“I’ll go,” said Emma.
“You will freeze your ass,” said Nik.
“I’ve been stationed in Antarctica,” said Emma.
“Why? Studying penguins?” Nik scoffed.
“Catching a Russian mole,” she said in Russian.
“You speak Russian?”
“I speak five languages.”
Rylee smiled. “It helps that Emma has a photographic memory and a wolfish ear for accents.”
Emma blushed. “Thank you, ma’am.”
“And I thought you were the girl next door.” Nik shook his head. “Still too dangerous.”
“I’m not the girl next door.”
“I can join the pack they are looking for, but I won’t be able to protect you.”
Emma smirked. “I don’t need your protection. Trust me. I’ve been in tighter situations. Besides, whoever is behind this might have hired Project Sabertooth to kill my father and me.”
Rylee nodded. “Precisely.”
Nik turned to Rylee. “You can’t mean to send our new Ms. H. on such a risky mission?”
“Why not? Her father went on a suicide mission shortly after he took over.”
Nik looked at Emma. “You have no children. Who will take over if something happens to you?”
“Not my problem,” said Emma.
“We have two humans from the UK division being trained as a second to their current Mr. H.”
Emma scowled at Nik. “I’m dispensable so you have nothing to worry about.”
Nik wanted to put her over his knees. Such a pretty woman willing to die for what? Something the team could handle without human interference.
“Wrong, you are not dispensable,” said Rylee, her expression unreadable. “You both take the greatest care.” She narrowed her eyes at Nik. “Since Emma is valuable to our kind, you will protect her above all else.”
“No problem.” Nik muttered, “If she knows how to listen.”
“Not my first or last assignment,” snapped Emma.
Rylee stood. “You will locate and hide the wolf pack. Nothing more. This will be more like a camping trip rather than an espionage mission. Understood?”
Nik and Emma nodded.
“Jesper, create identities for Emma and Nik. They leave in two days.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Emma, Cricket will show you to your new quarters. In the meantime, notify the CIA, you are following a lead to your father’s death. If someone in the CIA is involved in chimera experiments then he or she might make their move.”
Dr. Becker spoke. “I suspect the mastermind behind this is getting help from a rogue werewolf.”