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“No shit? I didn’t see that coming. I guess we won’t need E to get them both a new identity then.”
“No, she still wants that, and I’m inclined to agree. Jones was pissed. I can’t see him giving up, not now that she’s humiliated him.”
“Men like that need a bullet between the eyes,” I snap, thinking about everything that asshole put his ex-wife and kid through.
“It’s not just him that’s the problem, though. It’s all the assholes that support him, offering him protection when they know exactly what kind of monster he is.”
“You’ll get no arguments with me. What really pisses me off is that Jones will get away with all this. Yeah, he’s losing his wife and kid. But let’s be honest, he didn’t give a fuck about them anyway. They were just accessories he pulled out when he needed to make himself look good. He won’t see a minute behind bars or even lose his job unless some brave soul steps up to fight the system,” Creed complains as he takes a seat at the table.
“What worries me is what happens to the next woman that comes along? If all this is swept under the rug, she’ll have no idea of the danger she’ll be walking into. I mean, on paper, he’s the kind of man mothers dream their daughters will bring home. Ivy League educated, no criminal record, important, well-paying job… I miss the days when it was fucking easier to tell just who the bad guy was,” Oz grunts out, taking a seat next to Creed.
Zig walks in and takes us all in before strolling over to Salem and placing a kiss on her temple.
“I take it Creed has filled you in.”
“Yeah. It’s a great result, but I can’t help but think this is far from over. Think he’ll cause issues for us?”
Zig shakes his head. “As far as he is concerned, we were hired for protection. Nothing more, nothing less. He has no idea who we are or what kind of connections we have, and I’m happy to keep it that way. We’ll keep an eye on him just in case, but I’m not overly concerned.”
“Must be nice to know you’re untouchable.” Oz sighs, leaning back in his chair.
“Don’t count E out yet. The man has been digging for dirt like a motherfucker, and last night he found something.” He holds his hand up before we can all start bombarding him with questions.
“I don’t know any more than that. You know what E is like when he catches a thread. He stays working on it until the whole thing unravels. When he's ready to share with us, he will.”
“I take it he’s holed up in his office. Should I take him something to eat?” Salem asks softly.
“He’s gone out, little one. He’s tracking down some information.”
I frown at that. When Ev started, it was with the understanding that he’d take control of the bulk of the IT shit because the man is a wizard with a computer. But lately, especially now that Cooper is no longer here, he’s been venturing out into the field.
“If E is going to be doing fieldwork, he needs a second,” I point out.
“I know. Me and Oz have been talking about it. Greg is the obvious choice with Cooper gone, but I don’t know if it’s the right fit.” Zig shrugs.
I get what he means. Partnering means more here than it does elsewhere. After a drunken, whiskey-fueled talk with Ev not long after he joined us, he admitted he liked the idea of sharing a woman, but one of his choosing. He didn’t want to end up with a partner and woman by default. He brushed it off, calling it something like middle-child syndrome. But even then, in my drunken state, I knew it was more than that.
Greg is the odd man out. It’s why his teammate was Cooper. Both men were not interested in sharing. Cooper because he met and married his high school sweetheart, and Greg because he wanted someone who was solely his. Again, his vague answers about the situation made me think there was more to it, but I know when to push and when to not.
“Yeah, I don’t think they’re the right fit either, but as a temporary measure, it can’t hurt. We’ve seen too much shit to take risks with our safety.”
“Where is Greg, anyway?” Zig frowns.
Creed looks uncomfortable when he answers. “He’s at the cemetery.”
The room goes silent after that. There is only one person buried at the cemetery that he could be visiting, and that’s Jan, Cooper’s wife. Yeah, there is more to Greg’s story than he’s told.
Zig changes the subject. “Wilder and Crew are leaving tonight. They’re wrapping up the Frendfell project. They’ll be home in a few weeks.”
“That asshole better pay up first. Wilder owes me a hundred bucks.” Oz rubs his hands together with glee.
“Do I even want to know why?”
“Let’s just say he scored with a woman last night who was packing more than just an Adam’s apple.” Oz grins, making me choke on my coffee.
The backdoor opens, and I turn to see Slade and Astrid walk in hand-in-hand, making all eyes turn their way. Astrid flushes and looks down, not a big fan of the attention she receives, which is ironic because, looking the way she does, she must get her fair share of it.
“Hey, Astrid!” Salem greets her with a huge grin and a friendly wave.
