Page 73 of Fixed Asset

“Victor was a congressional aide. The other two were lawyers, lived in Virginia, worked in DC, and they were found dead in the home of a White House staffer. Haven’t heard anything on motive. Though Stone’s got a reputation of being a monumental asshole.”

“What kind of asshole?”

“The kind who thinks buying a woman dinner means he’s owed something in return. No formal complaints had been filed, but word was he didn’t like being denied what he thought he paid for.”

Monumental asshole didn’t begin to cover the special kind of fuckwad Stone was.

Hopefully, Shep would have more for us by the time we got up the mountain.

“Something feels off,” I told Linc.

“Something’s always off with the CIA.”

No truer words.

“Part of me gets why Tom would want to meet off US soil. I also get why he’d tag and track his asset. But the timing of it with the president’s wife and kids being part of the target package is the coincidence I’m struggling with.”

“You said Tom’s helped Berta in the past; could be that he really did want the use of her network to help Calista? Though, it’d be a win-win for him to have the whereabouts of the president’s family in his back pocket, should he need it in the future. But if Berta’s smart, and I know her reputation so I know she is, the wife and kids will be shuffled around until they’re lost, never to be found.”

I hoped that was the case.

“But,” Linc continued, “I’ve been dealing with the CIA for a long time, and I’ve never known one who wasn’t an opportunist, and that includes the former case officers who work for us.” There was humor in his tone. “Thankfully, they’re now on our side, and we get the benefit of their manipulation.”

“Good to know those skills didn’t go to waste.”

I heard footfalls padding through the living room.

I turned, and my breath arrested.

She’d pulled on the T-shirt I’d tossed on the floor last night when I got home.

“Cat’s up, gotta go.”

“I bet you do.”

I watched her walk into the dining area and stop by the floor-to-ceiling windows.

“Thanks again.”

“Anytime. I’ll hit you back when I know something.”

Linc disconnected. I tossed my phone on the counter and made my way to Cat.

“You were right about this deck. The view is amazing.”

She wasn’t wrong about the view, but I wasn’t looking at the beach.

Pride hit fast and furious.

Catarina had chosen me.

I could lie to myself and say I claimed her, but the truth was, Catarina did the claiming. She was a high-value woman, and there was no way she’d settle for anything less than what she thought was the best. She’d claim her mate, the strongest of the pack, her partner.

Lincoln Parker was one smart son of a bitch.

Chapter Twenty

I glanced around the Dirty Plank, leaned closer to Jack, and whispered, “Don’t tell the guys, but In-N-Out is better.”