Chapter 4 Pot Meet Kettle
Waverly
The memories from last night were swirling in my head when I walked into work at seven thirty the next morning, which was how I ended up running into Duncan when he came around the corner from our offices.
“Shit. Sorry.”
Thankfully, my grip on the large caramel macchiato I was carrying never wavered. That would have been a travesty of epic proportions. Coffee was life, especially when sleep had eluded me.
“What’s going on, Boss Lady? It’s not like you to be zoned out.”
“I’ve got a lot on my mind.”
Skirting around him, I proceeded into my office; not surprised in the least when he followed.
“Oh, I’m sure you do.” He chuckled.
Moving around the antique wooden desk, I slumped down in my slightly-worn leather chair.
“Is there something you need, Agent Palmer?”
At six foot six and two hundred fifty-five pounds of solid muscle, Duncan Palmer was one of the best men I knew.
His size and training made him lethal, but it was his keen intelligence which put him into the elite agent category.
He was also one of two people who would call me on my shit without a second thought. Shayne was the other.
“There’re a great many things I need, Way. At this point, I’ll settle for an explanation as to what the fuck you’ve got yourself tangled up in.”
Shortening my name was something Duncan did when he’d been drinking or when he was worried about me.
Since it was way too early for him to be sipping his favorite Jameson, he was obviously the latter.
I’d spent most of the day yesterday avoiding this very conversation, even though I knew it was inevitable.
It wasn’t like I wouldn’t clue him in, I just needed a minute to wrap my head around the whole situation first. The last thing I expected when I came to work yesterday was to have the man I’d been obsessed with for two weeks sitting in the conference room.
“Hold up.” He braced his hands on my desk, leaning into my space. “You actually like this guy, don’t you?”
Well, hell. The truth was I more than liked Finn, but I also didn’t think I’d ever see him again. Since he’d shown back up in my life, my mind had been racing with endless possibilities; all of which terrified me.
“I’m not sure about anything right now.”
It was the best nonanswer he was going to get.
Duncan and I were well acquainted with each other’s demons, but when it came to the more intimate details of our personal lives, we tended to steer clear.
Shayne, on the other hand, didn’t have the same qualms. My best friend was tenacious to a fault.
It’s part of what made her a great detective.
Her incessant texting since yesterday meant I wouldn’t be able to hold her off for much longer.
“Fair enough.” Duncan lowered himself into one of the chairs on the opposite side of my desk, crossing one leg over the other. “Just know I’m here if you need me.”
“Appreciate it.”
The team would be in at eight, which left us with about twenty minutes to go over details regarding our last investigation.
For weeks, Lanie and Noah hid from the Russian Bratva—who’d put a hit out on her after she busted up their drug trafficking ring—in her home town near Denver.
It was touch and go for a bit, but eventually we eliminated the threat.
Problem was, while I’d been vacationing––and actively losing my mind over a man––everyone else had been dealing with the fallout.
The case garnered a lot of media attention, as well as piquing the interest of a few high-powered government officials; namely my father.
According to Duncan, my sperm donor inundated the office with daily phone calls, demanding to know when I’d be back.
When his highhandedness didn’t get results, he showed up, only to be turned away by Sammy.
That woman deserved a huge raise for having to deal with his pompous ass. Hopefully, he got the memo.
Voices carried down the hall as––one by one––my agents began to arrive.
Checking the time on my watch, I cringed.
Eight-oh-four. They were late; not by FBI standards, but by mine.
Four minutes may not seem like much in the grand scheme of things, but I knew even a few minutes could mean the difference between life and death.
Time was a paradox. It was both fleeting, yet never-ending.
It could fly by or creep along at a snail’s pace.
It had the power to save lives and the capability to destroy them in the blink of an eye.
Time was everything and nothing all rolled into one.
It was also one of my greatest sources of anxiety.
“You deserve to be happy, Waverly.” Duncan stood, pinning me in place with his pale-blue eyes. “Love is risky. Don’t wait too long or you might miss the opportunity of a lifetime.”
I mulled over his words well after he left my office. He was right and damn it stung. The losses I’d experienced altered my way of thinking. They made me overly cautious about opening myself up to feel that kind of pain again.
My three-inch heels clicked against the tile floor as I made my way to the main part of the office where my team was gathered. They appeared to be in a heated discussion, so I made my way to the Keurig for a refill until they finished.
“All I’m saying is, we should give it a try when it reopens.” Lanie sat on top of her desk, sipping on a steaming cup of coffee. “It was our go-to spot for a long time. We shouldn’t let one asshole ruin it for us.”
“Lanie’s right,” Noah chimed in. “It’ll be the perfect opportunity to lay some of our demons to rest.”
“Of course you’d agree with her,” Koen huffed.
Lanie and Noah had been circling each other since they’d joined the team, but it wasn’t until a few weeks ago when they finally admitted what I’d known for a while.
They were in love. Even though it wasn’t ideal to have two agents who were dating on the same team, I knew in this case it would only strengthen the bond between the four of them.
“The place has bad juju, Lanes. Why would you even want to go back there?”
“It’s under new ownership, Koen. Christ, the bar isn’t even Sunset anymore. It’s called Birds of a Feather now.” She scowled. “Help me out here, Duncan.”
The man in question leaned against the counter next to where I stood; his arms crossed over his expansive chest. “I’m not the one you should be asking.”
“You’re a shit-stirrer,” I mumbled under my breath, realizing what he was up to. His deep “Yup” had me grinning behind my mug as I waited for the fireworks to begin.
“You’ve been awfully quiet, Agent Clark.” Duncan added fuel to the fire. “Something you want to share with the class?”
All heads swiveled to Keaton. The previous owner of Sunset had fixated on the six-foot agent to the point where he kidnapped Henley, Keaton’s now wife. Jade, Koen’s new bride, was also caught up in the melee, though she hadn’t been the intended target.
“Asshole,” he grumbled. “How long have you known?”
“Since before you signed the papers.”
“What the hell are you two going on about?” Noah questioned.
Sighing, Keaton scrubbed a hand down his face. “I bought Sunset.”
The silence was deafening, then an explosion of “Fucks” rang through the room.
“Why?” Noah asked. His stoic facial expression may not have given much away, but the rigidity of his posture spoke volumes. He was hurt his friend had kept this secret. They all were.
“For Henley and Jade. For Lanie. Hell, I did it for all of us.” Keaton paced back and forth, then came to a stop in the middle of the group. “That motherfucker stole something from all of us when he took the girls.”
“So you took it back,” I interjected.
“Exactly.”
“That’s pretty fucked up, K,” Koen chuckled.
Keaton pointed to himself and shrugged. “I’m the son of a serial killer. Fucked up is the only language I speak.”
“You can make up for it with free food and drinks.” Lanie set down her mug, hopped off her desk, then walked right up to Keaton and poked him hard in the chest. “Don’t keep shit from us again.”
“I won’t. And just so you know, Henley wanted to tell you all from the beginning. Blame me for swearing her to secrecy.”
“Oh, I’m gonna have words with your wife.” Lanie hiked an eyebrow. “She went against the code.”
“What code?”
“Chicks before dicks.”
“On that note.” I moved toward the long metal table on the left side of the room, signaling for everyone to join me. “There’s something I’d like you all to look into.”
“A new case?” Keaton questioned as they each pulled out a chair and took a seat.
“Possibly,” I answered vaguely.
At this point, Director Ashland hadn’t given the go-ahead to move forward with the investigation, which was why I wanted fresh eyes on what little evidence we had.
As I began to explain about Lachlan Industries and the current work they were doing, Duncan passed out folders filled with copies of everything Joel had sent over.
“What are we missing here?”
“I’m not sure I understand your question, Agent Anderson.”
Lies. I knew exactly what Noah was asking, and from the way he stared straight at me, he knew it too.
“Why aren’t our counterparts in New York handling this? Why us?”
“Because I asked her to.”
I hadn’t heard Finn come in, but there he stood; feet shoulder width apart, wearing a black suit that fit him like a glove. He looked every bit like the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company, right down to the shiny Armani dress shoes on his feet.
“Holy hotness,” Lanie mumbled.
“Watch it, Darlin’,” Noah growled.
“Who the fuck are you?” Keaton glared at the newcomer.
Instead of introducing himself properly, Finn strode to my side and cupped my cheek.
“I’m hers.”