Finding Trust (Centre Games)

by Natalie Gayle

  Brayden eyed the boss across the table. Was he supporting this or not?

  “I’m not in shock, James, if that’s what you’re wondering. You gave me a couple of day’s heads-up, which is more than poor Peter’s had here. Poor bastard has just learned that he’s going to be a grandfather and the father of his grandchild is a bit more than he thought.” The boss put in a rare note of empathy in his tone.

  “We’ve obviously got a lot of working out to do within the team and I haven’t made any decisions yet.” The warning to Brayden was clear—don’t get too far ahead of yourself.

  Brayden let out a long sigh. “Honestly, boss, at this stage I just don’t care. All I want is to work things out with Rihanna. Everything else is not even on my radar at the moment.”

  “That’s all well and good but you’ve got a responsibility to the team, James,” the boss barked.

  “Yeah and I’m also entitled to some down time occasionally and by my thinking, I’ve not taken a holiday in about five years. Based on that, I’m taking the next couple of months off.” Brayden and the boss glared at each other across the table.

  “We’ll talk about this later, James, when you’ve had time to calm down and think about what you’re doing. I expect you at the briefing tomorrow morning ten hundred hours.” The boss got up and pushed past Jazz at the door.

  “I’ll go see the doctor.”

  “Thanks, Jazz,” Brayden called to the closing door.

  Peter looked across at him. “Well, I guess that leaves you and me, son.”

  “I guess it does.”

  Brayden forced himself to relax back in his chair. He knew enough about Peter to know that he had something he wanted to say, and he just needed to wait till the other man was ready to say it.

  “I don’t think there’s any point dancing around this. So I’ll just come out and ask. What are your intentions?” Peter’s eyes held him steady across the table. There was no anger, accusation or bias: purely a man who wanted to know his intentions towards his daughter.

  Brayden knew he couldn’t ask for anything more reasonable but still he felt annoyed at having to explain himself. He thought his actions and his stance on this had been pretty damned clear.

  “I intend to marry her and raise a family.”

  Peter let out an audible breath. “That’s very good news. I figured as much but I still needed to hear you say the words.”

  Brayden decided to push his luck a bit further. “So can I assume you support Rihanna and I being together?”

  Peter’s response came back quicker than he’d ever heard him answer a question. “Yes, absolutely. You’re great together; she’s just too stubborn at the moment to realise it.”

  Brayden looked away for a second, collecting his thoughts. There was something else he desperately needed to know. “Peter, you obviously know now that I’m a bit different than other men; I have some kooky DNA. Your grandchildren will also likely inherit these genes. Can you cope with that?”

  At that, Peter surprised Brayden completely. He threw his head back and laughed great big, hard belly laughs.

  “Mate, I think I’m probably about the best potential father-in-law you could have. First, I’m a vet so I understand the whole animal thing; second, I’m a scientist so I can wrap my head around exactly how you came to be the way you are; and third, I’ve been waiting about ten years for grandkids. I’m more than ready. So yes, I can cope.” He laughed again, obviously amused at his thoughts.

  “Well, in that case I’ll be very happy to have you for a father-in-law. Now all I’ve got to do is convince Rihanna to make this thing permanent.”

  Peter nodded in agreement. “I wouldn’t lose too much sleep just yet. She’ll come round; she just needs a bit of time to think things through.” He looked to be considering something before he continued, “Wouldn’t hurt to have a game plan, though.”

  Brayden chuckled. “I’ve been thinking the same thing ever since she sent me packing.”

  Peter raised his darkly tanned hand and scrubbed his chin. “I’ve got a few ideas I’ll run by you. See what you think. Best weapon you’d have has got to be Jazz, though. She’s the key.”

  “I’d be happy to hear any suggestions at this stage.”

  “Okay, well, here’s what I think you should do…”

  The two men plotted and schemed for a few more hours before finally calling it a night. Rihanna didn’t stand a chance.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Rihanna eased out of the car and hobbled into Brayden’s house. Jazz had driven them here from the secure hospital facility for the meeting that Tom had insisted everyone attend. She’d been a bit surprised when neither Brayden nor her father had picked her up but rather had sent Jazz. Not that she was unhappy to see Jazz but she just thought one of them would have been there. Apparently they had a few things for Tom they needed to do.

  The house felt both welcoming and intimidating at the same time. Just a couple of days ago, they’d left here with a terrorist threat to neutralise. The days prior to that had been chaotic, surreal, unbelievable but without a doubt some of the best in her life. She’d felt happy, content, and very much in love for the first time in her life.

  Now she wasn’t sure how she felt. She wanted to wind the clock back to just a few days ago and enjoy the feeling she had for a little longer. Her ordered world had been blown apart and she had no idea how to begin to start picking up the pieces. The doctor had come in late yesterday and confirmed that she was indeed pregnant.

  How did that happen? Of course she knew how it happened, but the risks should have been low; apparently they’d rolled the dice one too many times and she had to pay the piper. Or was it that Brayden had super swimmers with his altered DNA?

  She still had no idea how she felt about that. Jazz was right. He was undoubtedly a person, a human but the whole thing had taken her by such surprise and she’d reacted terribly badly. Thank God it had only been in front of Jazz. The fact that she could have even verbalised what she did swamped her with embarrassment and guilt every time she thought about it.

  Brayden was a good guy. Any woman would get down on her knees and beg for the opportunity to be with someone so handsome, talented, warm, and intelligent. The problem was she was not any woman. She was scared. Terrified, if she was being totally honest with herself. What if she lost him?

  He was so much bigger than life and in a lot of ways blocked out the sun. In fact, he’d become her anchor over the last couple of weeks. But his last secret had hurt. Really hurt. He’d asked her to trust him, to trust in them and all the while he’d been concealing the most unbelievable secret about himself. A secret so fundamental it actually determined his physical and personality makeup. Logically, she knew why he had to do it. But that felt like a small conciliation right now.

  Maybe it was best to leave it at this. She could move on, guard her heart a bit and quit before it got any more serious. It would only hurt more the longer it went with Brayden. She didn’t want to be her dad, pining after a soul mate who had passed years before. Becoming a shadow of her former self.

  And now she had the baby to think about. For a fleeting second, she’d thought about an abortion or adoption but there was no way she’d ever be able to live with herself if she ended or gave up the life of a person who she already loved. The alternative meant that Brayden would be part of her life as well.

  Oh God, it was so confusing. Why couldn’t he just be normal?

  She’d managed to hobble into the family room, lost in her own thoughts.

  “Hey, Rihanna—how are you feeling today, sweet?”

  Rory, with his infectious grin, immediately rose from the lounge and helped her ease her aching body into it.

  “Getting there. Still feel like I’ve been run over by a truck but at least I’m in one piece, or I should probably say we’re both okay.”

  He let out a chuckle, obviously understanding what she meant. “That’s good. Congratulations on the baby, by the way. Yo
u guys are going to make great parents.”

  “I guessed you knew.”

  “Bit hard not to. In fact, Bray asked me to confirm his suspicions a couple of days ago. He suspected but I’ve got a slightly better ability at scenting things, particularly that early.”

  Rihanna covered her face with her hand. “Oh my God, this is so embarrassing.”

  Rory leant forward and gently pulled her hand from her face. “Sweets, you’ve got nothing to be embarrassed about. You have to remember my nose is about ten thousand times better than yours. I smell everything, whether I want to or not. I always have. To me and all the team, this is totally normal. Therefore scents that people generally feel embarrassed about don’t even register as being unusual or uncomfortable with us. They’re just there. In fact, they don’t even register much of the time unless we bother to separate the various scent profiles. So please don’t be embarrassed.” He paused for a bit to check how she was taking his words. He noticed her nodding more in interest now and the pained, embarrassed look had left her face.

  “It’s one of the reasons we all tend to be very up front about body functions and our sexuality. Simply put, we can’t hide it from one another on the team. They can either smell or hear in most cases.”

  Rihanna’s expression had changed again. Now she looked downright curious. “So how far can you hear?”

  “It depends on the conditions and the sound but we’d have no trouble listening into a conversation that was half a mile away.”

  “Wow. That’s incredible.”

  Rory just chuckled. “Yeah, it can be interesting at times. I particularly enjoyed the conversation the other day where Brayden laid it out for the boss. That was a cracker.”

  “What do you mean?” Curiosity framed her face.

  “He didn’t tell you?” She shook her head and he looked sheepish. “Oh shit, I’ve put my foot in it again. You need to ask him about it. It’s not my story to tell.”

  “Okay, I will.”

  She sat there quietly for a moment before taking his hand and looking into the dark depths of his brown eyes.

  “Thank you.”

  She said it so earnestly he had a confused look on his face.

  “What for?”

  “For taking that shot, saving my life.”

  He turned away, obviously feeling uncomfortable with her words. “No problem, Rih—you don’t have to thank me for that. There’s no way I’d have let anything happen to you. I know how important you are to Bray, and it would have killed him for you or the baby to be seriously harmed. I just did what I had to do. Anyone else on the team would have done the same thing in my place. I just happened to be there. You need to know, Rihanna, we’re all very tight; we look after our own first and foremost. You’re part of that now. You’re one of us. Therefore that protection extends to you and the baby.”

  She didn’t know what to make of his words. Rihanna just knew she was grateful but also a bit overwhelmed at his words.

  When she didn’t say anything, he continued for her. “It’s a lot to take in, I know. Think about it. You’ll get used to the idea. It might feel a bit suffocating at times but you just gained eleven other brothers and sisters.”

  He looked at his watch and rose from the lounge, offering her his hand. “Come on. We’re going to be late for the boss man’s powwow. Don’t want him to blow a gasket or anything.” He flashed her a cheeky smile and wink before he helped her from the lounge to the temporary Situation Room.

  Rory never could stand things being tense for too long.

  ***

  They were all gathered around the table, talking quietly, when the boss walked in and sat at the table. They’d all asked how she was feeling and how everything was. She’d been polite but noncommittal.

  Brayden and her father were still nowhere to be seen.

  “Okay, people, let’s get this thing wrapped up. We do have other operations that need our attention.”

  The room immediately fell to silence.

  “Firstly, let me give you an update on Quade before we talk about the operation.” Tom shuffled some papers in front of him. “I saw him briefly this morning and he’s sitting up in bed, being sullen and moody. So I think he’s well on the road to recovery. As you know, although his injuries were extensive, somehow they managed to miss anything important, so he should be fine in a few weeks. We’ve just got to figure out his recuperation logistics at this stage.”

  “Can we go visit him?” Rheeba asked.

  “Of course, once everything else is cleared away. Business first, ladies and gentleman.

  “Right, onto the mission. As you know by now, the virus was contained to the watering system of the sale facility stables. Testing has been done by the various clean-up crews and this has been confirmed. Now they have the job of decontamination, cleaning, and quarantine before the facility can be utilised again. Anyway, the clean-up of the facility is very much in their hands and outside our brief.”

  Rihanna took all this in, wondering how they intended to “clean up” the facility. Other facilities that had been contaminated in the past still remained quarantined to this day. Mmmm, she’d watch what happened with interest.

  “In case you missed the briefings that have been circulating through the press, the story we have run is that there was a horse with an elevated temperature and early signs of either Hendra or some other virus. In the interests of all the horses, we decided to evacuate them from the facility and they are now quarantined in a holding property until a thorough diagnosis and observations rule out further infections.”

  “And the industry and the public are buying that story?” Rihanna asked, dubious.

  “To date they have. The Department of Agriculture has come under some criticism for overreacting by the industry but that was to be expected. The animal support groups, on the other hand, are hailing it as a highly responsible action. At this stage, we’re just letting the politics play out. While they’re bashing each other, they’re not looking deeper or attacking the department too much. Hopefully it’ll all blow over in a few days and something else newsworthy will take its place.”

  Rihanna glanced across the table and noticed Jazz wriggling in her chair. Something was bugging her. “How did you cover up the gunshots and the army intervention?” she asked Tom.

  Tom directed his stare at Jazz. “Fortunately there was a very loud and well-publicised electrical storm that afternoon. The police merely confirmed that it was in fact lightning strikes and a couple of blown electricity transformers that sounded like gunshots. As for the army presence, that was easily enough explained as a specialist team called in to assist with the potential outbreak of an equine virus. Apparently the department and the military had been planning some joint quarantining and decontamination exercises since the equine influenza outbreak a few years ago. This presented the perfect opportunity to operationalize the planning and test the plans.”

  Jazz nodded her head in obvious admiration. “Oh, you guys are good.” The appreciation was evident in her voice.

  Tom smirked; there was a rare twinkle in his eye. “Thank you, Miss Carter. We like to think so.”

  “Okay, does anyone have any questions on that component of the operation before I move on?”

  Rihanna looked around the table and noticed that everyone seemed to be satisfied with what Tom had explained.

  “Actually, I have a couple. I think I need to get in touch with the department just to check a few things regarding the clinical observations on the horses and the quarantine arrangements. I’d also like to know if there is any further virus unaccounted for.”

  “I don’t think you need to worry yourself about any of that, Miss Mason.” Rihanna immediately felt her temper rise but before she could launch an attack, Tom went on. “Your father, the other Dr Mason—the one who’s fit and healthy—is working with the department on all of those things. I’m sure you don’t need to worry. In fact, that’s where he and Brayden are now.”


  The boss had made it very clear that he didn’t want her further involved. She thought about protesting further but she realised all the fight had gone from her. He was right. She was injured, she was also pregnant, and right about now, she was struggling to find the energy to sit upright in the chair. Maybe it was time to let her father take point on this for a while.

  “If I can continue?” Tom’s pointed stare was not missed on her. “So, on to the interesting part. Why? Well, it turns out that Fu Chow was in fact the mastermind of it all. He has interests in the Chinese racing industry, particularly the tracks and gambling side of things. He joined forces with the extremist group to provide him the muscle needed to carry out his plan. They didn’t count on him double-crossing them.” The boss shook his head. It never failed to amuse him how shortsighted extremists could be.

  “Fu Chow was hoping to cripple the Australian racing scene with Hendra for an indefinite period of time, in order to cause the demand for racing to move to China or Hong Kong in particular, therefore giving their industry the ‘leg up’ they needed to really compete against the established Australian industry.”

  Rihanna gasped at his words. She knew this man. He’d been a client for the last few years and he was evil and greedy enough to do this? The money to her was irrelevant. What shocked her was the fact he was prepared to sentence at least two hundred horses to their death and probably several thousands of people. All in the name of money, greed, and power. Wow. She’d never understand it.

  “Alpha team apprehended him as he was trying to leave the grounds, just after the virus had been released in the stables. They later found evidence that they had been preparing to release the virus through the air-conditioning systems in the buildings and also through the garden watering systems around the track and collecting rings. Most likely everyone on the grounds would have been exposed. They were all set on timers to release approximately fifteen minutes after Fu Chow and a couple of his henchmen exited the facility. The extremists weren’t aware of this part of the plan.”

  The boss looked around the table. “That about wraps this operation up. Fu Chow and his cohorts are now in the custody of the Australian Federal Police. They will be facing terrorism charges along with a swag of others.”