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“Yeah. I stopped at the store on my way over. Figured I’d cook us some dinner while you did your thing. Seemed the least I could do in exchange for your help.”
“Oh.” She smiled up at him, her expression surprised. “You cook?”
“I know my way around a kitchen.”
“Wonders never cease.” She gave him a slow once-over that had his pulse skyrocketing. “Sure, I’ll try some wine.”
“Fantastic.” He poured her a glass, then refilled his own before returning to the living room. She seemed to already be deep into hacking, with Natalie’s laptop open and running on top of her knees while her own computer hummed along at her side. “Your wine, Red.”
She took it from him without looking, a determined expression on her beautiful face. “My boss wanted me to offer you guys a deal tonight.”
“What?” He stopped short.
“It’s a bad deal. I told her I’d offer it, but I never said I’d encourage you to take it. In fact, I think you shouldn’t—not that I believe you would.” Hayley did look at him then, holding his gaze a moment before focusing on her screen again. “And I believe you, by the way. About you guys being innocent.”
He scowled. “What kind of a deal?”
“One of you takes the fall for killing Nick, and the rest go free. It’s bogus, though. I’m trying to uncover who the offer came from, since my boss doesn’t have the authority to make a deal like that. I’ll let you know what I find out.”
He didn’t know what to think. He was revolted at the suggestion that any of his teammates would even consider throwing the others to the wolves. But beyond that… “Won’t you get in trouble if your boss finds out you’re helping us?”
Her mouth flattened into a straight, thin line. “Yes,” she said. “But it’s still the right thing to do. Proving you guys innocent has become my top priority. So I’m going rogue.”
Scotty sank down onto the cushions beside her. He wasn’t sure what stunned him more. That she believed in his innocence or that she was giving up her coveted promotion—and potentially her job—to help him. Both touched him far more than he wanted to admit. He valued loyalty and trust above all else, and she’d just handed him both on a silver platter.
“Hmm, what’s this?” She opened up a file on Natalie’s computer and hit Play. Rough audio filled the air. Lots of voices, all male. Orders barked, then agonized screams. Scotty picked out a few names, several of which he recognized—including Becks. The tape must’ve been recorded during the ambush of SEAL Team Four.
Hayley clicked off the audio, her brows drawn together. “What the hell?”
Scotty swallowed hard. “You just listened to a SEAL team die. Every last one…except Becks.”
“Where would Natalie get something like that?”
“No idea.” He sat down on the arm of the sofa and rested his forearms on his knees, his glass dangling from his fingers. “What else is on there?”
“Let’s see.” She squinted at the screen and clicked a few more keys. “Looks like a bunch of text files.” She glanced up at him, then quickly back to her screen. “There’s one here with your name on it. One for each of your friends too.”
He gave her a look. “Thanks for believing in us, Red.”
She hesitated for a moment, and he lived and died in those few seconds.
Finally, she exhaled and shrugged. “Honestly, the whole cover-up is blowing my mind. My boss flat-out told me that she didn’t care who confessed. An FBI agent, admitting that she doesn’t want to uncover the truth? Nothing about that makes sense—unless you factor in that she could be corrupt. Then it all falls into place.” She shook her head, then gave him a little wink. “Besides, being bad feels pretty good. So, let’s find out who’s trying to set you guys up, eh?”
9
The more she compared the information in Natalie’s files with what was in the official FBI case file, the more the whole thing stunk. There were documents that didn’t line up, witness statements that either hadn’t been corroborated or were inconsistent, and questions that had never been plausibly answered but were brushed under the rug or ignored. It made her ashamed to be a government employee.
She’d been working for what seemed like a few minutes, but—if she judged by the delicious smells drifting out of the kitchen—had to have been an hour or so, at least. Rolling her stiff neck and shoulders, Hayley looked up from her screen to see Scotty bustling around the small, well-appointed kitchen. He had a sexy grin on his face and appeared to be singing softly into the end of a spoon.
Definitely time for a break.
She set the two laptops aside and stood, stretching before heading over to the breakfast bar that separated the kitchen from the living room. “What’re you making?”
He turned and waggled his brows. Her knees went weak. “My specialty. Sausage and peppers.”
“Smells delicious.”
“Let’s hope it tastes that way too.” He stirred the contents of the large frying pan, then replaced the lid and lowered the flame before facing her once more. His firm, full lips were shiny, maybe from tasting as he cooked, and she wanted to lick them clean. “You hungry?”
