James’s shirt. Yeah, it would be obvious to anyone that this guy just got out of re-education.
“Th’fuck?” James asked again, the look on his face changing from stony to confused. “Matt?”
T EN minutes later, they were walking down the street together, each holding a coffee pouch. James had that completely blank expression he was so good at.
“What are you doing here? You need to get th’fuck out of the Red, Matt.”
“I’m gonna go.” Matt kept his voice just as low. “As soon as you’re ready.”
James said nothing for half a block, just stared straight ahead. “ You’re rescuing me ?” He whispered incredulously.
Matt imagined his smirk bore a striking resemblance to Andry’s from that morning. “Yup,” he said cheerfully.
“I don’t need you to rescue me.” James’s tone was flat.
“Then why haven’t you left yet? You’ve been out of the camp three weeks.”
“How do you know that?”
“Sorry; that’s classified info.” Matt was just goading him, now.
James snorted. “I have clearances you’ve never heard of.”
Matt got serious. “Yeah, I’m thinking my file on you was incomplete. You aren’t a SOUF Regular or a Ranger, are you?”
“Your file on me? Who the hell are you with?”
“You show me yours, I’ll show you mine.”
“Fine. I’m Psi-force.” Matt took a small misstep. Psi-force was one of the most secretive and legendary branches of SpecOps, formed from the Blue remnants of Rangers PSYOPS after Fort Bragg and Camp LeJeune went Red in the ’50s. When the Blue states military reorganized in 2057, the Marines and all Special Operating Forces formed their own branch of the military—Special Operations Unified Force. Psi-force was one of the units that ultimately fell under the jurisdiction of both SOUF Command and the ArmySF Subcommand. Psi-force troops could be embedded with any military unit.
“Your turn.” James nudged him.
Matt stopped walking and turned to James. Let the fucker face this one head-on. “I’m an extraction agent for Queer Extraction Services Association.”
James gave another little snort, and stared for a second. “I’m being rescued by a contractor ,” he muttered to himself.
Matt smirked again. They turned and continued on.
“You have a licensed recoder?” James asked in a low voice.
“Yeah.” Matt smirked a little more. It wasn’t like they let just anybody walk around with a recoder. James needed him for that if nothing else.
“Guess that’s all right, then. Thank God.”
Chapter 3
S INCE James was being tracked so closely, Matt took him to a temporary safe house. It was a meeting room at the Boise Fire Department. Matt waited for the secretary to finish sweeping before they went in.
“Would you like coffee? Do you need any tech?” She offered on her way out. A subtle nod gave Matt his answer. There must be listening devices in the hallway.
“Yeah, my tablet’s malfunctioning. I’ll wipe it when we’re done.”
“Right away.” She smiled pleasantly and left.
James arched a brow at him when he turned into the room and shut the door. “She swept it,” Matt told him. “We can talk.”
“You trust her?” He seemed more curious than concerned.
“Yeah.” Matt knew her pretty well.
James pulled out a chair and collapsed into it. He rested his elbows on the table, put his head in his hands, and groaned. He stayed that way for a long time. The secretary came back with the tablet and left again. Matt sat down not quite directly across from James.
The tablet held intel from the Boise Blue cell. He downloaded the encrypted info from the tablet into his regular hookup and sent it on to QESA through a Red satellite, re-encrypting it first. Matt checked on James again.
His hands were fisted in his hair, and Matt could see his knuckles had turned white.
“James,” Matt said softly. He may not like the guy much, but this looked like some serious reaction. At least for James.
“Th’fuck?” James asked again, the look on his face changing from stony to confused. “Matt?”
T EN minutes later, they were walking down the street together, each holding a coffee pouch. James had that completely blank expression he was so good at.
“What are you doing here? You need to get th’fuck out of the Red, Matt.”
“I’m gonna go.” Matt kept his voice just as low. “As soon as you’re ready.”
James said nothing for half a block, just stared straight ahead. “ You’re rescuing me ?” He whispered incredulously.
Matt imagined his smirk bore a striking resemblance to Andry’s from that morning. “Yup,” he said cheerfully.
“I don’t need you to rescue me.” James’s tone was flat.
“Then why haven’t you left yet? You’ve been out of the camp three weeks.”
“How do you know that?”
“Sorry; that’s classified info.” Matt was just goading him, now.
James snorted. “I have clearances you’ve never heard of.”
Matt got serious. “Yeah, I’m thinking my file on you was incomplete. You aren’t a SOUF Regular or a Ranger, are you?”
“Your file on me? Who the hell are you with?”
“You show me yours, I’ll show you mine.”
“Fine. I’m Psi-force.” Matt took a small misstep. Psi-force was one of the most secretive and legendary branches of SpecOps, formed from the Blue remnants of Rangers PSYOPS after Fort Bragg and Camp LeJeune went Red in the ’50s. When the Blue states military reorganized in 2057, the Marines and all Special Operating Forces formed their own branch of the military—Special Operations Unified Force. Psi-force was one of the units that ultimately fell under the jurisdiction of both SOUF Command and the ArmySF Subcommand. Psi-force troops could be embedded with any military unit.
“Your turn.” James nudged him.
Matt stopped walking and turned to James. Let the fucker face this one head-on. “I’m an extraction agent for Queer Extraction Services Association.”
James gave another little snort, and stared for a second. “I’m being rescued by a contractor ,” he muttered to himself.
Matt smirked again. They turned and continued on.
“You have a licensed recoder?” James asked in a low voice.
“Yeah.” Matt smirked a little more. It wasn’t like they let just anybody walk around with a recoder. James needed him for that if nothing else.
“Guess that’s all right, then. Thank God.”
Chapter 3
S INCE James was being tracked so closely, Matt took him to a temporary safe house. It was a meeting room at the Boise Fire Department. Matt waited for the secretary to finish sweeping before they went in.
“Would you like coffee? Do you need any tech?” She offered on her way out. A subtle nod gave Matt his answer. There must be listening devices in the hallway.
“Yeah, my tablet’s malfunctioning. I’ll wipe it when we’re done.”
“Right away.” She smiled pleasantly and left.
James arched a brow at him when he turned into the room and shut the door. “She swept it,” Matt told him. “We can talk.”
“You trust her?” He seemed more curious than concerned.
“Yeah.” Matt knew her pretty well.
James pulled out a chair and collapsed into it. He rested his elbows on the table, put his head in his hands, and groaned. He stayed that way for a long time. The secretary came back with the tablet and left again. Matt sat down not quite directly across from James.
The tablet held intel from the Boise Blue cell. He downloaded the encrypted info from the tablet into his regular hookup and sent it on to QESA through a Red satellite, re-encrypting it first. Matt checked on James again.
His hands were fisted in his hair, and Matt could see his knuckles had turned white.
“James,” Matt said softly. He may not like the guy much, but this looked like some serious reaction. At least for James.
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