I was sitting in the world’s most uncomfortable chair in a rundown airport in Havana Cuba. Sweat dripped down my face as I waited for the Embraer Phenom 100 company jet to finish its refuel so I could board and make the trip back to Whistler headquarters in Montana. My team was on a job here in Cuba that would take another three to four weeks to complete. We were working to infiltrate a chemical manufacturing company to uncover a huge corporate espionage operation that was costing their client hundreds of millions of dollars in lost processing patents.
It was the kind of job that kept Whistler flush enough to buy a fleet of fancy private jets like the one I was staring at now. I preferred the jobs where we helped real people instead of working to keep the fat cats fatter. But at least the job had a very low risk factor and mostly had my men posing as chemical engineers or factory workers to gain access to information. These kinds of jobs would go a hell of a lot faster if we had a hacker on the team. We sometimes used Paxton’s little brother for jobs like this and he would pull out his laptop and within hours he would find more dirt than we would with weeks of boots on the ground.
That was why I was now boarding the small private jet. Paxton’s little brother, Oliver, was half way through the Whistler training program and I wanted to check up on him. Well check on him and see if Oliver could work his magic and help us get the hell out of Havana sooner rather than later. Also, I didn’t know if I would be able to get away in three weeks for the end of the program. I needed to lock down Oliver’s commitment to our team. Whistler tended to attract more brawn than brain and smarts like his won’t go unnoticed.
Whistler liked to keep the working teams small, it limited the drama within the group and ensured a high level of trust and affection within each team. The goal was that each team would feel more like a family unit with all the unconditional love and trust that comes with family. There were teams that had come together over a decade ago and had not taken in any new members since. However, the team system also fostered a competitive atmosphere within the Whistler community and most of the team leaders would show up to scope out the new recruits.
The number of teams within Whistler was increased by taking an experienced agent and allowing him to choose a new team to lead. Sometimes people switched teams, usually to join a start-up team but mostly all new members came from the recruit class. I had become a team leader when I was the only man standing after an explosion in Budapest. Rob, my old team leader, had also survived but he had lost a leg along with his will to lead. I had almost retired to the ranch next to Rob’s after everything that went down but Whistler was all I knew. I didn’t believe I could sit and watch corn grow or cows get fat when I could be out taking action in the world.
I finally boarded the plane and settled in to sleep during the flight. When we landed, I was unsurprised to find a car waiting for me on the tarmac. Sitting on the hood of the town car was Cole Bennet, the founder and CEO of Whistler. I smiled at Cole and we hugged in greeting.
“How are you doing, boy?” Cole asked in a cheerful voice. “I haven’t seen you in ages. You need to check in more often.”
“Well you are the one that is keeping me so busy, old man.” I responded in an equally happy voice. Cole was the closest thing that I had to a father, and it was good to see him again.
Cole nodded in agreement with that and inquired about the Havana job and my team as we drove to Cole’s house located on the Whistler compound. When we were settled down with three fingers of aged scotch each, I asked “So, tell me about this new recruit class.”
Cole chuckled and replied, “What you are really asking me is how your genius computer boy is doing.” He looked over at me and when I bobbed my head in agreement he continued. “Well he hacked into my system that I paid a small fortune to make impenetrable.” That made me grin.
“And he is connected at the hip with one of our female recruits, Payton Taylor.” That surprised me. I had always gotten the gay vibe from Oliver. Maybe I was wrong about that. Paxton certainly had never said anything about it, and those two lived together.
“Okay so he’s getting some from the girl, who cares. All the women in the recruitment classes end up in someone’s bed during training. Isn’t that why you moved their quarters to the hotel down the road. To try to limit the fraternization.”
Cole looked vaguely annoyed at the mention of the drama that seemed to follow around female agents and recruits. “Ford doesn’t seem to think she fits the normal mold. Says she keeps to herself. Only interacts with the other recruits when the situation demands it.” Cole paused and took a swallow of his scotch. “To everyone except your boy, she gives intense stay away signals. Even beat up two that were trying to scare away your computer nerd on the first night. Since then the two of them spend every free moment together, but Ford is adamant that there is nothing sexual between them.”
I considered that. Most of our recruits came straight out of the military and were trained to the highest standards. A woman that could take out two trained guys definitely peaked my interest. “What did you say her name was?”
“Got you interested didn’t I. Ford says she is the best he has seen in years. I am not talking best girl. He said she is well versed and thinks quick on her feet. From Ford that is high praise. You could use a woman on your team. No one ever suspects a woman to be in private security. They can get into places and talk to people that we men never could.”
“Finding women that would work private security jobs was never the problem and you know it Cole. As soon as you integrate a woman into the tight-knit team environment, connections start to form under high stress situations. That’s how we operate. But connections between men and women usually lead to sex. And sex always tears teams apart.”
Cole let out a low sigh. “I know. I know. We are already facing that problem with the other female recruit, Elena Petrov.” He stood from his chair and finished his drink. “Talk to Ford in the morning. He will give you the particulars on Oliver. I am an old man and have to get at least eight hours of sleep. Your room is all made up for you.” He then started walking out of the room when he paused and said one last thing before disappearing deeper into the house. “Johnson figured out how to integrate Christine into his team and they do some of our best work.”
Yes, Christine was an excellent agent and added a different dimension to their team that allowed them to do jobs the rest of us just couldn’t. But adding a new team member was always difficult because it changed the dynamic of the group. I couldn’t imagine trying to add Oliver and a woman to my team right now. I was curious though. And as I prepared for bed, I planned to ask Ford about Oliver and Payton tomorrow.
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