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“Everything all right?” Cayman asked, opening the fridge, presumably to scrounge for something to eat, like I had.
“Mayhem and Hanadarko will be joining the investigation in a few days.”
“That’s excellent news.”
“Nem wasn’t as pleased.”
“She wouldn’t be, then, would she?”
Fuck.Somethinghadhappened between her and Mayhem. I turned off the stove, tossed the saucepan into the sink, and stormed out of the room, wishing the thoughts racing through my head were wrong, but somehow knowing they weren’t.
23
NEMESIS
“Bloody fucking hell,” I groaned, walking into the en suite bathroom. I rested my hands on the edge of the sink and looked in the mirror. Mayhem fucking Gable was on his way here with Hanadarko. Now, of course, I could recall where I’d heard the name before. It had been from him, extolling her brilliance.
“Go away,” I shouted when I heard a knock.
“Nem, it’s me. Let me in,” said Wren, jiggling the handle of the door I’d locked. “Wilder just told me,” she said when I opened it and let her in before closing and locking it behind her. “Did you know?”
“Did I know?Are you bloody fucking kidding me? Yes, Wren, I knew, and all through dinner, I did a remarkable job hiding it.”
“Okay, sorry. So did you tell Ares Mayhem couldn’t come?”
I looked up at the ceiling and put my hands on my hips. “I am convinced you’ve lost your mind.No, I didn’t tell Ares Mayhem couldn’t come.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Do?Nothing.”
“What do you mean?”
“Mayhem and I shagged, Wren. That’s it. Will it be awkward? Of course it will be. Am I annoyed as fuck? Of course I am. However, I have far more important things on my mind, like finding the bastards responsible for the deaths of one hundred and twenty-four people, then shutting down their whole operation and throwing them in jail for the rest of their bloody lives so innocent men, women, and children do not suffer the same consequences.”
Wren had gone as ghostly white as I was sure I was when Ares had uttered Mayhem’s name. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“If I’m lucky, I’ll leave before they even arrive.”
“Leave? You’re walking away from the task force?”
“Wren, I love you dearly—I’ve said this previously—however, you’re not thinking clearly. I would never walk away from this task force. Well, at least not over someone as ridiculous as Mayhem.”
“He hurt you.”
I shook my head. “He hurt my feelings, then I got over it. Or him, rather. What I didn’t get over was my own stupidity. That’s the point. I had sex with someone I worked with, and I learned my lesson. I’ll not make the same mistake ever again.”
“Why did you say if you’re lucky, you’ll leave before they arrive?”
“Because I’ve a raid on a Bulgarian human trafficking ring I’m trying to get planned.”
“Right. I’m sorry,” she repeated.
“Don’t be. You’ve done nothing wrong. Get some rest, and we’ll talk more in the morning. Hopefully by then, we’ll have heard from Marchand, Z, or both.”
Wren nodded and said good night. We hugged, she left the room, and I locked the door behind her before flopping on the bed.
Out of all the bloody profilers in the fucking universe, Ares had to have worked with Mayhem. I looked up at the ceiling. “Thanks a whole fuck of a lot, universe,” I said out loud.
