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When Wren told me the guys had all gone to the pub last night and Cayman was “sozzled,” I asked Kima if she’d accompany me there.
The last thing I expected to see when I arrived was him in a fistfight with my father and brother.
I’d heard what my father said to provoke him, though. “Bexli ain’t nothin’ but a fuckin’ slag anyway.” My own father had called me a whore. Bloody charming.
Cayman had immediately reacted, and when I took a step forward to stop him, Delfino put her hand on my arm. “You do not want to get in the middle of this.”
“But—”
She shook her head. “The guys are here; they won’t let it get too ugly.” I saw a few of them step forward, then Cayman shouted to let him handle it.
I couldn’t count the number of times he’d threatened to give my father “a taste of his own medicine.” Each time, I’d begged him not to. Honestly, I feared what my dad might do to him. Now, though, it was clearly Cayman who had the upper hand. He punched my brother square in the nose, then my father in the stomach.
He looked up then and saw me standing just inside the pub’s entrance. The look on his face broke my heart. He was ashamed I’d seen what happened. It was the reason I didn’t hurry after him when he left through the back door. He wouldn’t have wanted me to see him in such a state.
Since neither my dad nor brother had seen me, I let Kima lead me out to her car. No good would come from a confrontation between them and me.
I thanked God they hadn’t looked in my direction, given it meant they still didn’t know I was in town.
There was a briefing this morning at eight—err, zero eight hundred—Wren, Hanadarko, and Kima insisted I attend.
“I don’t belong there,” I’d argued. “Someone will surely ask me to leave.”
“You passed your test with flying colors, and your interview with Pinch Fulton is scheduled for next week. I have no doubt you’ll be invited to the training program. Given you’re already halfway there, you’ll be a full-fledged agent in record time,” Wren had said.
“Not to mention you look hot as fuck,” Hanadarko added. “Just wait until Cayman gets a look at you. He’ll be on his knees, begging you to forgive him.”
Honestly, he probably would’ve been anyway if I’d allowed him to see me. Actually, if he’d come to Kima’s cottage, I would’ve had little choice but to talk to him. I wouldn’t have asked her to get in the middle of it. The same would’ve been true if he’d shown up at Wren’s or Hanadarko’s, or at the shooting range.
If I did say so myself, I’d taken to marksmanship like a “boss,” as Wren had said.
Still, I was nervous. When the four of us walked in, I had no doubt heads would turn. Questions would start, and Wren would have to do some fast talking to explain why she’d insisted I come. On the other hand, she had told me she let Wilder know and he hadn’t batted an eye over it.
“Ready?” Kima asked, coming out of the bedroom.
I was about to ask if she was sure about this, but even I was tired of hearing myself question it.
We’d just opened the front door when Wren and Hanadarko walked up. We were all dressed the same way—black trousers and long-sleeved shirts with a leather jacket topping them and black stiletto boots. I felt somewhat ridiculous in it, but when Mayhem came out of the bedroom a couple of days ago and saw the four of us in our “dress rehearsal,” he’d stumbled backward, gripping the wall, and each one of us preened.
“Wilder and Mayhem are right in front of us. The briefing will not begin until they’re both there. Our entrance will be timed perfectly.”
I took a deep breath when we reached the front door. “You’ve got this, sweetie,” Wren whispered.
As I’d anticipated, the jaws of most everyone in the room dropped when we walked in. I looked at Nem and Oleander, relieved to see both were smiling.
“I have an announcement,” Wren began. “I’m proud to introduce the newest MI5 recruit, Bexli Everdeen. She received a perfect score on her entrance exam and has a meeting with Pinch this week.”
My hands shook, and my heart pounded out of my chest as I waited for the reaction to her news. I was stunned when those seated stood and applauded. All but Cayman. My heart sank when I couldn’t read his expression. He didn’t appear angry, but he didn’t look happy either. I felt as though I was naked when his heated gaze traveled down the length of me, then up again.
Frankly, several of the men in the room bore the same expression. The only difference was they’d clapped.
Z cleared his throat, and the room quieted. “Welcome, Bexli. I’ve been kept apprised of your hard work, and forgive me if I’m overstepping, but I’m quite proud of you.”
“Thank you, sir,” I murmured.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cayman look at him with scrunched eyes.
“I fear the subject matter of this morning’s briefing will be quite unsettling. However, thus is the life of anyone in His Majesty’s Secret Intelligence Service.” He looked over at Cayman. “May I?”
