Passionate Immunity Read Online Free

silent. Tristan was grateful Lucas wouldn’t utter a word in protest.
    “I realise much of the scientific research in here will be over both your heads,” Preston continued when it was clear neither agent would dissent to their task. “I’ve already tapped a lady I know to assist in that side of the mission. She isn’t Agency, but I have given her temporary epsilon-level clearance. That should be enough for her to sort through the files, discuss anything she needs with you both and make her report without compromising any overly sensitive data.”
    “You’ve brought someone external into this?” Tristan repeated. He exchanged a glance with his partner. “Surely one of the medical staff—”
    “My superiors want this handled quickly and quietly,” Preston insisted. “Taking out one of our own staff away from their regular duties isn’t the best option here. Besides, a fresh set of eyes is what we need. She won’t arrive with preconceived notions and that gives us an edge. Henceforth, until you submit your final reports, this is your only priority. You’ll discover as you sort through this it appears as if human experimentation has been involved in the project. I’m sure I don’t have to begin to explain what a disaster this might prove to be.”
    “All the more reason to keep this in-house,” Lucas supported Tristan’s concerns. “Bringing a civilian into this could make matters worse. What if she wants to report what we discover to some medical board or other authority? We can’t control her. As a result we won’t be fully in control of the investigation, either.”
    “This woman has been a friend of my wife’s for almost ten years,” Preston said. “Felicity adores her. I know Kimberly almost as well as I know my own children. I hope you can both take my word that she is an honourable woman and someone you can trust to advise you in this. You’ll both work with Kimber, gentlemen, and treat her as an equal, as if she were simply another member of this Agency. More importantly, unless you want to face my wife’s formidable wrath, should anything even give off the faintest whiff of danger, you are to protect Kimber and retreat immediately. I’ll have no compunction whatsoever in feeding you both to Felicity should something go astray. Have I made myself clear?”
    “Yes, sir,” both men responded automatically.
    Jones collected the piles of reports and folders from his desk. Tristan and Lucas stood and reached over to each take some as Preston held them out.
    “I’ll bring Kimber over to the Conference room when she arrives,” Preston concluded their meeting. “It shouldn’t be too long. In the meanwhile, it might help if you both started to sort through all this mess. These files are restricted to Code Orange, so I hope neither of you have any long weekends away planned.”
    Tristan and Lucas both gathered the rest of the papers. Code Orange meant they couldn’t remove any of the documents from the Agency’s main office area, and any personal notes they took had to be encrypted enough so random strangers couldn’t make sense of the data. Over the years Tristan had become so used to these measures he often wrote half of his shopping list in his private coding system before he even realised it.
    Following Lucas out of Preston’s office, Tristan let his mind wander over their new mission. A slight ache in his shoulder from carrying the mountain of paperwork along with the incoming storm reminded him he was no longer young. But he couldn’t help the thrill of a new case, a new puzzle and a fresh start that zinged through his body. He was as addicted as any junkie to this work, and in his heart he knew they’d have to bury him before he quit.
    The high of saving the world, setting wrongs right and protecting his country had settled deeply into his blood and bones. He might not be a spring chicken like Lucas, but it was a long time before he’d be old, too. The tiniest smatterings of