"So darn tough on the outside, but you're really a marshmallow on the inside."
He mock scowled at me, but I saw the humor in his eyes. "Only with you and Carter, beautiful."
"Hurry back?"
"Always," he promised.
I drifted back to sleep shortly after hearing the garage door close and the roar of his motorcycle. I dreamed of riding behind him, my body wrapped tightly around his. Things were just getting good when the sound of a ringing phone interrupted my fantasies. It was the landline Weston had insisted we needed, and it was the first time we'd ever received a call on it. I leapt for the phone, hoping like heck that the sound wouldn't wake Carter.
"Hello?" I answered, half listening to the caller's reply while also focusing on the baby monitor for any sounds coming from the nursery.
"- Wes."
My attention centered on the call when I realized it was a woman's voice asking for my man and using a nickname for him while doing so. I didn't like her tone of voice when she said it either, not even a little bit.
"I'm sorry. I didn't quite catch that. Who's calling?"
"Sorry, sweetie," she said in an incredibly fake tone of voice. "I have no idea who you are, so why don't you get Wes and put him on the line?"
"First of all, Wes isn't here. Secondly, I'm the woman in his bed, down the hall from our baby, wearing his ring on her finger. That's who I am. Who the hell are you?" I snapped, beyond pissed the heck off.
"You'll have to ask Wes that question." I was about to bite her head off when her next words had me dropping back onto the mattress. "Look, I just need you to let Wes know that Kat called to tell him that I'll messenger his flight information and ticket to his house tonight."
"Flight information?"
"Yes," she confirmed. "Oh, and I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell him to pack for a long trip. Since I'll be picking him up from the airport, the extra luggage shouldn't be a problem. And he'll need it since he'll be gone for a while."
She didn't give me the chance to respond, not that I even knew what I wanted to say. When the phone started beeping in my ear, I finally set it back in its holder. Weston had a lot of explaining to do when he got back from his meeting. I only hoped his answers didn't include all the reasons why he had to go back on his word because he was leaving for another mission.
Chapter 9
Weston
"Justice," I greeted the tall, dark haired man I'd admired for years. He wasn't much older than me, but he'd been a legend when he was an active operative. A few years ago, when his wife, another operative, had gotten pregnant, he'd retired from field duty and I'd been one of the lucky ones to have him as their controller.
"Sidewinder." He shook my hand and smiled. "Maybe you should start calling me Alex, since rumor is that you won't be in the field much longer."
We'd taken over someone's office, and I sat facing him across the desk. "You must have rubbed off on me, man. Turns out, I'm a wife and kids kind of guy."
Alex's eyebrows rose in surprise. "You're getting married?" he asked with a grin. "And already planning for little kids? Wow, this is monumental."
"Not planning," I clarified. "I have a son."
At my announcement, he looked confused. "How did I miss that? Damn, that was quite a secret to keep, especially considering CIA operatives can be as gossipy as those Beverly Hills Housewives."
I sighed. "I only just found out," I confessed. A thought sparked. "Actually, I could really use your help with something." I'd finally called Kat after two weeks of silence, irritated as fuck, and I didn't even try to hide it this time. She'd said that IT had dug into the account and found no trace of any activity at all. I never had a reason not to trust Kat. If I had, she wouldn't have been an effective handler. But lately, there was just something bothering me and my gut was telling me to keep looking into it.
"Aspen, my fiancée." Fuck, that felt good to say. "We met right before I left for my last mission. I set up a secure dummy email for her to reach me, then have the messages relayed to me through my handler. For a year, she tried to reach me and tell me that she was pregnant. I never got any of the messages and my handler says IT wasn't able to find even a single trace of activity. My instincts are telling me that she missed something."
Alex's frown had deepened as I spoke and he was tapping his finger against his mouth in thought. "This is Kat Petrov?" he asked. I nodded and he looked like he wanted to say something more, but instead he picked up his cell and dialed a number.
After connecting with someone, he handed me the phone. "Tell Martin everything you know and he'll get you some answers."
I almost sighed in complete relief. Martin was the absolute best when it came to anything concerning computers and technology. I told him everything about the situation and he agreed to look into it and call me when he had something. I hung up and tossed the phone back to Alex. "Thanks. I appreciate it. I know this is awfully personal to be appropriating CIA resources, especially Martin."
Alex waved off my concern. "If it were Evie, I'd be doing the exact same thing. Also..." he trailed off and stared at me, clearly contemplating whether to go on. "There is another reason I wanted Martin looking into it, but until we hear from him, I think it's best to keep my suspicions to myself."
"Are you fucking kidding me, Justice?" I exploded, then immediately settled down and contritely apologized. "Damn, I'm sorry, Alex."
His eyes were narrowed in disapproval, but the understanding was still there. "Look, I know you, Weston. You're one of the best agents I've ever worked with, but you and I both know you have a short fuse. And, when people threaten the women we love, that fuse is non-existent. If I tell you who I suspect, you'll run straight at them and I'm not going to let you risk your career if I'm wrong."
I held in a frustrated growl and simply nodded my acceptance. "Thank you."
"So," Alex said, leaning back in the desk chair, clearly ready to move on. "Aspen lives here? In Atlanta."
I mirrored his position, seemingly relaxed, even though I was wound up tight. "We just bought a house in a neighborhood near where I grew up."
Alex raised a single brow and stared hard at me. "Bought a house? Fuck," he sighed. "You're really serious about Columbia being your last mission."
My spine snapped straight. "Columbia?" The assignment I just completed was in Europe. "I told Porter I was done before I came to Georgia. I turned in the papers three weeks ago."
A manila folder sat on the desk in front of Alex and he slowly tapped a finger on it. Then he opened it and flipped it around, pushing it towards me. I reached forward and picked up the sheaf of papers inside.
On top was my transfer application, nothing seemed out of the ordinary until I reached the requested date for re-assignment. It was six months away. What. The. Fuck. I shifted it to the back of the pile, revealing a mission assignment, with my fucking signature accepting the job. Next, was the job specifics.
Six months.
If I didn't get out of this, I would lose Aspen.
"Justice, please tell me you know this is bullshit." My voice was vibrating with contained rage.
"I do now, but I had no way of knowing that when the paperwork hit my desk."
The folder dropped to the floor, the papers scattering, and my hands balled into fists on my knees. "Alex, this needs to be fixed or I'll be forced to resign," I said tiredly. "Aspen and Carter come first. Always."
"And, your signature?" He sat back again, the finger now tapping his lip.
I picked up the transfer form and studied it for a second. "It's a damn good imitation, but something isn't quite . . ." I pulled the form closer and then twisted the paper, making sure I was seeing it correctly. "Look at the curve of that letter. The person who copied it is left handed."
Alex took the paper and set it on the desk without glancing at it and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'll take care of it."
My remaining fist unfurled slowly. "Thanks, Alex."
He laughed and shook his head. "For such a damn fine operative, you are surprisingly easy to read, Weston."
I glared at him. "Bullshit."
"You switched to calling me Justice every time you got angry." He laughed again, and I just rolled my eyes. The relief sweeping through me was consuming my whole focus.
"Kat was going to send the documents and your ticket to your house. Since you were already meeting with me, I left her a message not to worry about it. In case she didn't get it and sent everything, disregard them, the transfer application too, since it was apparently bogus. But, make sure you shred all of it. You'll report to Max Brentwood, starting Monday."
"Great. Thanks, Alex. I-" My house? "She sent everything to my house?" Panic started to set in, and my voice was slowly escalating into a roar. "Fuck!" The folder would be marked confidential, but I'd promised no secrets. I had no doubt Aspen would open the package and it would go off like a nuclear bomb.
I grabbed up the papers from the floor and threw them on the desk before snatching up my coat and helmet. "I've got to go. Call me if you hear form Martin before I do."