Griffin said at the same time Kit said, “Yes.”
How should he respond to this situation? Laugh it off? Try to explain about Kit? Reassure her she was safer with someone else?
She was scared. She needed to feel safe. Everyone did. “Kit, I was sent to retrieve you and bring you in. I’ve done that.”
“You said you would stay until you knew I was safe,” she said.
“I know you are safe,” Griffin said, hoping he sounded confident.
“I don’t feel safe. I don’t know anyone here,” Kit said.
She was digging in her heels, creating an impasse.
“I’ll get Connor,” the man said and left the room.
“Kit,” Griffin said, trying to reason with her now that they were alone. “You’ll lead everyone to believe I’ve done something wrong.”
Kit stared at him. “Wrong? I’m still alive. That means you’ve done something very right. I feel safe with you. I don’t want to be passed around.”
Connor West entered the room. Griffin stood to attention, even though this wasn’t a military op. The man had that presence. He commanded and got respect. All the operatives who worked for him felt better with him at their backs. Griffin knew he had likely gotten little sleep, but Connor was clean shaven, his clothes pressed and his close-cropped brown hair tidy.
“Kit Walker, it is a pleasure to meet you. I’m Connor West,” he said. Connor’s voice was warm and genuine.
Connor didn’t shake her hand. Her profile had indicated she didn’t like intrusions on her personal space.
Kit glared at Griffin. “I’m not changing my mind no matter whom you parade in here.”
Connor didn’t appear upset by her hostile tone, but rather amused. “You want Griffin to stay with you. Could you tell me why?”
Kit looked at Griffin. “He’s killed to protect me. I can trust him.”
Connor nodded his agreement. “I like having Griffin on the team. I trust him implicitly.”
“Connor, can we speak in private?” Connor wouldn’t force Griffin to take up the post as Kit’s protector, but Griffin felt the question coming. Should he tell Connor the whole truth about how he felt about Kit? His attraction to her could deepen, and the deeper the attraction, the more dangerous the situation.
Kit folded her arms and sat. “Go ahead.”
He and Connor walked into the hallway. “What is the nature of her feelings for you?” Connor asked.
“She’s been through a lot. She’s attached to me. You know her profile. She’s guarded.”
“We need her. We need her calm and in control,” Connor said. “The safety and security of the United States government depend on it.”
Griffin rubbed his temples, where a headache was forming. Aside from his concerns about his ability to maintain professionalism with her, he had other problems that needed to be addressed—like, say, his track record showing he couldn’t keep someone safe. “She says she’ll make herself useless if I leave her.”
“Tell me what I can do to make this work,” Connor said. “You know her better than I do.”
“She’s smart. She may feign ignorance about the project, especially if she’s scared.” If she bowed out of helping them, they wouldn’t have a way to safeguard the Locker or counter Incognito’s threats.
“We need to convince her to help, and she may be more willing to help if she remains with you. Can you do that?” Connor asked.
“I am not trained to be someone’s bodyguard. That’s not my area of expertise.”
“You can handle this,” Connor said.
It was on the tip of his tongue to tell Connor about his attraction to Kit. But Griffin could keep it in check. He wasn’t a slave to his hormones. Too much was at stake for him to give in to his feelings. Instead, he made the point that mattered most. “My wife died because I couldn’t protect her. What makes you think I can keep Kit safe?”
“This situation is nothing like what happened with Beth. No one blames you for Beth’s death except you. What could you have done differently?”
At the mention of his wife’s name, disgust for himself and anger at her killer renewed. “I ask myself that every day.”
“The answer eludes you because there is no answer. You couldn’t have done anything. What happened with Beth was a terrible atrocity, but protecting Kit will be different. You will be at her side around the clock. She is your sole mission.”
Griffin didn’t care for his body’s response to hearing that. As a red-blooded man, he wanted to be close to Kit. As an operative, he was inadequate to protect her.
* * *
Kit and Griffin were given accommodations, nicer ones than they’d had at the military base. Kit had even been issued a rolling suitcase filled with clothing and essentials. The clothes were in her size. Creepy, but Kit had been thoroughly investigated before becoming part of the Locker team, and she wasn’t surprised to learn every detail of her life had been recorded.
“We need to go on the offensive,” Griffin said.
“On the offensive against Incognito?” Kit asked.
“Yes. Covertly. You can strike back.”
“At Incognito?” she repeated. It sounded insane. She wasn’t a hacker who enjoyed hurting people, and she liked to avoid trouble. Obtaining her security clearance to be part of the Locker team had required an aversion to creating problems. While some people thrived off drama, Kit liked her life to be trouble-free.
“This will play out one of two ways. They will win or we will. Incognito will continue coming after you and everyone on the team until we stop them,” he said.
“You and me against Incognito?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Don’t think in those terms. We have the West Company behind us.”
“Except Incognito managed to find me,” Kit said.
“This is a challenge you’ll enjoy.”
A thrill traced through her at the idea of getting back into the game against a real competitor. “I didn’t work on the Locker alone. I need people with very specific skill sets.”
“Tell me where to find them.”
She took great joy in speaking her next words. “Gamer Con.”
“The video game convention?” Griffin asked.
She had attended whenever possible, three times in the past decade. She’d loved it every time. “Yes, a video game convention. Thousands of the world’s biggest computer and gaming enthusiasts packed into one conference center. The place will be humming with talent.”
Griffin ran a hand through his hair. He seemed resigned, but not excited. “Tell me how to get tickets and I’ll clear it with Connor.”
* * *
The flight from their meeting with Connor West to Las Vegas, Nevada took less than an hour. It took three times that to make the security arrangements and convince Connor West that Kit’s plan was safe and would have a positive outcome.
Gamer Con was the world’s biggest video game enthusiast convention. Kit hadn’t attended in a number of years, but she had a few online friends skilled at hacking who would be there.
The easiest part about Gamer Con for Griffin and Kit’s cover was the ability to blend. Gamers wore jeans and T-shirts as well as costumes of favorite video game characters. Incognito had been targeting events like Gamer Con looking for members of the