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And that made him feel ashamed and betrayed.
Ashamed because he believed Drake’s guilt and betrayed because he trusted the team he worked with, and one of them betrayed his friends and family.
He was the one who brought them on board after leaving his mayorship. He believed that each and every one of them would devote themselves to the Numbers cause. Oh, how wrong he had been.
“I’m glad he has his freedom and your people’s trust back.” And he was, but it hurt.
His stomach rolled, and his knees jolted up and down. He found himself in unfamiliar territory since he wasn’t the only one betrayed. His friends and family, whom he championed and cared for, were also deceived.
Rather than blindly trusting his people, he should have done more. He felt responsibility for not checking on them.
“None of this makes me feel good,” he said as he walked over to his mahogany floor-to-ceiling unit. He poured whiskey from a decanter into two glasses under a flickering LED overhead light.
He handed her one as he strode over. Whether she drank or not, he would be glad to have a second glass if she didn’t.
His mouth curled in disgust when he said, “One of my team members is a traitor.” Averting his gaze and wrinkling his nose, he said, “I wouldn’t have believed it before, but now I do.” He rubbed the glass over his head to ease the whirlpool of thoughts.
Her nose wrinkled as she sniffed at the drink as if she expected something disgusting. It was fair to say that it was an acquired taste that got better with each subsequent intake. The look on her face almost made him laugh when she screwed it up adorably.
He drank his drink in three smooth gulps, then refilled it. When he shook the bottle at her, she handed the glass back to him for refilling. When Nick handed her the glass back, she swirled it around and stared at the contents.
“How’s Drake doing?” he asked, curious about the male he had barely begun to know before he was imprisoned. Perdy’s eyes shone, and her skin flushed as she strode a finger along her arm, recollecting some phantom touch. He cleared his throat. “He must be pleased that his name has been cleared?”
“The truth is, I don’t think he cares.” Rolling her eyes, she said, “I was more excited than he was.”
Nick found that hard to believe. It must have been difficult for Drake to accept that he was truly free as well.
Drake probably wanted the traitor caught and put away rather than celebrating anything, especially if he believed that Perdy was at risk. The fact that Perdy might have expected a stronger reaction from Drake was undeniable. He was sure she would receive it when Drake felt secure that they were safe.
“He could have smiled a bit,” she grumbled.
His shoulders shook as he laughed. The fact that he may not be an Alpha doesn’t mean he does not exhibit Alpha characteristics. “He reminds me of you.” He pointed to her tense, powerful body sitting ramrod straight in her chair, and her head tilted proudly. “He won’t relax until the traitor is caught, and I can guarantee that he cares just as much about you as you care about him.”
“Oh, I know.” She grinned and dropped her head. “Our relationship began with the intention of protecting each other before we even met, and I don’t believe we have stopped since then. I want to protect him, and he wants to protect me.”
Was it just a whim, or was it something more?
Was Drake aware of the extremes she would go to for him? In his opinion, breaking Drake free was just scratching the surface of what Perdy would do. “Why?” His curiosity grew as he wondered what she would say.
“Why?” she gasped in shock as if the question had never occurred to her. “I don’t think he deserves any more shit thrown at him,” she replied honestly.
Laughing loudly, he slammed his glass against the table. As Perdy glanced at him, his shoulders trembled, and his chest heaved with laughter. “That reason seems good enough to me, I guess,” he said as he raised the last of his drink in a toast.
As she said, “Yeah, it is. That’s true,” a slight grin spread across her face.
Perdy nodded at him and stepped out of the office.
Nick swirled his drink for a while, looking into the glass as if it might provide answers. His mind drifted to the shitshow of the last couple of weeks while sipping his drink. Perdy breaking out Drake forced the security procedures to be overhauled.
The traitor’s knowledge of the plans prevented them from implementing the change. It would be useless to implement those plans, and all security measures could be compromised until he was caught.
Rubbing his brows, he looked out the window. As he watched Numbers moving around, down by the Jeeps, he felt another surge of guilt, so he looked down at his feet and shook his head.
He was old enough not to be misled by others. There should have been something he saw or something he observed happening.
He frowned, thinking this was his mistake and could have been avoided. He should have been on his guard and recognised something. It was his fault for not sensing something or seeing it coming.
The old saying, age brings wisdom, popped into his head. He snorted at that. It was clear that he was still a fool.
