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“She flew into Cleveland and then went on to Brooklyn from there.”
Okay, that was a surprise, but not necessarily notable. Ohio was a big state. Maybe she had friends who—
“She went to a hotel there.”
“And?”
“Senator Turner was staying at the hotel. I did some more digging. I’ve got camera feed of Stone going into her room. She stayed there approximately ten minutes.”
In seconds, a dozen reasons why Jules would have met with Turner zoomed through his mind. He discarded all but the one that made the most sense. The blow was harder than he’d thought possible. Hell, he’d suffered plenty of them. But he had trusted her. Dammit, he had trusted her with everything.
“Have Xavier and Liam wait at the stairway at the back of the house. I’ll send her out. Tell them to hold her at the safe house. I’ll handle her when the op is done. Also, tell Rose to search Jules’s room at headquarters.”
“Will do. And, Ash, I’m sorry.”
He didn’t reply. What the hell could he say?
He made it back to Jules in record time. When she sent a questioning look at his empty hands, he shrugged. “Couldn’t find water. We’ve got an issue.”
“What’s up?”
“Meet Xavier and Liam at the stairs off the kitchen. They’ll fill you in.”
A slight frown of confusion flickered, but he saw no alarm or real concern.
“Okay.” Then, in a very un-Elsa-like way, she winked and said, “See you soon.”
He watched her walk away, his heart so heavy with b
itterness he could barely breathe. Turner had struck once again. Stupid to be shocked. The woman would do anything, use anyone to destroy him.
He had known all along he was playing a dangerous game with Jules. The secrets he’d detected in her, the lies she’d started out with, the way she kept herself separate from the team. They were all signs that he had ignored. All because he’d fallen head over heels in love with her. He had seen what he wanted to see, and because of that, this op could be compromised.
Ash pulled his head out of his ass and refocused. How this had happened—how Jules had not only fooled him, but fooled Kate, too—would have to wait. This op was too important to let anything or anyone derail it.
As painful as it was, this was a good reminder that he did much better on his own. Not getting involved with an OZ operative had been a self-imposed rule for a reason. When emotions and libido got in the way, shit like this happened.
For right now, he had another priority. A major one. This op could not go sour. Way too many lives were on the line. He would have to deal with his fury and the hurt when this was over.
* * *
Jules headed to the exit, nodding a cool greeting or a frigid smile as she went. Playing Elsa was an easy transition for her since the character was so standoffish. Keeping people at a distance was as natural as taking a breath. Except when it came to Ash.
Asher Drake had changed her life in more ways than one. Tonight, she would tell him the truth. She knew he would be angry, probably hurt that she’d not been truthful about her real identity, but she believed she could make him understand. She had to…there was no other choice. She loved him with all her heart, and she could no longer keep the words to herself.
Ash was one of the most loving, supportive people she’d ever known. She told herself he would understand why she had kept the truth from him. Working together, they would bring Turner down. Whether he shared her feelings was another matter. The thought of revealing herself, her emotions, was both a frightening and exhilarating feeling. She didn’t open up ever. But with Ash, she would reveal all.
She walked through the busy kitchen, thankful that everyone was so focused on their own tasks, they barely glanced her way. She went to the door leading to the back stairway and slipped through. Both Xavier and Liam were waiting for her with expressions so bleak the grim reaper might find them depressing.
It suddenly occurred to her that she hadn’t heard any communication in her earwig, so how had Ash known that there was an “issue”?
She flashed them a curious smile. “What’s up?”
“You need to come with us,” Liam said.
“What? Why?”
Xavier shook his head. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be, Jules.”
