Undercover Jeopardy. Kathleen Tailer

she realized Terrell’s eyes had narrowed and his back had stiffened. He was angry once again.

      “You’re giving away hostages? Who put you in charge?” He stood and walked toward her, his stance threatening. Had she blown her cover, or was he just angry about her involving the hostages? A sliver of fear went down her spine as she replayed the words she’d spoken in her mind. Little details mattered in undercover work. One slip and it could mean her life. She knew that a single misstep or, even in some circles, mispronunciation could set off alarm bells, and she couldn’t afford to have even little finger cymbals going off. She needed to be constantly without any suspicion whatsoever.

      “First you give them J.P., and now you’re giving them five more? Why? What’s wrong with you?”

      “Hey,” she answered defensively, staying in character. “You’re the one who told me to answer the phone. I’m just following your instructions and keeping the cops busy while we get into that vault, and I don’t want to go back to the vault and interrupt them in the middle of their work either. If you want to talk to the guy on the phone instead of me, be my guest. They’re threatening to bust in here with an assault team, not to mention taking potshots at us with snipers. Feel free to start negotiating with them instead of me any time you want. I’m just trying to buy the boss enough time to get the job done.”

      Terrell stopped a few steps away from her, his weapon held tightly in his hands. “No one put you in charge,” he said, his tone deceptively soft and threatening. “You shouldn’t be giving those cops anything. Jackson said our job was just to keep the hostages quiet. That’s it. Now, because of you, J.P. has been arrested and you’ve got someone coming in here delivering pizza. Did you order extra cheese?” Now his voice was dripping with sarcasm.

      “The boss didn’t know the police were going to threaten to burst in, or that J.P. was going to get shot. Now he’s alive because of me. Don’t forget that,” she said, straightening and meeting his eye.

      “Yeah, well, I would have just let him die. For all we know, he’s out there singing like a bird, giving them a complete list of our members including birth dates and shoe sizes. You’ve put this job in jeopardy.” He took a step closer. “You put the organization in jeopardy.”