Secret Agent Minister

But there would be no rest for him.

So he headed downstairs to the room in the back that served as Kissie’s office. The room with all the computers and monitors and cameras. The official CHAIM room.

“How’s our baby girl?” Kissie asked as Dev entered the long, dark area that had once been a sleeping porch. Neither the sun nor the moon reached this place now. The area had been completely sealed off, a secret place hidden from most that frequented this establishment. There were no windows and a small door hidden behind a kitchen cabinet. Anyone who might notice would just think it was a storage room. Not even Lydia would see this dark corner.

“She’s fast asleep.”

Kissie nodded, causing her long braids to fall against her plump shoulder like fringe falling from an afghan. “Poor baby. This ain’t easy.”

“No,” Dev said, closing his eyes to his own fatigue. “I’m sure the food and the hot shower helped.”

“She’ll be okay. I got a man posted nearby, watching. The whole system is on high alert, of course.”

“Good. What’s the word from upstairs?”

Kissie smiled at his reference. It was a little joke amongst the CHAIM team, and a gentle reminder that none of them was really in charge. God was their main boss.

“Well, the higher-ups are not happy. They believe one of their own has turned rogue. There’s the law, and then there’s the law of CHAIM, you understand?”

“Only too well,” Dev replied, remembering his days as a full-time operative. One did not mess with the system. But apparently someone had.

“So do I have new orders?”

“To sit tight right now,” Kissie replied over her shoulder as she hit buttons and flipped switches. “You’ll receive word soon. But not here. The message will be posted at a different location. Probably somewhere else in the city.” She sat down in front of a flickering computer monitor. “So, let’s see the latest. We’ll look for any unusual activity out there.”

Dev watched as numbers and codes flashed by. “What if it’s Eli, Kissie?”

“Of course it’s Eli, honey,” Kissie replied. “No one else would dare break the CHAIM brotherhood. But Eli always was a bit of a renegade, even after he turned his life over to the Lord. It makes sense that he’d be the one.”

Dev ran a hand over his shower-damp hair. “Eli was one of us, one of the best. And because of me, he’s out there on his own now. I can’t decide if he’s truly gone insane, or if he’s just trying to get my attention.”

“Murder could indicate both.”

Dev stared at Kissie, the pain in her eyes matching what he felt in his heart. “I can’t believe he’d deliberately murder someone—even me. It just doesn’t add up. Whoever did this got the wrong man. That’s not like Eli. He’s more thorough. He wouldn’t kill another person just to get to me. He’d just kill me and get it over with. But Eli was—is—a good man. Or at least he was until I blew the whistle on his extracurricular activities and ruined his life.”

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.