled and channeled his inner secret agent, forcing that man to take over as he began to explain the devices on the table. The blade and ankle holster would come last. He anticipated their biggest fight to be right there. Kreed turned toward Aaron and started from the beginning, as much for himself as for his temporary partner.
“The name of the game’s building a case. Our sole purpose is to find the information we’re looking for. Get in, get out. Minimal to no collateral damage. If what we’re looking for is there like we think, then we build a case that holds up for prosecution. Got it?” Kreed asked, looking at Aaron, who stood there silently staring at him with his shirt now hanging completely open. Kreed swallowed the lump forming in his throat at the sight of a wide-eyed, sexy hot, smart boy looking so unsure and inviting all at the same time.
“I don’t know the law on this…” Aaron started, but Kreed cut him off.
“That’s not for you to worry about. Undercover work finds the physical evidence that justifies the arrest warrant. Think of this as an accumulation of the last year’s work coming down to the next few days. We find the proof we need or move on. It’s that simple. Got it?”
Aaron gave a very small nod and said nothing, so Kreed continued.
“Here’s what we got.” Kreed moved his hand over each section of the equipment on the table as he explained their purposes.
“This is visual. These are the cameras we’ll use.” Kreed waited until Aaron nodded before he began explaining each device. “These are fixed visuals—the cameras you’ll place to monitor everything in a room. Small, easy to hide, but pick up a large range.” Kreed picked one up and showed Aaron until he got another nod then put that one down. He grabbed another couple of devices, palming both, and pointed to each one as he spoke. “These are the moving visuals—the ones we place on you and the ones you can apply to moving objects. Got it so far?” Kreed waited a heartbeat for that nod.
“Next is audio. Electronic eavesdropping for the phones. They tap and trace both ingoing and outgoing information.” Kreed carefully picked up that device, holding it in his palm. This was the one he planned to have Aaron wear. “For today, it’s important you stay contained to one area of the church until we know better what we’re working with. Got it? The visuals you capture and create today, helps us map the place out, make sure nothing’s changed from the blueprints we’ve pulled. It’s a form of reconnaissance work. It’s a critical step in the process. It keeps you safe and gives us a clue how to get in there if everything comes to a head like we think it will. Let me say it again. Your job’s twofold today—gettin’ your foot in the door and the passive reconnaissance through this device. Got it?”
“Yeah, what’s that?” Aaron asked, finally beginning to participate in the conversation as he stared at the pin in Kreed’s hand. Kreed extended his palm for a better look.
“We’ve evolved massively over the last ten years. I don’t have to tape anything to your chest today. As nice as all that is to look at,” Kreed said, giving a nod toward Aaron’s chest. “You can button your shirt back up, though I enjoyed watching you undress. Nice piercing,” Kreed added with a grin, feeling a little more on solid ground than when Aaron had first started undressing.
“Dude, are you kidding me?” Aaron asked, automatically buttoning his shirt. The irritation was back, real this time, and Kreed’s smile grew.
“You know, you gotta get it where you can. So listen. This’s important. We got the newest state of the art…”
“Yeah, whatever, I’m certain the technology’s already improved,” Aaron said, still disgruntled as hell as he began tucking his shirt back inside his pants.
“As I was saying, this right here is the newest covert recording device, aka a wire, from the bureau.” Kreed held his hand out to show the item. Aaron fastened himself back together as he looked down at the device in his palm.
“It looks like a flash drive,” Aaron said, sliding his buckle into place.
“Yep. We’ll stick this in your front shirt pocket. You don’t have to worry about placement. Either way, we’ll get whatever’s being said around you.” Kreed slid the device in Aaron’s pocket and reached for a writing pen. “This is the backup. They do the same thing.” He put that in the same pocket as the flash drive.
“I thought it’d be bigger than this,” Aaron said, pulling out the pen to get a better look. Kreed knew no one would see anything other than a writing pen, even if it was taken apart. “I remember watching movies as a kid where they had to wear all these wires and microphones.”
“Yeah, and the recorders taped around their belly, like that would ever work. At this point, I’ve started both devices, so everything we say’s now being recorded.” Kreed nodded, staring Aaron straight in the eyes so he would pick up his meaning.