“Has that woman, Monica, given you this lead?” King asked, his tone a little calmer.
Kane’s mouth twisted into something between a grin and a snarl. “Not exactly.”
Charger let out a low whistle. “Don’t tell me she gave you the slip. Damn, Kane, the human played you?”
Kane’s grin turned darker, dangerous. “She tried.” His voice was even but edged in steel. “I warned her what would happen if she crossed me. Guess she didn’t believe me. I’m heading out tonight to start what I’d like to call a unique partnership. It also has come to my understanding that her sister hasn’t been missing for ten years, but a little over two.”
“Why in the hell would she lie about that?” King frowned, his eyes narrowing. “And what else has she lied about?”
“Is that why you were questioning Adam’s power?” Charger cocked his brow.
“Yeah,” Kane replied, then shrugged. “Jinx did some deeper intel on her and found the newspaper articles about her sister’s disappearance.”
“It would surprise me if Adam read her wrong,” Sloan said from his desk. “Even if she was trying to throw you off for whatever reason, Adam should have picked that up.”
“Yeah, well, as I told him, I’ll be finding out soon.” Kane glanced at his watch. “I’ll keep you informed when I can.”
“I take it you’ve done this before?” King asked finally, his tone steadying though his dark eyes still burned with restrained fury.
“Undercover work?” Kane gave a slight, knowing smirk. “Once or twice.”
“Once or twice?” Charger snorted. “Try every damn time we’ve needed someone to walk into hell and not just survive it but take names while he’s there.”
“That’s what we need,” Sloan said with a deep sigh. “My guys are too well known around here to do any undercover work.”
“Kane’s the guy we send when no one else can get in. Kane disappears into whatever role he needs like it’s nothing.” Charger admitted with a hint of respect.
King grunted, crossing his arms. “You’re saying he blends in with the monsters.”
Kane’s smirk faded, his expression turning serious. “Sometimes you have to, if you want to understand how they move. To stop them, you’ve got to think like them.” His voice lowered, rough with quiet conviction. “I’ve been knee-deep in trafficking rings, blood dens, and illegal feeding houses. I’ve seen things that’d turn your stomach, but every time I walk out, it’s with enough intel to burn them all down.”
“That’s why he’s the best at what he does. He doesn’t just go in; he becomes the monster. They never see him coming until it’s too late.” Charger replied with a grin. “Just the way we like it.”
King studied Kane for a long moment, then nodded once, respect cutting through his anger. “And you think she is going to go for it?”
Kane’s grin returned, slow and dangerous. “She has no choice.”
“Ah, sweet, you haven’t left yet,” Jinx said as he strolled into Sloan’s office, grinning like he hadn’t just walked into a room of irritated warriors. “Steve said you were here.”
“What are you doing here?” Kane asked, glancing down at his phone to make sure he hadn’t missed a call from Jinx.
“Do you ever answer your phone?” Jinx fired back, without answering Kane’s question. “Let me answer that for you—fuck no, you do not.”
Kane didn’t respond. He just stared. Jinx was damn good at his job—an expert hacker and could dig up buried secrets faster than most people could open Google, but he was also a smartass Kane wanted to punch in the face on many occasions.
“You order me to find something, put me on a timer, and if I miss the mark, I get threatened with an ass-kicking or death,” Jinx continued, oblivious to Kane’s narrowing gaze. “And when I call, you don’t fucking answer your phone or return a text.”
“You already gave me what I needed,” Kane said, voice calm but edged with warning.
“Yeah, I know. Because I’m the fucking best.” Jinx puffed up his chest. “And the best always deliver, even when their ass isn’t on the line, which is unheard of around you guys. How the hell Steve has survived around you guys is a miracle.”
“Will you get to the fucking point?” Kane bit out. “Why do I have six missed calls from you?”
“Nine, if you count the unanswered texts,” Jinx corrected, smirking.
“Jinx.” Kane’s tone dropped low enough to make Charger glance up from where he leaned against the wall.
“No appreciation,” Jinx complained to Charger, jerking a thumb toward Kane.