Rook’s fury rose and his face became red. “No, it’s not. Tell me, Avery, do you think he’s a hero? Think again.”
“You don’t know him,” she said, taken aback. “What’s your fucking problem?” It was insane how emotional Rook had become. She’d never seen him like that.
“There’s a reason why this organization has spent a fuckload of money getting you to finish him—in the Maldives of all fucking places.” He raised his arms up. “It’s time to drain the swamp and get rid of the rot in the SEAL ranks.”
Avery shook her head quickly, angrily. “I’m sitting here, telling you that Mason Ajax isn’t rotten. Look elsewhere,” she said through gritted teeth. “Unless you can’t.”
Rook didn’t miss her insinuation. “He’s fooled you, like the fucking SEALs fool everyone. Heroes? No. I am not fooled.”
“Christ, Rook. It’s like this one is personal for you.” She frowned. “What is the fucking deal?”
He pointed at her. “You had one job,” he accused, his voice growing louder in the small room. “One job. I warned you!”
She crossed her arms, indignant.
“Do you even know what his troop did in Mali?” Rook demanded.
“He didn’t do anything,” she snapped back. “Like I’ve said.”
“How do you know? Did he tell you?” Rook’s long finger was still pointing firmly in her direction.
She just shook her head. She knew Mason was a good guy, because she knew she wouldn’t fall in love with a sociopathic criminal.
Fall in love. The words struck her. Was it possible? Logically, no. But emotionally, hell yes. He had done something to her. She carried him with her. He moved her. He filled a void in her.
Rook raised his eyes in disbelief. “Really? You just… know him?”
She exhaled. “Yes. I do.”
“How do you know what he’s all about, Avery?” He crossed his arms and glared at her.
Avery hesitated. There was something that backed up her instincts… but she hated to admit it. She hated to admit the depths she’d gone to in order to get the job done. In order to get in Mason’s head.
She couldn’t help herself. She was an operative, after all. When she’d first realized the depth of her feelings for Mason, she had to confirm what she already knew—that he was a solid dude.
Could she ever own up to what she’d done?
“Promise me you’ll clear his file,” she demanded, standing her ground.
Rook shook his head. “No.”
She stepped forward, squinting. “Promise me, or you’ll never know what I’ve done. What I’ve learned.”
Rook considered her words. Avery knew she drove a hard bargain.
“Fine,” he relented.
She finally breathed out. “I imaged and bugged his phone.”
Rook let out a startled cough. “What?”
“Don’t make me repeat it.”
“Unbelievable,” he said, a grin crossing his face.
“That led me down a long rabbit hole into his personal comms and files. You’ve got to love cloud-based computing.”
Rook’s eyebrows shot up. “So what did you find?” he asked quickly, practically tripping over himself.
Avery had left no stone unturned, and her boss knew that. She’d been Rook’s top employee for a long time. He knew she was good. He’d told her as much. Yup, she had a lot of clout with him, or at least she had until she went rogue with Mason…
“I’ve done a full analysis on this guy. Mason is just another operator following orders. He’s loyal. He’s clean. He’s not a problem. Character test complete.”
Rook exhaled. Avery knew the impact of her words. She’d never been wrong about her targets—even if her methods were questionable.
“I never authorized you to do that,” Rook warned her. “We need warrants for that. We have to follow the law, whether you like it or not.”
She knew it would be a problem. She wasn’t used to breaking the law. And it wasn’t only her job at stake. How would she ever own up to Mason about what she’d done?
“I’ve made it easy for you. I’m resigning.”
Rook raised his eyebrows again and shook his head. “You can’t be serious. I’m not letting you. You can’t leave…”
Avery’s decision had been a long time coming. Mason had just given her the reason to leave. A reason to believe that she was a person. Her own person. She couldn’t do it anymore. She needed a life. A real life. She had grown to hate Rook and what he represented.
“Clear his file,” she snapped at Rook, “because he doesn’t deserve this. Don’t worry about me.”
She gave him a warning look before making her exit. She knew the man sitting across from her well enough to know he’d follow her recommendation. That’s how it worked. And that’s why Rook’s face lost all color once he realized he was really losing her.
But Avery had enough. Her job had forced her to meet the man of her dreams and betray him. Leave him. Fuck him over.
Behind her on the boardroom table, she left behind everything that had ever tied her to that job. Her passwords. Her IDs. Her laptop. Her files.
What was next, she didn’t know.
16
Avery slammed the P1 button in the elevator, willing the doors to close so she could make her break from the office building and go anywhere but there.
Maybe she’d visit Europe… finally do that backpacking trip. Mason had said he’d love to do that too, if he could ever get the time off. The thought of him stung.
A hand stuck itself in between the doors, followed by a navy suit sleeve and Rook himself. He stood patiently beside Avery as the doors shut again.
She hit P1 three more times. Rook’s presence was a reminder of her hatred for her past life.
“I’ll close the file and clean him.” He spoke in hushed tones.
She spun around. “What?”
“Give me his phone files.”
Avery’s shoulders slumped. Of course there was a catch. “Rook.” She grimaced. “Don’t do this.”
He crossed his arms. “It’s the only way to demonstrate exactly what you’ve said. His boss will demand evidence. If you want to clear Mason Ajax, you need to do this.”
“His boss?” Avery stepped out of the elevator at P1 and stood face-to-face with Rook in the small concrete vestibule.
He nodded. “Our contract is with him.”
Avery took a step back and hit the wall behind her. “A senior chief would never be authorized to mess with his clearance…”
Her hands started to shake. Something didn’t feel right. If Big Navy wasn’t behind it, it was starting to smell like a cover-up. She’d known something was wrong with his boss. But this? Avery had done a lot of shitty things, but she was not going to participate in a cover-up against a good man. A clean man.
Rook shook his head. “Don’t go, Avery.”
Avery sucked in deep breaths, trying to process what she’d learned. Mason needed to know that his boss was contracting to nab him. That was some next-level shit.
Rook took a step forward and placed his hand on the concrete wall beside her. “Avery…” He stared into her eyes. “Don’t go.”
Avery angled her body away as he got closer. She’d always known Rook had a thing for her. So many men did. They just saw her hair and her lips and her tits. But in all the years she’d worked with Rook, had he ever asked a question about the deeper her? He barely knew her.
And that’s why he was so surprised she was resigning.
“Is this our job, Rook?” Her voice carried in a whisper. “Is this what we do? Ruin the lives of good men? For what… money?”
Rook’s eyes grew large. “Don’t leave me for him, please. I need you. I love you.”
His desperate face only made Avery angrier. He absolutely did not love her. He was her boss—her master, her trainer. There was no personal connection there. No intimacy. It was cold business, as Rook had taught her. That this was what he thought
of love only drove another stake of loneliness through her. Love was rare. Love was precious. She’d met someone who actually saw her, actually cared. And even if that was over… after Mason, she’d never fall for anyone ever again.
Fueled by her frustration, she shoved him off her, and he stumbled backwards in shock.
“You know nothing about me!” she bellowed. His mouth opened to say something, but she cut him off. “My father died for this country,” she said, pointing at him. You didn’t even know that, did you? He told me to fight for what was right. And I sure as hell can tell you—this isn’t fucking right. Not this witch hunt. Not this job. Not you!”
Her body tensed, and heat rushed up her throat and cheeks.
“Avery. It’s not wrong…” Rook began to explain.
“It is wrong!” she yelled. “Clear his file.”
As she turned and stormed through the metal door to enter the parkade, she heard Rook’s last words behind her.
“Avery, don’t walk away. After everything we’ve been through. After everything you’ve done for me—”
The metal door clicked shut behind her, punctuating her hatred. Dragging her keys out of her bag, she found herself mumbling out loud to no one. “That’s exactly why I’m leaving, Rook: for everything we’ve been through and everything I’ve done for you.”
Avery was done with him. Done with that organization. It was over.
“I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it,” she said quietly to herself. “But it was wrong.”
As she jumped into her economy rental car, Avery decided she would do better than order Rook to clear Mason’s file. To save him, she’d throw it all on the line.
It was time to call in a favor with someone who could fix it.
It was time to call in the King.
17
Avery stood outside a beautiful Virginia Beach townhome in a lovely little neighborhood. It was the type of place where you could raise your kids. Sadness welled inside her as she wondered if that would ever be in her future. Maybe she was just too broken.
Who would be with her? Who would hire her? How could she ever be real?
She could never talk about where she’d been or what she’d done. She’d signed so many nondisclosure agreements, it wasn’t even funny. She couldn’t even own up to Mason with the truth.
Mason’s truck wasn’t in the driveway as she walked up. She hadn’t been there long enough to know if he kept it in the garage or not. But, as with all things in life, she pushed forth with confidence, hoping her master plan would pan out exactly as she’d hoped.
She had done everything she could to make things right. She’d cleared his file. She’d quit her job. She’d sent out an anonymous tip dragging down Mason’s shitty boss. The latter was a little time bomb, and she hoped to god that she’d be well in European backpacking territory by the time it blew up in the news.
The last thing she needed to do was see Mason. She didn’t know what she was going to say. She just needed to see him. Tell him how she really felt. And then she would leave him to enjoy the rest of his life in peace.
She didn’t have a plan B. Maybe she would rent some downtown apartment. Buy a plant. Become a dental hygienist, or a paperclip manager in a paperclip management task force. If there were a paperclip task force, Mason would be the elite paperclip assassin. The thought made her smile to herself, and she wondered in what world their paperclip task force could become a reality.
Avery climbed up the front steps to the townhome, and when no one answered the doorbell, she subtly picked the lock and found her own way in. Old habits die hard, she thought. It wasn’t unethical if she just wanted to breathe in his scent one last time. Was it?
She’d been in that job for way too long. She could leave the organization, but some of it would always be a part of her.
The door clicked behind her, leaving her in a very quiet and very clean entranceway. The tiled floors were cool beneath her feet as she removed her shoes. It was late fall in Virginia, and the weather was starting to turn.
The whole house smelled of kitchen lemons—a scent she loved dearly because it reminded her of when she’d had a home. Currently, her worldly possessions were in a storage locker in Washington, waiting to decorate her next apartment. The smell reminded her of Mason. She found herself absently floating from room to room in his modestly sized home. He had good taste. The decoration was minimal, as she liked it.
In the living room, the dark couch looked slept in. She wondered if he spent his nights there. The thought of his long, hard body lounging around sent shivers up her spine.
Looking over, she saw the bottle of Japanese whisky she’d packed for him. The cap was off. He’d drunk it. Her heart warmed as she took a swig herself. It was something they had shared.
She wondered where he was. Did SEALs work during the day? God, she knew nothing about his life.
She found her way up upstairs along the carpeted staircase. She wasn’t sure why, but she needed to see his bedroom for herself. She needed to feel close to him again. Her old job taught her to analyze each target in detail. Mason wasn’t her target anymore, but she still needed to absorb everything about him.
Upstairs, the smell of lemon was replaced by delicious vanilla. Like someone was baking in the bedroom. Everything in his home was pleasant. The scent grew in intensity until she saw the dancing orange shadows cast by a scented candle on the bedroom dresser, visible from the hallway. She snuck closer, wondering if he’d left it burning or if it was electric. Men had electric candles, right? She refused to let her heart skip at the possibility he was there.
Inside the bedroom, the lights were dim and the sheets were ruffled. She could smell him. The scent electrified her. She stepped forward and touched the sheets. They were… warm?
She stood stiffly and stifled a gasp.
Oh, no. That couldn’t be right.
Had she walked in on something? Was he seducing someone else? Where was he? Avery felt anxiety rise in her chest, matched only by angry jealousy. Her fists tightened as she looked around feverishly, and she had visions of beating down any other woman that touched him.
Her man.
She shook. It was a mistake to be there. She shouldn’t be there.
Avery spun on her heels and started to bolt. She had to get the fuck out of dodge. Run.
“It took you long enough,” a low voice echoed from the dark hall behind her.
She jumped back, gasping for breath. But her nerves immediately calmed when she saw Mason appear from the shadows.
“Mason,” she cried out. Tears welled in her eyes as soon as she saw his gorgeous face. “Oh my god.” She took two long steps and found her way into his warm embrace. It made everything feel right again, no matter how fucked up it all was.
“You’re here,” he whispered into her hair.
She pressed her face into his shoulder in disbelief that he was holding her. She knew she shouldn’t allow it. She had to run away. She didn’t deserve him. But he held her tighter, like he knew she was ready to bolt like a deer in the woods.
Mason lifted her off her feet, brought her into the bedroom, and placed her on the bed. He grinned at her shocked face. “What, are you surprised to see me?” He chuckled. “I’m not surprised to see you.”
“You’ll need to explain to me how you do that,” she replied as he sat down beside her. “I’ve never met someone who knows me better than I know myself.”
He shrugged. “I knew you’d come. I just… knew.”
Happiness tugged at the corners of her mouth. She beat the feeling back down, unable to believe it was real. His breathtaking, deep-blue gaze bore into hers, and she felt the Earth shift. Her chest fluttered.
“I’ve missed you,” he said, keeping his arms around her. “I’m real glad you came sooner than later. Glad as hell.”
All she felt was relief. She was finally with him. He wanted her there.
She didn’t deserve his love.
She surrendere
d. “I’m so sorry.” The tears rolled from her eyes. “I came here to apologize. I just… I can’t…” She buried her head against his shoulder and he held her there for a moment as burning tears poured down her face.
“We all have lots to apologize for. Don’t worry. We’ve got a lot to figure out.”
Avery was shocked that he didn’t seem mad. He didn’t hate her. Looking back up again, she said, “I have so much to tell you. I’ve done something awful and wrong… and you don’t even know.”
“Finally willing to spill it all.” He gave a low laugh. “But first…” He leaned in and kissed her. His tongue found hers and played back and forth between their mouths.
She pulled back. “I’m on your side,” she whispered. “I will always be on your side. I’m so sorry for everything I’ve done.”
He held her tightly against his chest, his breathing slow and rhythmic. It felt like a song to her. It was steady. Comforting.
“I knew you were on my side all along.” He smiled and slowly kissed her again. “I knew it before you knew it yourself.”
“And how could you know that?”
He leaned in closer. “I’m a SEAL, baby. We’re trained to know these things.”
She groaned. “Spare me.”
The change in tempo threw her off. He had a funny way of drawing her out of her own head, of bringing out the real Avery—an Avery that she never knew existed.
He laughed. “That begs the question… Did you know I was an operator all along?”
“Yes, but not much else,” she replied honestly. “I can’t stress enough how awful I am. I’m not even a person.”
“You’re a person.” He sighed. “Stop.”
“I’m not. I’m terrible.”
He didn’t seem interested in humoring her. “So if I’m SOF, what are you?”
That was an interesting question, and something she actually was glad to share with him. She gave an impish, red-nosed smile. “You mean, what was I?”
Mason raised an eyebrow. “Was?” And there it was. An expression of surprise and approval crossed his handsome face.
Eyes On Page 12
