Francine cleared her throat gracefully. “I’m not just referring to the indiscreetness at the lab. I’m pointing out her lack of…sophistication. Once the media uncovers her past they’ll have a field day. You’ll be the laughingstock of Texas. You were bred for greatness. Great people never pick weeds.”
“And you don’t think dear stepdaddy’s activities put a stain on the Fletcher name? For God’s sake, he’s a democrat.”
Her cultivated expression hid her repulsion. “No one cares about what my husband is doing. You don’t share his bed.”
He rubbed his forehead. “What do you suggest I do?” He was half-afraid of what her answer would be. His mother wouldn’t stop at anything to see her son rise to fame.
She paced slowly around the desk, the material of her silk slacks whispering with each step. She reached inside the top drawer and took out a thick folder. She held it out, but he continued to stare.
“What’s that?”
“I had Fitsgerald research your fiancée’s background. He’s good at crawling through every nook and cranny, every hillbilly swamp. I’m guessing there are things not even you know.” She gave the folder a shove into his chest.
Reluctantly, he took it from her. The folder felt heavy in his hand. “You have too much time on your hands.”
“I’m still cleaning up your messes after all these years,” she sighed. “I’m only looking out for you. It’s time to cut the string. Remove her from any avenue. Do it before she brings you down.”
“And how should I do that?”
“Start by firing her,” Francine said callously.
“Firing people these days isn’t as easy as you might think. I’d have to have a good reason to let her go from a position she is excelling in. She’s an integral part of the team. The Annual Healing Gala is coming up and she and I are going together. She was recognized for her work on the Mobile Lab Unit for poverty-stricken communities in Texas.”
“I don’t want to hear her resume, son. Don’t fret. You have all the reasons you need right there in your hands. You’re a stakeholder in MedLabOne.” Her voice rose a notch. “She doesn’t belong with you, Bentley. You two have been clinging to hope and a dream for months now. A woman like Aasia doesn’t understand our world. I won’t have her dirtying the good name we’ve worked hard to build. I’ve spent too many years curatingyou to be powerful not a farmer’s husband. You’re meant to be a leader. She is only a complication that needs snuffed out.”
“She’s not complicating anything. She was only trying to be a part of my life,” he muttered, almost feeling sorry for Aasia. He should never have involved her in this web.
“A part of your life?” she shrilled. Her elegance slipped. She came around to stand near him, her lips turned down at the corners defying the facelift’s capability. “I’ma part of your life. I gave up everything for you. I’ve built this home, a life, a career for you. Aasia is a distraction. She’s a goal killer.” she said in a poisonous whisper. She straightened and instantly regained her composure. “You take care of this, you hear me?”
“Mother, I—”
“I’m not asking you. I’m telling you. Are we clear?”
“This isn’t fair,” he whispered, knowing any fight would result in things getting worse.
“Are you truly worried about fairness? Am I supposed to believe you genuinely care about this woman?” She flashed a bitter smile. “Sex makes men think all sorts of things. If you can’t handle this, I will. I'll make sure she understands exactly what will happen if she doesn't quietly step back.”
“I can handle it myself.” He felt the last strand of rebuttal slip.
She walked to the window and looked out onto the shadowed grounds. “No one knows what’s best for you, darling, like I do. Be grateful you have someone around who cares.”
His cell phone vibrated. He grabbed it from his pocket and read the name on the screen. He turned slightly so his mother couldn’t watch him type in,“Sorry. I’m tied up tonight.”
“I thought we agreed you wouldn’t see him again?”
He jerked his gaze up and met his mother’s glare. “I don’t know what you’re talking about—"
“Save it.” She smirked. “If you want to be treated like an adult, then start acting like one.” She left the window and stopped close to him, leisurely picking off a piece of lint from his sweater. “Nip that in the bud too. Tell Mr. Clark that you’re not available now, and never.”
~*~
Ben “Bear” Lane removed his earbuds and dropped them on the dashboard.
He stared at the grand estate tucked behind wrought iron gates.
The Texas Heat Recon Team had been undercover ranch hands at Creed’s Creek for a year following every piece of data and evidence, both big and small, that could solve who’d ordered the team’s ambush. They would bring down every traitor in the organization. What Texas Heat knew so far, the poison seeped into powerful political paths.
Bear had been assigned to surveil all of Jaun “Silver” DeLupa’s—an ex-leader of the Knights Alliance, a notorious drug cartel in Texas—correspondences in prison, including interviews. While going through files from past interrogations with Silver, Fletcher’s name had been mentioned in passing. Bear decided to follow the scent. This hit close to home for him. Getting into the Fletcher house had been easy. The security team wasn’t worth shit. Disguised as a heating and cooling service worker, Bear’d entered the premises, planted the bug in several locations, and was out before anyone suspected anything.
