Page 83 of Fixed Asset

“Victor Stone was a pissant who had issues with the word no. He also had a reputation for certain . . . proclivities. One of those kinks was inviting his friends to the festivities. Consenting adults do what consenting adults do, and that’s no one’s business. However, without the consent, that’s something else entirely. And let’s just say there was no consent.”

I hadn’t realized I was grinding my molars until my jaw started to ache.

“Did he—”

“No. Not her. If she did kill Stone, it was because she walked in on him forcefully taking something that was not offered.”

I had yet to meet this woman and I already liked her.

“What do you want with the Honduran president’s wife and children?”

“Nothing,” he bit out.

That was a lie.

“You know, in the Army, I was called a human lie detector, and I didn’t need to be in the same room as the subject to pick up on an untruth. You of all people should remember this about me, seeing as you’ve used my skills in the past. Which I’ve thought about, and it annoys me to no end that you played me and I didn’t catch your lie. But I’ve come to the realization it’s because you didn’t fully lie. You did want me to find Berta and give her your intel. You simply omitted the truth behind why you wanted that, and your intel was bogus. You played me once, Tom. It won’t ever happen again. What do you want with the wife?”

“Nothing.”

“Bullshit—”

“You’re highly intelligent. I wanted you with me at the Agency. I knew I’d never get that. I want your skills available to me in the future, so I say this with respect, but leave it the fuck alone.”

That last part was said with authority but was tinged with melancholy.

There was a connection.

“Do you love her?”

“Leave it alone, Catarina.”

He loved her.

“Sure,” I lied. “One last thing. You said Calista’s father saved your life. He owned—”

“His father cleaned money for the Irish mob. When the time came for him to take over the family business, he found he couldn’t stomach it, and he approached the CIA.”

“You turned him into an agent?”

“Yes. He was assigned to me because I’d been tracking a bomb maker with ties to an Irish crime syndicate. I was in Liverpool. My intel said Danny was visiting a church. I was on my way there when Calista’s father called to warn me I was walking into an ambush. Fifteen minutes later the church blew up. If he hadn’t called, I would’ve been inside.”

“Does Calista know about her father?”

“No. Neither does his widow, and I’m trusting you not to tarnish the man’s memory. He didn’t volunteer to clean the mob’s money. And as you know, when you’re in, you’re in for life. Generations. His father made that deal. In the end, he did the right thing.”

And as his reward, his daughter had been kidnapped and trafficked.

“You have my word I will not tell her, and I’ll inform the team—”

“Keep that to yourself.”

I felt a prickle hit the base of my spine. He was asking me to keep something from a group of men whom I was bonding with. We were learning to trust each other. One of those men was Jack, who I trusted implicitly and would not keep secrets from.

“I can’t do that, Tom. I won’t keep something from my team. I trust them, and they will not betray my request and speak to Calista about this.”

“Catarina—”

“There is nothing you can say that will make me change my mind. I will not keep this from them.”