The string of profanity that dropped from his mouth would have gotten him smacked upside the head when he was younger.
“You said a mouthful,” Mac said. “This is such a mess.”
“Vic thinks that it might be personal.”
She frowned. “Personal against Millie? I just can’t see that, unless the guy she mentioned to me is smart enough to devise this. But I have serious doubts.”
“Guy?” Vic asked.
“When she was packing for last night, she mentioned the ex was why she took this job. He sounded like a complete wanker. Always putting her down for being smart.”
“We can check into it, but I think it is bigger,” Vic said.
She studied him for a long second, then her eyes widened. “You can’t decide who the target is, and so you can’t discover who the mastermind is.”
Of course, she understood. They might have a hard time communicating in their relationship, but they always could understand each other when it came to work.
“Yes. And I just think she is one part of the puzzle. I need to figure out just who the hell decided she would be the pawn in the game. And is she even that important? She seems vital, and they seem to be looking for her. But part of me wonders if she is a red herring. I was saying that it was all too neat. She seems connected to it all.”
“Yes,” Mac said. “She was the inciting incident, the job that pulled us in. But from what Simon said last night, the diplomat’s son was already on the radar. Some agency should have had surveillance on him.”
“Right. So he abducts Millie for the Russians, although that is in question. That gets the ball rolling, and you all get tied up in it. I wonder if this is anyone we’ve pissed off?”
She opened her mouth to respond, but his phone buzzed. He grabbed it off the side table and looked at the number. His brother.
“Jay, what’s up?”
“Are you watching the news?” he asked, tension simmering in his voice.
“No. Why?”
“George is holding a press conference.”
Something cold slithered over his neck and down his spine. “That can’t be good.”
“It isn’t. There is a media circus already. The number of tweets on it has everything buzzing. It is actually trending.”
Damn, he didn’t need this shit now. He went through the channels looking for the news. He found one of the national cable networks and turned up the volume. A perky news anchor smiled at the camera as pictures flashed in the upper right-hand corner. He recognized George right away.
“Walter George spent over twenty years in the military and headed up the Army before leaving to start the Liberty Group,” the anchor said. “Jerry, do we have any idea what he is coming here to discuss?”
The TV screen switched over to a newsperson at the event. “We have no idea why he is having the press conference. The only info we have is that he has a major announcement. There’s speculation he is going announce a run for the Senate, but we aren’t sure right now.”
Shit. That is all they needed. Once politics got thrown into the mix this way, things could get even worse. George selling secrets to make money was one thing. George tossing them to the wolves to get ahead in politics could be even more dangerous.
“Are you watching this?” his brother asked.
“Yeah.”
The screen changed over to the lobby of a building of some sort. A multitude of microphones sat on top of a podium. The seal of the Liberty Group was included on the front of it.
George stepped out of the door, flanked by two huge men. His guards were dressed in black, had military haircuts, and definitely were packing some serious firearms. The little earpieces told Vic they weren’t the only ones around. Not uncommon for a man who worked in the security business, but there was something different about these two. There were a few older men in suits with the same unhappy look about them standing behind George.
“Thank you for coming,” he said to the sound of clicking cameras. “We called you here today because it has come to our attention that one of my employees has been breaking laws while working for my company. Millie Bingham has been working for my company for the last several months. She came to us highly recommended and was well paid. In fact, we were extremely happy with her work, but this week we discovered she has been downloading information she should not have access to.”
“What the hell is he talking about?” he heard Millie yell in the background.
The general continued. “I have given the information to the FBI, and I’ve been told they are dealing with the matter. As of right now, we don’t know the extent of what she has done or if she is working with anyone. I do know she is a person of interest in the death of Ken Blake.”
“Bloody hell,” Mac said, her voice hoarse.
There was a small picture of Millie on the screen, her employee ID, from the looks of it. The reporters fired off questions, and Vic turned it off. He didn’t need to hear any more. She would not be allowed to leave the house now. Her picture was going to be everywhere on TV and social media.
“Damn. We’re going to head back up there now.”
“Okay,” Jay said.
“Remember the panic room, if you need it.”
“Sure thing.” Jay hung up before Vic could give him any more warnings.
He clicked his phone off and grabbed his go bag.
“I’m going to get dressed, and then we’ll head out.”
“I need to eat,” she said.
“We’ll grab something on the way.”
She nodded. “Sounds good.”
“And then maybe, when we get to the farmhouse, we can put some of these pieces together and get a real picture.”
Chapter Fourteen
Don’t ever apologize, especially to a man. They see it as a sign of weakness.
—Mac Donovan
The silence that filled the hotel room after Vic’s departure was almost deafening. Mac didn’t like her ability to do her job being questioned, and she definitely didn’t like the insinuation that she was putting her personal life in front of the job. Truth was, the reason she didn’t have much of a personal life was because of the job.
Well, that and her personality.
She glanced at Rock, who was looking a little worried.
“What?” she asked.
“I guess you expect me to say I’m sorry.”
She snorted. “As if I would expect that from any man. None of you can ever accept that you make mistakes.”
He studied her for a long time. “Well, I am sorry, but more about hurting your feelings.”
“You didn’t hurt my feelings.”
Rock shook his head. “Have you forgotten what has happened in the last six months? I know better now.”
That much was probably true. She had always tried to hide her soft underbelly. Vic knew it was there, but until he’d left, no one else did. When she had fallen apart, Rock had been there. And now that she remembered that, remembered all the times he had been there to keep her going, she felt a little guilty.
“I would say I was sorry about last night with Vic, but I can’t. He means too much to me, and you know what this job is like.”
“Yeah,” Rock said.
“But I am sorry if I somehow made you think I wasn’t thinking of the job. You have to know that isn’t true.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
A year ago, she would have never made the effort, but she and Rock had learned to lean on each other, and she owed him respect for that.
“Everything is fine, Rock. You worry too much.”
“I worry about you and Vic. I want to make sure that everything works out for the best. We need some easier times.”
She blinked. “What the bloody hell does that mean?”
“It means that even though you irritate me, and I irritate you, I have come to…I guess care about you. Like a sister. It brings up some really odd feelings.”
She frowned. “Like what?”
“Like, wanting to beat the crap out of the man I consider my brother. I feel like I’m in the middle of everything.”
She sighed. “Apparently, Jay feels the same way, but I don’t know how to fix that.”
“Yeah, I got that. But what you need is a plan.”
She rolled her eyes. “Good lord, you’re as bad as Vic.”
“You like planning. Or you used to.”
“I still do, but when it comes to my personal life, I think I am going to keep plans off the table. Just going with the flow seems to be working for right now.”
“And when it stops working? Where will you and Vic be?”
All of the questions were starting to irritate her. She jumped up off the bed and grabbed a hair tie.
“Who says it won’t keep working out for Vic and me?” she asked, as she pulled her hair up and secured it with the tie.
“Listen, I want that as much as you two want it. When you aren’t fighting, everything at the company moves like a well-oiled machine.”
“Well, as long as the company is doing okay,” she said, not trying to hide her irritation. “It always comes down to the company for everyone, right? How can I keep making money? That’s the most important thing.”
“No. What’s important is not seeing two people I care about rip each other to shreds over and over again.”
She wanted to deny it, but the truth was she knew that it wasn’t easy for Rock and Jay to see them fight like this.
“We’re trying to work it out.”
Rock nodded. “I know. And I understand that you two have more going for you than a lot of other people comprehend. I just don’t want to see it again or get dragged into it.”
Guilt pierced her pride just a bit. It was true she and Vic had pulled them into the arguments. Not on purpose, but being principle owners of the company, what they did would have ripple effects on everyone else involved.
“We really don’t want to do that.”
“Listen, I understand, and until Vic showed back up, I thought it was over and done with. But seeing you two together…it just works. I hate to admit it, because lord knows, you two are never going to agree on most things, but you make one hell of a team. And you have been happier with him here.”
She blinked again, trying to take it all in. “Well…I just don’t know what to say.”
“Just say that you will be careful, and for the love of God, make sure that both of you think before the next fight.”
She smiled but didn’t have time to answer. The door to the bathroom opened, and Vic stepped out. Hair combed, his face a mask of indifference to their situation, but she knew better. She knew beneath that calm exterior a bloodthirsty spy was formulating every possible outcome of their situation.
It was one of the sexiest looks the man had—at least for her.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yep.”
He opened his mouth and looked at Rock.
“Don’t worry. We can chat later,” she said. She had to think about everything Rock had said, but this was not the place and now was definitely not the time. She grabbed her bag, slung it over her shoulder, and then grabbed her jacket and Beretta Pico. Once she slipped the handgun into her ankle holster, she then grabbed her purse and followed Rock out the door. Vic brought up the rear.
They said nothing else as they took the elevator down and went through the lobby, not bothering to formally check out. They made it to the valet, and Vic looked at Rock.
“Got your truck?”
“I parked it, took the metro here.”
He nodded. “Let’s leave it there for now. We have enough SUVs at the farmhouse.”
“Don’t forget, you promised me food.”
Vic cut her a glance, then took the keys from the valet. “Believe me, I definitely know better than to work with you when you aren’t fed and caffeinated.”
…
Walter George looked out of his office window. Everything had been falling apart since Blake had discovered what was going on. He had been in contact with the Russians, and the plan had been simple. Send Millie Bingham out to work on-site…but not tell her whom she was working for. It had been a good plan, and he’d been ready to make millions off it. Better than that, he’d figured out a way to funnel the money through the company in a way that allowed him to get a break on his taxes.
It had all started easily enough. He’d had her hide a few things. She’d thought she was hiding them from competitors. And she hadn’t known exactly what she was hiding. While she was brilliant at hacking, she wasn’t too swift on the uptake. Once she set up the program, he had taken care of most of it. She’d handled maintenance. Then he’d sold her services without her knowing. With her program, he was able to hide the extra money from Denkov easily.
All his plans had gone to shit when a Russian mobster had heard about her. Well, a different Russian mobster. Maatev would stop at nothing to get her.
Now, he was waiting to hear from the one man who could save him. He was the one who’d set the whole damn thing in motion. Sure, Blake’s discovery of Walter’s side projects had been what had spurred it all, but he knew, without a doubt, this plan had been set in motion a long time ago. He hadn’t seen it at first, but his foreign friend had suggested what to do about Blake. Setting him up had been easy with Blake’s connection to Millie. But now that everything was in motion, it all seemed to be moving too fast, and the cover story was starting to fall apart. If he didn’t hear from him soon, Walter didn’t know exactly what he would do. The press conference had been his friend’s idea. He’d thought it would be a great way to generate some leads, and, yes, that was happening. But now there was a little too much attention on him to just slink away.
One thing was for sure, though. There was no way he was going down alone. If he got caught, he would take everyone with him, including the very irritating Millie Bingham.
Chapter Fifteen
Bad plans can be fixed, but no planning can blow up in your face.
—Vic Walker
Less than half an hour later, they were on their way back to Maryland. They dropped off the Jag they’d borrowed, and after a quick stop for gas and food, Vic began driving to the farm. They couldn’t take any normal routes; they wanted to make sure they weren’t followed. It meant sometimes hitting traffic and dealing with Vic’s growls. He didn’t like mornings, and he didn’t like traffic.
It was a sucky day to be him.
After finishing off her biscuit sandwich and downing half a cup of her coffee, Mac’s brain started to work again. She glanced at Vic, who had been pretty monosyllabic since he got off the phone with his brother. She knew he was beyond furious. Vic had a mouth on him, but when he was really scary mad, he would go stone silent.
On the other hand, Rock had used every dirty word known to man. He had been trying to get ahold of Tessa, but she wasn’t answering. That, or she couldn’t. Mac had told him more than once he needed to wait, but Rock wasn’t having any of it. She glanced at Vic again. Each time Rock cussed, Vic’s knuckles whitened as he griped the steering wheel tighter. Not a good sign.
She turned to face Rock again. “You should wait until we get back to the farmhouse.”
Rock said nothing, but he did shoot her another nasty look before dialing Tessa’s number. Again.
“Finally,” he said, telling Mac he’d reached the FBI agent. “Where the hell have you been?”
He was quiet for a long moment, listening. “No. I don’t think you sit around waiting for my calls.”
Silence again.
“Yes. I understand. Okay. Okay, I’ll call.”
He clicked the phone off and looked out the window.
She looked at Vic, who acted as if he hadn’t heard a word that had been said, then back at Rock. He seemed to be in deep thought, as if he were alone in the SUV. Or he was trying to figure out whom to blame for all of this, which would be her. That thought depressed her, so she concentrated on Rock.
“What the bloody hell is going on?”
He looked at her. She saw the moment he came back to the present time as his eyes finally focused on her. “Sorry. She said she would call as soon as she knows she isn’t being watched. She called me a few names, then hung up.”
“That’s it? Nothing else?”
He blinked as he looked back at her. “Yeah. She said she was busy, and there were people around. I could hear them, too. Apparently, someone is in a tizzy over at the FBI.”
She grunted and turned around. “I don’t like it. I’m with Vic. There is something else going on that we don’t seem to be picking up on.”
“Yeah, but until we figure it out, Millie—not to mention all of us—are in danger,” Rock said. “We need to find out exactly what the hell she was doing at the company, and not just the surface stuff. If Maatev actually set this in motion, she has to know something that will help him. With George throwing out that damned allegation, everything is going to go into overdrive.”
She turned around again. “What do you mean?”
Rock tore his gaze from the scenery outside to look at her. “Even if the authorities weren’t looking at her for Blake’s murder, they will be now. It’s a shit storm of bad publicity.”
“What I find telling is that no one had said it was a murder.”
“What do you mean?” Rock asked.
She sensed that Vic was paying closer attention to them, but she ignored him. When he was in one of his thinking moods, it was best to leave him alone. He would come back to reality when he felt like it, and pushing and prodding him was a bad idea.
“Other than Millie, everyone else was saying it was an accident. That’s what the cops said and what George said in his statement. We know Millie didn’t kill him, because she was with us.”
“And George announced the murder, as if that’s what everyone thought happened to Blake. That right there is going to put him on top of the list of suspects.”
She nodded. “Still, Blake might not have been killed.”
“What do you mean?”
“There are a few different things that could have happened. Blake could have died in an accident, and George is using it to throw suspicion on Millie. She was set up from the beginning, although I see this last thing as one last chance to throw suspicion off of him.”
The Boss Page 13