Cat and Mouse game

Chapter Seven

"Living together with him?!" Elias asked, overcome with emotion.

Chief Carter just nodded in response to Morales' question, without saying anything.

"Can't we get two apartments in the area?" Eric inquired in an indignant tone, looking seriously at Laura.

It seemed that Raven wasn't very enthusiastic about the idea of sharing an apartment with Morales either.

"No, absolutely not," Carter answered. "While you are undercover, the exchange of information will be limited. It will be much more convenient for you two to live together, so that you can coordinate your actions quickly."

"I see. We're out of budget for two apartments, aren't we?" Eric said with a touch of sarcasm in his voice.

"And that too," the chief confirmed without any hesitation.

"Well, fine! Elli and I can put up with it. We're so close, after all!" Eric said jokingly, with a playful smirk.

Elias rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time that day. Such a reaction had already become a habit for him.

"You don't have a choice anyway," Carter concluded the discussion about them living together.

"Sadly, we don't..." Morales whispered to himself.

"Back to business," she continued, "starting tomorrow, you will be diligently visiting the fake office every day. And businessman Owen Grant will also have to attend various meetings in search of investments. You need to make it seem like you're working hard to develop your company. From there, the success of our operation depends on your performance! Any questions?"

"No, everything's clear, ma'am," Raven replied.

"Thanks! I got it," Elias said. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to ask, "But I do have one question that's bothering me. Why did they choose me for this operation over other agents, even more experienced ones?"

"Uh, well, how should I put it... Rhino has specific preferences and..." Laura struggled to find the right words to reply to Morales.

"Rhino judges people primarily on their appearance. The more attractive a person is, the more likely he is to make contact with them," Logan replied instead of the chief.

"Why are you all beating around the bush?!" Sullivan exclaimed, annoyed. "Just say it as it is: he is a creepy pervert and likes to fuck pretty young boys. And according to our sources, he is an avid fan of BDSM and gangbangs. And guess what? The parties he hosts at his residence are also themed," he explained matter-of-factly.

"Yes, that's true," Laura confirmed with a sigh. "I understand this may sound offensive to you, but if we don't take into account your and Agent Raven's professional achievements, you are the best match for the preferences of our target. Therefore, for our mission as well."

"Ha-ha! So that's it!" Eric laughed. "I was wondering why I was assigned to this operation all of a sudden."

"That makes sense now, I guess," Elias commented, a little disappointed.

Really, just as Flores had suspected, his appearance did play a role.

"But don't think you got this job only because of your looks! We've got a lot of good-looking agents in our ranks, you know," the chief tried to cheer up the agents. "The determining factor for your assignment was your performance in previous missions."

The chief's words still sounded like an excuse to Elias. But whatever the reason, work was work.

"Well, personally, I don't really care why I got chosen. The important thing is that I am able to successfully fulfill the role assigned to me," Eric said with confidence. He then turned to Elias and asked with a curious look, "And what about you, Elli?"