Aiden cradles his forehead in his hands, palms covering his eyes like he can’t bear to watch Dax struggle with this. “Dax…”
“You were thinking of making her the new Secret Keeper anyway, right? That’s why you’ve told them about her skills.”
Aiden’s head tilts back, his eyes narrow to slits. “How did you…?”
“Some of your boys are just as loyal to me, Aid,” Dax explains.
“Cas?” Aiden accuses without hesitation. He must have suspected already that Cas’s loyalties had split, but if they were on the same side, did it really matter?
Dax nods. “And others. We’re supposed to be in this together,” he argues the same point that I’m thinking.
“We are, but he is UACT first—or I thought he was. And trialling Jules as the Keeper is just an idea. Something we can talk about after we get her out of this shit.”
Dax jumps at Aiden’s admission. “What if we speed up the process? What if she carried the secrets? Won’t the bigwigs have to step up and protect her?”
Aiden shakes his head. He doesn’t even think about it, or perhaps he’s already thought this possibility through to an inevitable conclusion? “Do it now, and they’ll hide her, Dax. She’s already a target. UACT will fucking make her disappear to keep this shit safe.”
See, an inevitable conclusion. I sigh.
“What’s in the envelope?” I ask. “Not details…you mentioned a list. At least tell me that.”
“Names,” Aiden says.
“United Anti-Corruption Taskforce agent’s names,” Dax embellishes despite Aiden’s scowl. “All the undercover UACT operatives across the nation. Their code names and burn codes.”
Fuck. This is so much bigger than I expected. Aiden rockets to his feet just as I slam onto the mattress. “DAX!” Aiden eats up the space between them and slams his hand down on Dax’s shoulder.
Dax slaps his arm away. “Trust me on this.”
“I can’t do that!” Aiden reasons. “You might not care about the names on that list, but they’re people like me. People doing their jobs.” The pleading in Aiden’s voice cuts us both.
“Fuck.” Dax holds up his hands. “You’re right. Okay? You’re right. I just want her safe, Aiden.”
I pat the bed beside me. “I am safe. I couldn’t be safer, tucked into bed between two of my favourite people. I mean, sure, it’s only a list of like six people…” Ben’s face appears in my mind. “…maybe seven. But you’re both at least in the top five,” I tease to smash through the tension. I can’t help trying to understand both sides. Dax’s plan sparks an idea, but I’m missing a vital piece of information too, a part of the puzzle I can’t yet see, and without it, the whole argument we are having is redundant. Truth is, whether or not I know what’s in that envelope, I’m in danger.
“What’s a Secret Keeper. I mean, I know what it sounds like but—?”
Unexpectedly it’s Aiden who answers. “They’re the solo point of contact for deep undercover agents. Only select Brass know who the Secret Keeper is. As soon as he has the lists, he goes into hiding off grid.”
“And your Keeper wound up dead.”
“They found a UACT agent dead in the river. His true identity was divulged after,” Dax explains, answering a question I didn’t know I was asking. How they knew who he was considering his identity was a secret.
“Okay. Thank you for telling me.”
Aiden shoots Dax a look, suggesting they leave it here for tonight. Dax nods, places the envelope on his bedside table, and frowns.
“I’m going to get some water. Anyone want anything?”
He’s going to pace his frustration away on the rug downstairs, but I want him to know I’m okay. I’m not hurt, or disappointed, or confused about what just happened, even if I’m all of the above.
“I’ll take a juice. Orange or apple if you have it?”
“Aiden?” Dax asks, tone defeated—the question perfunctory.
“Nah, I’m good.”
Dax nods and strides out of the room without a backward glance.
