Total pages in book: 165
Estimated words: 154925 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 775(@200wpm)___ 620(@250wpm)___ 516(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 154925 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 775(@200wpm)___ 620(@250wpm)___ 516(@300wpm)
He reached for his phone and dialed the number he would have called earlier had the night not gone to hell.
The call picked up immediately, letting him know the guy on the other end of the line had been waiting for him. “Is everything all right?”
Drake. He’d called earlier, but this wasn’t the kind of call he would answer until he was completely alone. Hutch was a smart guy. Despite his aw-shucks personality, he was always watching, always taking in everything around him.
Kyle was almost sure Hutch was watching him. “Hey, I’m sorry. This job is going sideways, and it kind of hit the fan tonight.”
“Are you okay? Anyone hurt?” Despite the fact that Drake was on the outside, Kyle knew he cared about the people at McKay-Taggart. He’d worked with them many times before.
“No, but something’s going on here and I don’t like it. I don’t like that MaeBe’s involved. I want her off this case. At some point it’s going to go bad. I think Jessica Layne is involved with The Consortium in some way.” His every instinct was going off, but he worried his instincts were influenced by his growing feelings for MaeBe Vaughn. It didn’t matter that he’d told himself to stay away—basically warned her away—he kept finding himself drawn to her. He couldn’t stand the thought of her being hurt, but no one would listen to him.
“Most big tech companies are, whether they know it or not,” Drake replied. “I’ve looked into Genedyne and while I think the CEO is into some sketchy shit, I don’t think she’s a formal part of the group. She’s far too erratic and in the public eye for them to take her seriously.”
“So you’ve been looking into it?” He’d known Drake would keep investigating the group his sister had worked for, but it was interesting that he’d done some research on the same company McKay-Taggart’s op was about.
Drake was quiet for a moment.
“What’s happening, Drake?”
He could practically see the look on his friend’s face. It would have gone blank, and his head would shake slightly. “It’s nothing. I had an op go wrong in Kraków, and I lost an asset. That’s all.”
Drake was normally a vault. The man did not talk about his feelings, but every now and then he broke down, and Kyle had figured out he was the only one Drake would talk to. “Do you think it was The Consortium?”
“I don’t know, but I think I might have met a double agent,” Drake explained. “I…I don’t want to talk about what an idiot I was.”
So Drake had met a woman and she’d turned out to be bad. He could relate. And the “I don’t want to talk about it” was code for “I’m going to look stupid but I need help figuring this out.” They’d only been friends for a couple of years, but they’d gotten close fast. When a man only had a few people he could be honest with, those friendships became tight. “You know the smartest man in the world can get derailed by his dick.”
A deep chuckle came over the line. “Or the dumbest.”
Such an ass. “Well, we all know that.”
He was silent for a moment, and Kyle flattened his back against the side of the house as a car went by.
“I can’t stop thinking about her,” Drake said quietly. “I’m trying to forget it ever happened and forgive myself for being an idiot, but I seem to be an idiot a lot now. First Julia and then this.”
He knew the hollow tone Drake was using. He’d used it himself for a long time. “Is she dead?”
Drake sighed over the line. “It doesn’t matter, and you should forget we talked about this. It doesn’t involve you and it shouldn’t. I wanted to call because I haven’t had a chance to follow up with those leads you sent me but I’m going to.”
He’d been trying to piece together how long Julia had worked for The Consortium and what her possible other ties at the Agency were. He’d sent Drake those leads weeks before and now it suddenly didn’t seem as important.
He felt for Drake. He knew how hard it was to shove his pain aside and get the job done. He wasn’t sure how to advise his friend. When he’d found out Julia was a traitor, it had ended with her death. Julia had done everything she’d done for money. It could be different if this woman truly believed. If she’d been working against Drake because she wanted to help her people, there was some room for discussion. Julia had cared about no one but herself.
If he found MaeBe with a treasure trove of information she shouldn’t have, he would ask her why she had it, what she intended to do with it. He wouldn’t jump to the conclusion that she was the enemy. It was weird to trust someone again.