Chapter 15 #2
"Let's stick with the important parts of the story." Sterling let out a long breath. "And that's the idea that both events don't feel connected. Yet, in a weird way, I think they are." He glanced at Juniper. The first event was to get him to want to work with Doyle.
The second event had nothing to do with him and everything to do with you, which meant her cover wasn't as secure as they thought.
"You're the expert." She raised her mug, practically sticking her entire face in it, and took a long sip. "I'm just a pub owner."
"With an uncanny ability to read people," Sterling added.
"I've met your buddy, Doyle, only a couple of times.
" She shrugged. "He comes off like a player who likes to have a good time, and he's having one with my day manager.
He comes into the bar, does a little grab ass with her, flirts with everyone, including Liam, which is weird because he's obviously a womanizer, and leaves.
Everyone likes him. The only other time I saw him was the night at the Crab Shack. "
Sterling knew exactly what Juniper was doing, and it wasn't giving valuable information to Buddy, though she did lay out facts.
"What was he like the night of the robbery?" Buddy asked. "From your perspective."
"Started off shocked to see Sterling, but if we're being honest, he wasn't really," she said.
"Agreed." Sterling leaned across the counter. "But everything with Doyle is a bit over the top. I'm used to it, so I always read in the suspicion but dial it down and just roll with it. I figured I'd get the truth out of him the next morning."
"Based on your note in the file, you still weren’t sold that was all he wanted."
"Doyle always has an agenda. But sometimes, it's buried five layers deep," Sterling admitted.
"Please, continue, Juniper." Buddy pushed the empty plate aside.
"After that, he acted like any other law enforcement person I've ever seen in action, with the exception of one thing," Juniper said. "He seemed to hang back a bit, waiting for Sterling. As if Sterling were the superior officer and the one calling the shots."
"She's right about that." Sterling nodded.
"In JSOC, I was always his team leader. And in the military, he never ran his own team.
I thought it was habit, but based on new information, it could be orchestrated.
But why go to that kind of length to hire me for a job?
There are plenty of qualified operators in organizations just like ours.
And Doyle's worked with many of them." Sterling held Buddy's gaze and arched a brow.
He wasn't going to come out and say someone could be after what was in his brain.
That would put Juniper's cover at risk with Buddy.
Though, Sterling still thought that stupid.
And he couldn't add in Shrike in front of Juniper, because that was company business—again, her cover.
Buddy lowered his gaze, slowly, then lifted it.
Acknowledgement of what was unspoken but understood.
He pushed back the stool and stood. "One more thing before I head to the office," he said.
"Dawson informed me that the gator that was lured onto Juniper's porch was given a mild sedative.
It didn't have the desired effect. While it initially made the gator groggy, it also triggered a fight or flight response.
Because Trent is a crazy man, when he cleaned that animal up, he was able to take some blood samples off it, and some of them were human. "
"Neither of us were bit or even scratched," Sterling said.
"Which means whoever hurt that gator probably was. Samples are at the lab." Buddy tapped his knuckles on the counter. "Don't be late for work. Oh, and when you see Fallon, make sure you say congratulations."
"I knew it." Sterling smiled. "That's awesome. I'm so happy for you."
"That's amazing." Juniper scurried around the counter and hugged Buddy. "When is she due?"
"A few weeks after Dove," Buddy said. "Early on, we had a scare, so we wanted to wait. Totally shocked we were able to keep it a secret in this town. Though, everyone was whispering about it. I heard there's a pool going around."
"No idea what you're talking about," Sterling said.
"Right." Buddy slapped his back and then slipped out the side door.
"That's such exciting news." Juniper poured herself another cup of coffee. "We should send her some flowers or something."
"We can do that." He took the mug from her hand, set it aside, and held her by the shoulders.
He knew avoidance when he saw it. "Buddy's fully aware that the government could've sent someone to watch me.
We vetted you, though, obviously not well enough.
We vetted tourists who we thought came too close.
He gets calls from my old boss at the CIA. Telling him—"
"I understand telling Buddy would make all this easier," she said. "But that puts me in a difficult situation with my handler. I'm already in a tough spot because of you. Lying to Bea would be damn near impossible."
He threaded his fingers through his hair.
"I have to be honest here and say that my only concern in telling your handler is what she'll do.
As in pulling you from the assignment. I don't want that to happen. Telling Buddy and my team wouldn’t change anything.
It would just allow all of us to work together.
" He ran his hands up and down her arms. "You can add your insights without masquerading as an innocent bystander.
Which, by the way, Buddy wasn't totally buying.
I'm sure he's going to ask me some questions at work.
Not to mention, he'll want to know why I re-ran that background check. He might even want to do it again."
"I need to think on it," she said. "I'm going to take a shower."
"May I join you?" He lowered his chin.
She smiled. "Of course." She took his hand and led him toward the master.
For now, he'd stop pressuring her, but he knew for sure that he needed her. Not just in his life because he loved her. But he also needed her help to solve this particular situation.