She raised her eyebrows at him. “This is starting to sound like one of those television shows Maylin watches.”
Diaz chuckled at the reference to his significant other. “The concept is worth considering. Most important thing I’m trying to keep in mind as I establish Safeguard is making sure we’re still doing the right thing. It means we need to make informed decisions and I need people smart enough and with enough of a moral compass to continue making them out in the field.”
Oh. Here it was.
“I’m going to need to know soon, Lizzy.” Diaz was serious now. “Harte has a new fire team for you, with a commanding position if you want it. You could go back into active duty with the squadron in Centurion Corporation. Or you could officially be assigned to Safeguard Division.”
“Not an easy decision.” She kept her tone light but making the choice was anything but.
Diaz didn’t even pretend to be fooled though. “You’ve had a lot of time to prove your point, Lizzy. You had your time in the military. You’ve been a tactical asset to the Centurion Corporation. All along the way, you’ve proven to the people in your teams and the clients we work for how valuable an asset you are. I’m asking you to start becoming a strategic part of this organization.”
“You think I’m ready.” She didn’t bother making it a question. She was, in terms of skill set and experience. No need to hear Diaz confirm it to validate what she already knew about herself.
“I think you’re dodging it.”
Yup.
Diaz sighed. “And trust me, I don’t blame you. But there are ways to burn off those anger issues of yours besides going out on the high-adrenaline, high-risk missions. Last night wasn’t just a good deed.”
No. She’d been spoiling for a fight. Otherwise, she’d have called the police and run interference until they could arrive on the scene. This wasn’t some faraway place. Here, on domestic soil, she was technically as accountable as any other US citizen when it came to the consequences of disturbing the peace.
There’d been a high probability Diaz would’ve had to come bail her out of jail when she’d made the decision to get into a physical altercation. And she hadn’t cared.
“Fortunately,” Diaz continued, “you happened on a lucky situation.”
“Lucky for Yeun.” The man was sitting comfortably slouched in the reception area, watching his police escort pace. For a person too restless to stay put in a hotel room, he was showing a lot of patience here. Probably because he was here on his own terms, pursuing something he wanted. “We could just keep him here for the next few days until his trial.”
“Negative.” Diaz cut the air with one hand. “We’re not a safe house. None of the facilities are intended for overnight stay, much less something longer. Plus, this is a joint operation. It’d raise the question of why the man isn’t being kept in protective custody on police premises or elsewhere in government facilities.”
Point. She had no desire to sit around at a police station for hours, much less days.
“It’s a good opportunity for us, actually.” Diaz sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
The motion drew her attention to him and his rare smile was there. He had surprisingly white teeth. Maybe because none of them smiled all that often. Well, except Marc. He smiled all the time, around a mouthful of food.
“You plan on expanding on your thought there?” She crossed her arms. Whatever this was, she wasn’t absolutely sure she wanted to know.
“Part of Safeguard Division’s longevity is going to rely on the contracts we acquire.” Diaz glanced in the direction of their guests and back to her. “Building a good working relationship with police and US Marshals would be an advantage. I’d rather work with them when the situation calls for it.”
Relations with local authorities were a major factor to consider in any mission. They could be a big help or could become a dangerous risk. She could see where Diaz was going.
“They don’t seem too eager about working with me.”
“Consider it a stretch for your diplomacy skills.” Diaz grinned. “Come out on the other side of this in one piece and maybe we’ll have established a solid precedent for working together in the future.”
“Huh.” She’d stay noncommittal on the idea.
Commitment was part of her problem.
It was easy when she was responsible only for herself.
“I’ll be going silent for the duration.” It was her preferred mode of operation. It should be a simple couple of days. If anyone was trying to find Yeun, they wouldn’t get his location from any intercepted communications between her and Safeguard.
They could take precautions against it, of course. Their technical expertise was some of the best. But the tricky thing in their business tended to be the knack their fellow mercenaries had in one-upmanship. There was always someone coming up with something better.