LINDEN
“Why do you wanna talk to me alone?”
“About what you asked Sax to do.” He took something from his jacket. It was an envelope. “Sorry, I just made the copy to be discreet. The original is at Osmium.”
“What did you find?”
“Nothing out of the ordinary, or I just missed something. She works in an expert marketing service, just like everyone, she came and left. She has a kid, a boy. Don’t worry. He’s not yours. He’s mixed.”
“Of course, it’s not mine. I was on tour. When I came back, she was pregnant. What do you mean by mixed?”
“A black father, I guess.”
A Black? But Miles is white. “What else? Did she meet someone or go somewhere after work?”
“Looks like the boy’s father is not in the picture anymore. No child support. She’d dated a man two years ago and worked different jobs within that span, marketing-related. She frequently moved every few months, though, and just moved in two months ago and lived with her son alone in an apartment, with little savings in her bank account that she hadn’t touched for months. I couldn’t find the birth record of the boy. She met a guy once this week, a marketing strategist. It’s pretty ordinary.”
“Thanks.” I looked at the envelope. “I guess it was just a coincidence.”
“ I haven’t checked her on any criminal database. If you have doubts, I can dig deeper.”
“No need. You’ve got it all covered. And I need you at work.”
“What happened back there? You pretty much dodged all our questions, yet you came back beaten up.”
“I can’t discuss it with all of you.”
“Why?” His brows were drawn together. “Because it’s dangerous? What else we haven’t encountered isn’t dangerous? It’s part of our job, man.”
“Not this one, and trust me. This is for everyone’s good.”
“You know we won’t let you carry that burden alone. If you need our help, we won’t hesitate, you know that. We can protect you. It’s not about because you’re the boss but as our brother.”
“I know. It’s over now. Case closed.”
“If you say so.” Kye wasn’t happy with my decision, but he respected me.
I went to my office to check the report he gave. She was a good tenant despite having pretty tight savings. I didn’t see any deposits from another account. My guess is the guy never gave his child support. What a dick.
My chest was still killing me. I popped a tablet into my mouth and left the office.
Lynx and Sax were the only guys left in the living. The rest had retreated. It was still ten in the evening, but I was already exhausted.
“Guys, I’m beat. Let’s call it a night.”
“Good. Finally, it comes to your senses.” Lynx got up. “I’ll be with the guys, mate. Call me if you need anything.”
“I’m good.” Sax didn’t move from the couch. “Why are you still here?”
“I think I’m in trouble.” He looked guilty.
“What did you do?”
“Your missus asked me about why Kye wanted to talk to you.”
“And?”
“I told her since she insisted. And after that, her mood changed. I think she’s mad and not at me.”
“Fuck you. If she won’t talk to me tonight. I will deduct half of your salary.”
“That’s unfair, man. I work hard, and you just told me to read about investments. I finally found an idea of where to put my money. I need that in full.”
With my jaw locked, I pointed my finger at him. “Next time, you keep your mouth shut, asshole.”
“Copy that.”
Dismayed, I shook my head before I left.
“So, am I gonna get my money in full?”
“It depends on how my night goes.”
I heard him say shit.
Estelle wasn’t in our room, not in the bathroom either. I went to the lounge. I had already put a monochromatic desk and chair near the window as her office in the corner. It had a pretty good view of the backyard.
She was there working on her laptop and knew I had come in but didn’t even look at me.
“You’re working late.”
“Yeah.” One word, but it felt like she stabbed me in the heart.
“Can’t it wait until Monday? I’m pretty banged up, you know. I wanna go to bed.”
That was it. She turned her head to me. “You don’t see I’m carrying the bed, Gabriel.”
That cracked me up. She was really pissed. “I know why you’re upset.”
“Well, shit. Really? Why?”
“Stop saying shit and fuck. I don’t want people to think you learned that from me. And it doesn’t suit you, baby.”
“Because you’re a good guy, everyone’s hero. You don’t mind in bed, though.” I knew where this was going.
I sighed. “I did that after I found out that there’s a bigger fish involved. I hadn’t seen her in years, and all of a sudden, she almost ran me over. Then again, at the party. I went to that party every year and didn’t bump into her. I thought someone was playing a game. So I asked Sax, but he got busy and put Kye in charge.”
“Thanks, but why tell me now? I didn’t ask,” she said with disinterest.
“Because you’re my wife. We don’t keep secrets.”
“Yet everyone was asking me about what happened back there. And I couldn’t answer them because you told me nothing. I also wanna know, and you have to keep me in the loop when your life is involved Gabriel, but you clearly don’t trust me enough with that kind of information because I am young and incapable of withholding such secrets.”
“Whoa. Where did that come from?” I went close to her.
“Isn’t that the issue?” She glared at me, chin tipped up.
I pressed my finger at the line between her eyebrows. “I trust you with my life, my secrets, my love. But I signed an NDA to protect someone and our family. Don’t tell me our age difference has suddenly become an issue to you.”
“I’m always the last person to know.”
“Because I don’t want to burden you with information that doesn’t involve you. I want to protect you from my line of work. All I want you to do is enjoy life, do what you’re passionate about, and have fun with Willa, Micah, and the girls. Not this complicated job I have.”
“Why do you wanna know about your ex?”
“Don’t tell me you’re jealous of my ex? She’s my ex for a thousand reasons, Estelle.”
“Just answer the damn question!” Good lord. If looks could kill, I died this instant.
“I wanted to figure out if she’s involved with what’s going on. I don’t trust her. I didn’t trust our meeting twice a week was a coincidence, so I asked Sax to dig into her life. Kye found nothing unusual.”
She didn’t ask questions anymore but kept working on her laptop. My answer didn’t convince her. I didn’t know what to do. The last thing I wanted was to let her sleep angry at something or let this issue remain unsolved because we didn’t fight over it.
“After Greece, I was drugged and found myself in an underground fight club. Moses must have predicted that could happen. I read a few files of my possible opponent before you left for Paris. I fought a man bigger and taller than me, but I beat him up. I got drugged again when I was about to snap his neck.”
“You don’t have to tell me.”
I ignored her protest. “I found myself treated in the hospital. There, I woke up, and the first person I saw was Jasper. He was good. I only had a few minutes to talk with him. He congratulated me. He knew what happened to everyone back here. I didn’t see him again after that. I was released from the hospital and sent to a private airport outside the Russian border.”
“Why are you telling me now when you just told me that you signed an NDA?”
I bent down before her, held her hand, and kissed it. “Because no matter what, I will always choose you over anything, over anyone. You and our child are what matters to me. Do you understand me?”
“Can you get up now?”
I did as she asked. “Let’s go to bed.”
This time, she didn’t protest. She shut her laptop and took my hand. Once we were in bed, she turned to my side and placed her hand on my chest.
“When I was in the private jet, I met a woman. Hanslo told me the truth, but it did not come from him. It came from Jasper. He knew you were pregnant.”
“It’s hard to keep secret in your line of work,” she admitted.
“I don’t do background checks for fun. Digging into someone’s life is invading privacy.”
“So, where’s Jasper now?”
“He accepted the offer from the Agency with the condition of early parole for Hanslo.”
“Wait, The Agency, the agency?” Her eyes widened.
“Yes.”
“Cool. I thought he had no parole.”
“That’s the deal, and the agency can make it possible, considering his intel is valuable.”
“So, Jasper is a spy.”
I shrugged. “You didn’t hear that from me.”
“And he’s there with those God-awful people to spy on them?”
“Let’s just pray for his safety, and his cover will not be blown.”
“Amen.”
When she went silent, I looked at her. She was staring at me. “What’s wrong?”
“Yeah. You’re right. That’s awful to have this kind of secret.”
“I told you, baby.”
“I’m sorry that you have to tell me.”
I took her hand and planted it to my lips. “Forget about what I told you because you can’t tell anyone.”
“His secret is safe with us. Let’s get some sleep.”
“Already?”
“Heal, then you can do whatever you want,” she said with a grunt.
“To you?” I smirked.
Her eyes widened. “What else you haven’t done to me, huh?”
“A whole lot, baby. I can’t wait.”
“Then maybe you just have to wait until I give birth.”
“Good idea. When is our next appointment?”
“Just shut up and sleep.”
“Good night, my love.”
She just answered me with a hum.
“I’m hungry, though.”
“Gabriel.”
“Really. I’m starving.” I let my hand glide to her thigh. ”Your skin feels way too soft, baby.”
“No touching,” she protested, taking my hand off her.
“You can touch me anytime.”
“Sleep, or I will sleep in the other room.”