I feel like my heart has stopped when I see what’s on the screen. “This isn’t real. It’s Photoshopped.” It has to be.
“There’s a video, too. It’s real,” Miles tells me.
“I need to see it.”
“You don’t.” Aiden says.
“Either I watch it with all of you here, or I kick you out and watch it myself. Your choice.”
They look at each other, and then everyone nods. Jake steps forward with his tablet, and taps the button to play the video. My heart breaks as I see Reina in a black dress that’s almost up to her crotch in front, but drags on the floor in the back. Her upper body is totally covered, but without the lace on the bottom of her skirt, she’d be showing even more than she is in the video. She has black stilettos on her feet, and I can’t believe what I’m seeing. Not after our Skype and phone calls.
She’s kissing every guy she comes across, and even starts to give one a lap dance as he shoves his tongue down her throat. There’s video of her dancing between two guys, pretty much making out with them on the dance floor. I replay the video, and that’s when I see the truth.
She’s not letting any guy touch her anywhere except for her hips. It’s subtle and if I didn’t know her so well, I wouldn’t see the way she moves her body and arms just enough to stop it. She also isn’t enjoying the kisses. I’ve kissed her in every position imaginable, and if she isn’t leaning in, or arching her back, she’s not into it. It’s been rare that she’s faked it with me—mostly in public after I’ve pissed her off—but I recognize it. And then there’s one more thing that seals the deal for me.
“She’s wearing her ring.”
“No. She’s not,” Nate says, looking sorry.
“Not her wedding ring. The ring I gave her today. She has it on. Something’s wrong, and she’s telling me this isn’t real. As if I couldn’t already tell.” I turn to Miles. “Call Alex. We have to help Reina.”
* * *
Reina
I hope this is working. I need the world to see that I’m over Matt, and waiting for my divorce. And I need Matt to see me wearing his ring, and know that none of what I’m doing is real. Without being able to contact the Society, I had to improvise, and honestly it sucks. I said I wanted to kiss a bunch of guys, but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.
Some are too sloppy, a few are too timid, they’re all liquored up, and most importantly, none of them are my husband. I hate that I’m kissing other men, even if we are technically broken up. There’s always a fine line when going undercover. We have to make things seem real even when they are most definitely not. It’s a fine balance on any mission, but this time may be the most important acting job of my life.
I see the guys here in this club. The ones who approached me outside of the jewelry store. I’m not sure exactly what the threat is yet, but there definitely is one. And it has something to do with my last name—my married last name.
The guy called me Mrs. Corrigan, and said things could’ve been avoided if my husband had just followed through and divorced me. I got away from them easily, but my gut tells me divorce proceedings need to move forward. Whoever these guys are working for wants me away from Matt, and since I’ve always trusted my gut, I need to push him away. Until I figure out how to neutralize the threat.
I’m still trying to figure out how I can make sure Matt has gotten my message when Joel Cruz walks in. He’s a good friend of Zack Taylor’s, an acquaintance of Miles, and attended a ball with Audrey recently. He’s a notorious playboy, and right now I need to pretend to play him, while getting him to help me.
I walk over to the chair he’s slouched into, and drop on top of him, straddling his body as I take his mouth in a hot kiss. He hesitates for a second, because he knows who I am, and who my husband is, but then he gives in. I burrow my mouth into his neck and then lean up to his ear.
“Don’t react, Joel. I need your help, but no one in this room can suspect that we’re doing anything more than making out.”
He nuzzles into me. “Whatever you need, Reina. I figured I couldn’t be lucky enough for this to be real. Just don’t let Matt kill me, okay?”
I chuckle. It’s a real laugh, but it also helps my performance look real. “I need you to get in touch with Zack, Miles, or Audrey. Any of them is fine. Tell them that Jane, Alex, and Jessica Corrigan need to be protected. I don’t know why yet, but I know that they do.”
“Shit. That sounds bad,” he says, nibbling on my neck. “Shouldn’t you call the police?”
“No,” I tell him, kissing him again before moving over to his other ear. “No police. They’ll know what to do. You can’t be obvious about calling, and don’t do it from here. Maybe borrow someone’s cell phone even.”
“I feel like a spy.”
“For right now, I need you to be one. I’m afraid this might even be life or death.”
“I didn’t think the Corrigan Foundation was so dangerous.”
“You have no idea. I’m going to slap you now. Sorry, but it has to be done.”
I do it before he can prepare himself. “Bitch,” he yells with enough force to tell me he means it.
“You’re the one who can’t kiss for shit.”
“I knew you were frigid. Now I know those rumors must be true. Matt Corrigan has tossed you aside, and you’re desperate for a new meal ticket. It won’t be me.”
“I don’t need any man,” I tell him, and everyone else listening, as I walk out.
I’m trusting Joel with a lot. I hope to God he comes through for me. I don’t think he’s as flaky as he pretends to be, and I’m not often wrong about people, but I’ve been surprised before. If I am this time, I’ll just have to deal with it.
I feel the eyes on me as I walk back to my hotel. I booked the same small one I’d put Darcy in a few months ago. It’s out of the way, but also not secure. I need to shake these guys, because I’m not ready to fight just yet. I calculate what I have on me, and realize it’s not enough. I can do without my clothes, and shoes. I can’t leave Matt’s gifts behind, though. No matter how much danger I’m in. He’s finally showing me that he’s all in, and tonight notwithstanding, I want that to continue. Even if he’d understand me leaving things, I can’t do it.
I’ll just need to throw these guys off and then make my way back. If I wasn’t in a residential area, it would be easier. But with almost everything closed, I don’t have a ton of options. Until I see the boat as I walk past the Eiffel Tower. I remember that it goes to the mall by my hotel, and also that the last one should be leaving any minute now.
I pick up my speed, and manage to jump on just as it pulls away. I look back and see the guys who were following me stop at the water. I make eye contact with the one I took down the hardest earlier, and see his lips curve into a smile. It’s not a comforting smile, though. It’s one that promises me pain. Bring it on, buddy. The only man who can break me has already done it, and yet I’m still standing. I won’t topple over for anyone else so easily.
Chapter 15
Matt
Miles can’t reach Alex, and it has us both a little freaked out. The other women said she went out for lunch, but didn’t say who the lunch was with. Ainsley is trying to locate her, but something seems to be wrong with both her phone, and her tracker, too. That’s too much of a coincidence, and though none of us are saying it, we’re all thinking it. When his phone rings, he jumps, shows us the unknown number, and answers. He listens for a second, and then puts it on speaker.
“What the fuck do you want, Cruz? Making out with my sister-in-law wasn’t enough for you?”
“She made out with me. And then slapped me. I’d think she was crazy if she hadn’t asked me to call you.”
“Do you have a death wish?” I ask him.
“Hello to you, too, Matt. She said she won’t let you kill me.”
“Why did she ask you to call?” Jake asks.
“She said to tell you Jane, Alex, and Jessica Corrigan need to be protected.�
�
“Why? Why do they need to be protected?” Miles practically screams into the phone.
“I don’t know. That’s all she told me, other than to borrow someone else’s phone to call from.”
“Thanks for calling. And I won’t kill you unless you think Reina was really into you and you try and get with her. Then it’ll be a different story,” I tell him.
“No doubts on my end. Hope this helps.”
He hangs up, and I turn to Miles. “Where is your mom right now?”
“She was in London when she called me two days ago.”
“Call her now. I’ll check on Gram.”
He makes his call, but it goes straight to voicemail. He tries her landline at her flat, but she doesn’t answer there, either. I get the same result when calling our grandmother. Whatever’s going on is already happening. It’s too late to stop whatever’s been set in motion, and how we all react is going to determine how fast we get them all back. We will get them back. There’s no question about that.
The Corrigan PR intern, Camari, comes rushing in then. “Oh my God, Matt. The phones haven’t stopped. What has your wife done?”
“What are they asking?”
“The press wants to know if you’ve been separated and just not filed for divorce yet. Then they want to know if you’re going to file. I kept saying ‘no comment’ because I didn’t know. How did I not know that you two are apart? My boss is never going to give me a good recommendation.”
“His recommendation will be glowing. Don’t worry about that,” my brother tells her.
“Thanks. Miles, your assistant has been getting calls from the people Corrigan does business with. They all want to talk to you immediately. Some are threatening to pull their contracts.”
“I’ve been ignoring her calls. And let the fuckers try and break a contract. Reina kissing some guys has nothing to do with how Matt or I run the business.”
“They could make both of you look bad in the media.”
“Like my little brother said, let the fuckers try. They think they can intimidate us? One of us could take them down. Together, we’ll crush them.”
“Why did this have to happen while Ray is on vacation, and I have to run things for my internship?”
“You’ve got this Camari. There’s a whole staff behind you. We’re behind you, too,” I tell her.
“Is there something official you want me to say?”
“Yes. Tell them I love my wife, and stand behind whatever choices she’s making right now.”
“The media is going to paint you as a cuckolded fool. Just warning you.”
“I’m man enough to handle some bad press.”
“Why do I feel like there’s more going on here than you’re telling me?”
“Because you’re smart.”
“You’re not going to tell me anything else, are you?”
“No. When we can tell you, we will. You take care of the press. Miles and I will take care of the business.”
“Are you going to take care of Reina, too?”
“Yes,” I tell her with a smile I’m not feeling. “My wife is my number one priority right now.”
Within minutes of her leaving, the entire Society—minus Reina, Gram, and Alex—converge on my room. They all look as freaked out as Miles and me. Theo walks in a few minutes later, barking orders into his phone about not letting anyone but employees or people on his list through the gates.
“Every journalist on the planet is outside the gates,” he says.
“I doubt it’s everyone,” Ellie tells him with a smirk.
“Go look for yourself. ‘Party girl Reina’ is causing me more trouble than working for a gay Vice President ever did.”
“My wife is hotter than Aiden’s dad.”
“Enough of the fun,” Stella says, looking fiercer than I’ve ever seen her. “What the hell is going on?”
“We don’t know. Joel Cruz called Miles and said Reina told him to call and say that Gram, Jessica, and Alex needed to be protected.”
“That call came too late,” Ainsley says. “At least for Jane and Alex. They’ve disappeared.”
“My mom’s not answering her phone, either.” Miles looks like he’s seconds from losing it, and I pull him in for a hug.
“We’ll get them back. They don’t have Reina yet, and if I’m right, she’s going to keep doing whatever she can to make sure they think we’re headed for a divorce.”
“Why them?” he asks.
“They’re the last of the Corrigan women,” Isa reminds us. “Without one of them alive, and leading, the Foundation will fall.”
“Along with the Society. Fuck,” Tegan says.
“This isn’t the first time someone has gone after us. We stopped Selene,” Mallory reminds us.
“She didn’t kidnap all of the women who can keep us from having to shut down. Although, Jessica is divorced, so I don’t get why she was taken,” Helen adds.
“She’s my mother, and she kept my last name. It doesn’t matter that they’re divorced. She’ll always be a Corrigan.”
“This couldn’t be your dad, could it?” Cyndi asks.
“No,” Ainsley tells her. “He’s well monitored, and since his one attempt at escape went badly for him, he’s been a model prisoner.”
“Who could be doing this then? And what do they have to gain? I can’t imagine one trafficker having the resources or knowledge to do this,” Maggie says.
“No. This is bigger. I feel it. It’s bad, and it’s more than one person. It’s just my gut, but that’s what I think,” I tell them.
“I agree,” Audrey says.
“I need to get to London without anyone knowing,” I tell them.
“London?”
“It’s where Jessica was, and I don’t doubt that Reina knows it, and will head there next.”
“If only we could contact her,” Faith says.
“I have an idea about that. You all just get me there, and I’ll take care of Reina.”
“I’m going, too,” Miles says.
“No. You can’t. You need to stay here and run the company. Business as usual. I’m still recovering, Alex is taking a much needed vacation, Reina has no bearing on the business, and anything else Camari tells you to say.”
“It’s my wife, my mom, and Gram. I can’t just sit here and do nothing.”
“Don’t you trust me Kilo?” I ask, using that stupid nickname to coax a smile out of him.
“Bastard. You know I trust you. Bring them back, bro. All of them.”
“I will. I just need to go alone. We can’t hide all of us, and if these people have the Corrigan women, they know about the rest of us. Our plans cannot be told to anyone outside of this room. Not the teams, and not the other guys. I trust the guys, and I would like to trust the teams, but we can’t have anyone accidentally slip.”
“Understood. We can do this. We have to do this,” Darcy says.
“There’s one thing you should know, Matt,” Cyndi tells me. “The four of us are going to London in a few days. There’s a royal ball we were all invited to.”
“How long has this been planned?”
“Months. It’s a minor royal, and not the queen, but we were all excited to be invited. We had a whole week of shopping and fun planned. All five of us,” Helen says.
“Then you all need to go. I’ll take my Gram’s place. We just won’t tell them that until that night.”
“They may not let you in.”
“They’ll let me in.”
“One thing no one has mentioned needs to be addressed,” Jade says.
“What?’ I ask.
“You haven’t been released yet.”
I smile. “Don’t worry about me. My 78% is another guy’s 110%. I’ve got this.”
“I wasn’t doubting your skills. I was just worried about you.”
“Thanks, but I promise you I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t think I could.”
I’m not lying. I need to protect
those women who I love more than anyone else, which is why I wouldn’t risk any of us by going out if I wasn’t ready. I know I could do more harm than help if I take off without being ready. I’m ready, and if I still hurt a little, well that’s only going to make me a little angrier. I may not be Hulk, but I can guarantee that no one likes me when I’m angry, and whoever has my family had better be ready for me. I’m taking no prisoners on this one.
* * *
Reina
I know I’m going to be followed today, and I won’t be coming back here to the hotel. I arranged with the front desk to have my things sent home, and I’ve got everything I need for later in my messenger bag. To anyone else, it will look like I’m just sightseeing today, but in reality, I’m putting on a show. An important show that just might save us all.
I take the Metro to the Musee Rodin. I wanted to see the museum, and I’m not disappointed. The Kiss, The Thinker, and The Gates of Hell are magnificent. The other statues throughout the outside gardens are no less stunning. I have no trouble pretending to be enjoying all of it. In the gift shop, I’m not surprised to learn that a smaller version of The Kiss has been purchased for me, and will be shipped to Las Vegas. I thank the clerk, and buy myself a t-shirt. I wish I could text Matt, but I can’t.
After the museum, I walk through the neighborhood, passing government buildings that are as gorgeous as they are functional, and apartments that make me wish I could stay here forever. I can’t help feeling the history of this city as I walk. I can even see the Eiffel Tower in the distance. The city isn’t big, but it makes me feel small and young as I make my way through it.
I’m walking towards the Musee d’Orsay when I see the Obelisk. I cross the closest bridge, and stand on one of the sidewalks in the roundabout to take pictures. I’ve been to Paris many times, but never to just enjoy it. If I had more time, I’d walk the entire city. I promise myself that I’ll come back one day, and maybe bring Matt with me. I want to hold his hand as I walk these streets. I don’t know if we’ll be at that place again, but I want us to be.
I feel his absence even more on the bridge with all the locks covering it. I know they’re coming down soon due to the weight destroying the bridge. I’m happy for a chance to see them, and the love they represent. It’s the kind of hopeful love I once had, and hope to feel again one day.
Loving My SECRET (Corrigan & Co. Book 10) Page 16
