Part 16 (1/2)
Morgan's company had changed cell phone service providers right around the time his oldest daughter, Taylor, decided to blow the Vice President and record it for posterity. Or publicity, the jury was still out on her motivation. I noticed he didn't have it on him when we were there last time, discussing the magazine article. Took a chance he charged it in his office and won.
I'd just managed to place a listening device in it and slide back into the hallway when Hailey found me. The one and only night I've spent with her.
We'd been a little distracted the last two weeks, but Wilson had been digging s.h.i.+t up on the s.e.x tape Hailey's sister had accidentally-on-purpose starred in. It wasn't looking good for Taylor Reid, but since we're b.a.s.t.a.r.ds, that would stay our secret.
It never ends.
”What do you mean? Texts? Phone calls?”
”Both. Regular travel plans at first blush. It didn't click for me until the interview this afternoon, but Morgan is going to Miami weekend after next. For four days.”
Which meant a helicopter ride to Lively's private island. ”Disgusting.”
”You should go with him.”
I recoil as if Wilson's physically hit me. ”No.”
”Yes.”
”It's a good thing you're not my f.u.c.king boss.”
Behind me, Jason laughs as he enters the room and paces to the head of the conference table. ”None of us would ever try to own you, Cole. You have a tendency to turn rabid too often. What does Wilson want to make you do?”
”Go to Gerome Lively's Bahamas compound with Morgan Reid.”
”That's a good idea.”
”f.u.c.k you, too.” I can't. f.u.c.k me, I didn't think this choice would come this quickly. But I choose Hailey, no second thoughts. ”Whoever goes will have to f.u.c.k the women. I can't do that.”
The temperature in the room drops ten degrees as Jason says nothing. His silence says it all, but then he opens his mouth and makes it so much worse. ”You've never had a problem with orgies in the past.”
Before I can launch myself at him, Tag is there, holding me back.
”Get off me,” I spit, my muscles clenched and ready for battle. ”When the h.e.l.l did you get here, anyway?”
”Just before Jason decided to masterfully push all your pervert b.u.t.tons, you idiot. Stop.”
”It's not the same thing,” I growl, as surprised as my friend that I'm on edge about my s.e.xual history now. Anything-everything-I've ever done has been with consensual adults. Sometimes more than one at a time. Often more than one at a time. Until Hailey, I'd never wanted anything to be private. Personal. Intimate.
”He knows that. What the h.e.l.l is wrong with you?” Tag shoves me again for good measure and turns to the others.
Seething, I back off, but I'm not listening to them anymore. I'm rattled and edgy, and ready to just bring in the FBI or the CIA. Anyone who will take this filth and put it in jail where it belongs.
I pace back and forth, stopping just shy of Tag each time. He's planted himself between me and our other partners, and he's waving his hands in the air. I suck in another lungful of air and try to dial down the a.s.shole-reaction long enough to hear him. It's f.u.c.king hard.
Tag ends his tirade with a summation that I appreciate, since it means at least half of us are on the side of me not getting too friendly with Lively. ”This is not what we are. We don't go undercover and we don't ever suggest to each other that we do anything illegal.”
”He picked up a f.u.c.king gun and happily got himself arrested for murder the other day. He's not a f.u.c.king fragile flower.” Jason glowers in my direction as he says this. ”Until it comes to a woman he has no business f.u.c.k-”
”Finish that thought and Tag won't be able to hold me back,” I grind out.
Wilson rolls his eyes and stands up. ”Okay, let's wind this back to what needs to be done before deciding who will do it.”
He catches up Jason and Tag on what we know, and what the Vanity Fair reporter said to Hailey during the interview. My skin crawls at the thought of her and her sister processing this s.h.i.+t all alone right now.
”So s.h.i.+t's about to hit the fan for Lively.”
”About to...or will in a few months...or maybe never. Who knows who he has in his pocket? Isn't that why we're on it, too? Because PRISM doesn't trust that he'll ever be prosecuted, and he can bring down too many big fish?” I shake my head at some of the names we're protecting. ”Seriously, you don't want to send me to the Caribbean with Reid. I may just ma.s.sacre the lot of them.”
Jason snorts. ”Wouldn't be the worst idea I've entertained, except for the whole global destabilization thing.”
”h.e.l.l of a side effect to justice.” Launching us into World War III is exactly what PRISM is trying to avoid. The true cost of that disgusts me, but I understand their mission. I don't always understand the domino effect of things that they think they can see. Jason does, more than me. Instinct? Intuition? Sometimes I act on them, when I'm not thinking too hard. But I never trust my gut, not really.
I learned early on how emotional responses can lead people to devastating consequences.
It turned me into the hard-a.s.s motherf.u.c.ker I am today, and usually, I'm just fine with that. Not so much tonight. It feels like I've got razor blades under my skin and a f.u.c.king marching band of monkeys inside my chest.
Wilson points at Jason. ”You need to get us some direction. Figure out what the puppet masters want us to do. Then we can decide who should do whatever it is that needs to be done.” Now he's pointing at me. ”You need to admit that you're not just sleeping with the Reid girl.”
I s.h.i.+ft uncomfortably and cross my arms. ”I have no idea what I'm doing with Hailey.” G.o.d's honest truth, right there. ”I swear. I haven't shared because...”
When I trail off, Tag clears his throat. ”I get it. s.h.i.+t gets complicated, it's hard to talk about.”
”Oh, for f.u.c.k's sake. Seriously?” Jason shakes his head. ”No. No relations.h.i.+ps, no women, no falling in love. Cole here is proof positive that it makes men weak.”
”Distracted, maybe. Not weak.” Tag shrugs. ”If someone threatened Kendra, I'd rip them apart, limb from limb.”
”You know she divorced your sorry a.s.s, right?”
Another shrug. ”We don't live well together. Doesn't mean she's not important to me. Doesn't mean I can't still do my job while wanting to keep her safe.”
I want to ask Tag how to balance this s.h.i.+t out, still care about the job and care about the woman at the same time. Because I feel f.u.c.king tilted. Instead I nod. ”Yeah. What he said.”
”He loves Kendra. Is that how you feel about Hailey Dashford Reid? Sweet, good girl daughter of the rich and famous, who has rejected everything your s.e.xy a.s.s in a tux represents?” Jason snorts. ”You know there's not a chance in h.e.l.l of that working out, right?”
Is this love? If it is, I f.u.c.king hate it. It's painful and uncomfortable, distracting and not nearly naked enough.
”Little early to call it anything. I care about her. More than I expected to, I'll grant you that. You saw that coming, I guess.” I'd wanted her for months. Thought that if I had her, I could get her out of my system. Turns out I wasn't the only one in the equation, and Hailey wanted more. f.u.c.k me, I needed more. We both did. And do.
Two weeks might be my limit.
Jason just shakes his head. ”It's almost morning in Geneva. I'll stay up and make some calls. What we need here is some cooling off time. Take the night, get your head on straight, and let's discuss a game plan over breakfast tomorrow. Deal?”
We shake on it, and I go back to my office. At the other end of the hall, Jason closes his door without looking back at me. Beside him, Wilson leaves his door open, but flicks off his light. He's about to fall deep into a pile of computer code and probably won't sleep before breakfast.
Tag just shrugs at me, apparently his favorite gesture today, grabs his bag and hits the stairs.