Tactical Force. Elle James

      JACK ENTERED THE suite assigned to Declan and Grace. They’d been together since Charlie first hired him. It was because of the work Declan had done helping Grace stay alive while searching for her roommate that Charlie had come up with the brilliant idea to establish a team of trained combatants to handle situations outside of the police and federal agencies’ hands.

      Declan had never been happier than he was with Grace. After being separated from the military for doing the right thing, he deserved to be happy.

      Declan crossed the sitting room and entered the bedroom he shared with Grace, opening a closet at the far end. He sorted through the shirts hanging there and dug deep into the back of the closet, eventually pulling out a white dress shirt and charcoal gray suit. “The suit was tailored to fit me, but I think we’re about the same across the chest.” He handed the shirt and blazer to Jack.

      Jack tried on the shirt over his black T-shirt. It appeared to fit just fine. The sleeves were a tad short, but they would work. He slipped his arms into the suit jacket and pulled it over his shoulders. It fit his chest and waist, but the sleeves would need lengthening.

      “Try the trousers,” Declan said.

      Jack kicked off his shoes, shucked his jeans and slipped his legs into the trousers. “They’re a little loose around the waist and hips. A belt will keep them in place.”

      Declan patted his flat belly. “Guess I’m putting on a little weight. I might need to step up my exercise routine.”

      “We’re just built differently.” Jack looked at himself in the mirror. “If we can let out the pant legs two inches and the sleeves at least an inch, this will work.” He removed the suit, dressed in his jeans and shoes and faced Declan.

      His team leader handed him the hangers with the shirt and suit. “Are you up for playing the part of Anne’s assistant tomorrow?”

      He nodded. “I suppose so. Although I’m not quite certain what exactly all the people who support the National Security Council actually do.”

      “Let’s see if Cole and Jonah have made any progress on that badge. While we’re in the war room, we can do some research on the NSC. Since you’ll be a new hire, you won’t be expected to know much.”

      “I’ll need to know how things work in order to look for potential moles or covert terrorists hiding among the people working around Anne.”

      “Good point. It’s not like having an enemy pointing a gun in your face.”

      Jack’s jaw tightened. “No, it’s more like having an enemy smile to your face and then shoot you in the back as soon as you turn around.”

      “True.” Declan led the way down the stairs to the kitchen, where they found Roger Arnold, the butler.

      He listened to Jack’s instructions and nodded. Then he took the suit and shirt. “I’ll have them ready within an hour.” Arnold left the kitchen.

      “Let’s see what Cole and Jonah have come up with.” Declan motioned toward the study and descended into the war room via the trapdoor.

      Cole and Jonah stood beside a printer/laminator in the corner of the room. When it spit out a badge, Jonah held it up. “Cross your fingers,” Jonah said. He slid Anne’s card through a reader that quickly blinked green. Then Jonah slid the new card through the machine.

      Jack held his breath. When it blinked green, he let go of the breath he’d been holding. “It works here, but will it work to get me into the West Wing?”

      “It should.” Jonah handed him the card and shut down the machines. “I’ve set it up just like Anne’s, with all the security access codes embedded in their database.”

      “You were able to access their database that quickly?” Jack shook his head, amazed at what Jonah and Cole were capable of.

      “Of course. It’s a government system. The Russians and Chinese aren’t the only people capable of hacking into it.” Jonah snorted. “It has so many back doors that anyone with a little knowledge can get in.”

      “I’m glad you’re on our team,” Jack said. “I’d hate it if you went over to the other side.”

      Jonah held up his hand. “Been there, done that. John Halverson recruited me out of that nightmare. I can still access the dark web, but I’m not selling secrets, and hopefully, I’m not someone’s target.”

      Jack exchanged a glance with Cole.

      John Halverson had collected a strange group of operators to staff his team. For that matter, Charlie was continuing his legacy by hiring a Marine Force Recon team that had been dishonorably discharged. Jack couldn’t judge anyone, not after how their careers in the military had ended.

      Cole motioned for Jack to join him in front of the monitor. “You’ll need to know a little about the offices and people you’ll be coming into contact with who support the National Security Council.”

      “Just what is the National Security Council besides the president and all of his security advisors?” Jack asked.

      “Just that. The council is headed by the president of the United States. The most prominent people on the council are the vice president, secretary of state, secretary of defense, secretary of treasury, national security advisor and director of national intelligence.”

      For the next hour, Cole and Jack went over the names and faces of the people involved in setting foreign policy for the US government. By the time they finished, Jack’s head was spinning.

      “If the informant thinks Ms. Bellamy is the closest person to the sleeper agent, you need to stick with her. Pay attention to them. There are a lot of government officials, committees, directors and more in Washington. We can’t begin to monitor all of them.”