The French doors to the patio shatter as Matt Corrigan drives his Harley through them. Reina’s on the back, and as soon as they clear the door she jumps off and kicks Selene to the ground. The other Society women come into the room from various entrances and start fighting with Selene’s girls. I run to Faith as soon as I’m freed.
“Get the fuck up and fight, Selene. Or are you too scared of me?” Reina yells.
I’d stay down. Like seriously. Reina has murder in her eyes. Matt joins me and tries to get Faith to leave on his bike. She won’t go, though.
“I need to make sure no one gets away.”
“No one’s getting away,” he tells her.
“I’m not dying, I’m just a little busted up.”
“Fine. But we go when you see how in control Reina will have it.”
I look around and see that Aiden and Nate have gotten everyone who’s not directly involved out. The five women are back in control. There are guns on Susan and Faith’s family. Her stepfather admitted his guilt, but no one knows if her mother or grandmother are involved. I can understand how they wouldn’t want to take chances.
Jade is beating the shit out of Elizabeth in front of me. I’m distracted from them when I see Selene start to rise.
“If you keep saving them, they’ll never toughen up,” she tells Reina.
“Really? Because from what I understand, Faith had you down. You had to get help to hurt her.”
Selene lunges, and Reina takes her down again. She punches her over and over again until she’s limp. I notice that everything around them has gone quiet. Faith’s friends have knocked out or seriously injured every other woman. Just these two are left.
“Reina,” Faith says, sitting up.
Reina looks over at her and nods. She grabs Selene by the collar and drags her to Faith. Selene gets another crazy smile on her face as she laughs.
“You don’t have it in you, little girl.”
Faith reaches out and with a strength I didn’t think she still had, snaps Selene’s neck. While everyone is still in shock, she looks at Matt. He understands whatever she was conveying to him, and hands her his gun before moving out of the way. Aiden pushes her stepfather forward and she lifts the gun, shooting him in the head. I can’t hide the shock on my face. Not because she killed them—I know she had to—but because with all her injuries, I don’t know how she did it.
She misinterprets what I’m feeling as she looks me in the eye. “I’m sorry,” she says before passing out.
Chapter 13
Gavin
It’s not as chaotic in here as you’d think it would be. I guess they deal with psychotic people who try to take down the world on a regular basis, so they have this all down. Their private medical staff took Faith. I wanted to go with her, but I was told that I needed to stay so they could brief me. Jane promised I could go to Faith’s side as soon as they talk to me.
Cyndi comes and sits down next to me, handing me a glass of Scotch. I down it in one drink. “How are you holding up, Gavin?”
“Not great, to be honest.”
“It’s a lot to take in.”
“You think? I mean, my mom’s a traitor as well as a psycho control freak who killed my father, another psycho worked with her to try and take you all down, and my girlfriend’s stepfather killed not only her father, but assisted in the deaths of her grandparents. Then, said girlfriend killed two of those people before passing out from her injuries. Just another day, right? I mean, I guess it is for you.”
“This is not normal for us. Most of our missions are non-violent. The girls are able to help people or remove them from their situations without even breaking a nail.”
“But there are some bad ones, too. I know there are.”
“Sometimes they have to make hard choices.”
“I understand.”
“Do you? Faith came to me and told me how you don’t approve of her, or the other girls, killing people.”
“It’s a moral issue for me. I’ve never been okay with it. But today, when I heard what those people had done and saw in their eyes that they had no remorse, I knew they had to die. I understood it. And I realized that I know Faith, I know she would never just kill someone if she could avoid it.”
“She wouldn’t. None of the women would. And we wouldn’t allow that to happen.”
“You knew about her family.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you try and take them down?”
“Faith was only seven when her father died. When I brought her in, it was too late to prove what he’d done.”
“And you couldn’t do anything else?”
“We talked about it, Jane and I, but ultimately we knew that Faith would need to take care of it herself.”
“Faith said you found her in culinary school. That’s a weird place, but I guess you saw something in her.”
“I’m going to tell you this because it’s time for Faith to know, and I think she’ll need you with her while she processes the truth.”
“That’s not the truth? You lied to her?”
“I found her because her mother heard about us, and begged me to take her daughter. A chef isn’t something we really thought we needed. After reading her story, I convinced the other women that she would be an asset.”
“And she has no idea?”
“No. But we have to tell her now. Her mother wants her to know that she helped her. She thinks it will help bridge the gap between them and show Faith that she’s always loved her.”
“You think she’ll forgive her?”
“I don’t know. I do know that the loss of family, especially her grandparents, has hit her hard. We’re like family to her, but I see the pain in her eyes when she sees everyone else with their family members.”
“I can’t believe my mom did all this. I can’t believe she killed my dad. Over money. After all of this, I hope you would be willing to accept a generous donation to the Foundation on my behalf.”
“Thank you, Gavin.”
“Oh hey, Jane. Can I leave? I really need to be with Faith.”
“Let me just go over a few things with you, then you can be on your way.”
I take in everything she tells me, and assure her I’ll give an Oscar worthy performance when the police get here. I’m practically jumping out of my skin, waiting for them to arrive. When they do, I ask to be interviewed first, telling them I just need to leave this house after what my mom did.
I finish and rush to the Corrigan & Co. building. The guards are expecting me. They let me in and have an elevator already waiting to take me downstairs. I walk into the hospital wing where Matt greets me and takes me into Faith’s room. She’s been sedated to help her rest and heal. I pull a chair next to the bed and hold her hand as I lay my head down and fall asleep.
* * *
Faith
I wake up and see Stella in the chair by my bed. “Hey.”
“You’re awake. Oh my God. And Gavin just left. He’s going to be so upset.”
“Gavin was here?”
“Of course. That boy hasn’t left your side for the last two days. I finally insisted that he go down the hall to take a shower.”
“I’ve been here for two days?”
“Yeah. They knocked you out so you’d relax enough to start healing.”
“I need you to have Gavin removed from the building.”
“What? Did you not hear me say that he’s been here at your side all this time?”
“I heard you. He was only here because he felt obligated.”
“That’s bullshit.”
“I saw his face when I killed Selene and Morty.”
“And let me guess, he looked shocked?”
“Yes,” I tell her on a sob.
“Would you rather have had him not react?”
“Maybe.”
“Liar. What we do is wonderful and great, but sometimes it’s hard. Really hard. I’ve never fully gotten used to it, and I doubt you have eithe
r. I can’t imagine how it must be for someone looking in from the outside. But he’s been here, holding your hand and sleeping in this uncomfortable chair so he didn’t have to let you go.”
“I just can’t face him. You don’t know him like I do, Stella. He’s going to hate me once it sinks in. He’s probably still in shock.”
“I’m not having him kicked out like a criminal, but I’ll talk to him. And send the nurse in.”
She walks out, and I turn my head to look into the hall. I don’t really want to see Gavin be relieved that his penance is up, but I have to.
“What do you mean I have to leave?” I hear him yell. No, this isn’t how I planned for it to go.
I see Stella trying to calm him down. He finally looks past her, and sees me staring. I shake my head and he runs his hand through his beautiful black hair before giving up and walking away. Exactly like I thought he would. Well, not exactly, but he did give up without much of a fight.
The nurse comes in, followed by the doctor. They go over all my injuries with me, and tell me I just need rest. I thank them, and ask them to help me sleep again. I can’t think about what I’ve lost. And what I did to lose it.
When I wake up again, Cyndi’s with me. I smile at her, and she leans over to hug me. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. I just need to talk to you about some things.”
“Not Gavin. I can’t talk about him.”
“No. It’s not Gavin that I need to talk to you about. It’s your mother.”
She tells me the truth about how she found me. How my mother begged her, and she in turn begged Jane. I always knew my skill set was weird for this job, but I figured they just saw something in me. Now I know it was just pity. I never belonged here, and now I know that.
“I’ll clean out my desk once I’m able.”
“What? No Faith. I didn’t tell you this to make you leave. Your mother wanted you to know that she has always loved you, and got you the job here to help you.”
“But I never belonged. I knew it. Hell, the other girls probably knew it, too. What good is a chef as a secret agent?”
“You’re one of the best, and everyone knows it. Your original career may have been unconventional for our needs, but you’ve excelled here. We’re your family, Faith. We love you.”
“Come on now, you knew this was coming. I was arrested for treason. So everyone knows who I am now.”
“No. Your name was never released.”
“Just let me go, Cyndi. We both know it’s for the best. If I’d been cut out for this life, I wouldn’t have been in danger of failing martial arts. Selene would never have done what she did, and you’d all be happy.”
“You know you’re free to go. No one will try and force you to stay. But you do belong here.”
“Thank you for everything, Cyndi. I love you so much, and I wish I wasn’t disappointing you.”
“You will never disappoint me, so long as you’re doing what’s right for you, Faith. I love you, too.”
We’re both crying as we hug. I know this is right. It’s what I have to do. It won’t make me happy, though. Not at all.
* * *
Gavin
It’s been three weeks since Stella made me leave the hospital wing. Not a second of any day goes by when I’m not thinking about Faith. And wondering how she’s doing. I need to see her, and find out why she had me kicked out. I love her too much to give her up without a fight.
I haven’t been sitting idle during this time. I refused to take help find a replacement for my mom in the Senate after she resigned, citing personal issues. She’s not in jail because she agreed to forget what she saw Faith do in exchange for her freedom. She’s in some foreign country living high on the hush money I readily agreed to give her. I don’t want a public life. Especially when the woman I love needs to stay under the radar.
Even though I’m persona non grata at the Foundation, I asked Jane to get me into contact with some people at the school district, and the local food bank, Three Square. She was willing to help, and I’m working with people from both places to set up cooking classes for low-income and homeless students. They were really excited to hear about my plans, and although things aren’t finalized yet, they’re pretty sure we’ll get approval.
I put my house up for sale, and have a meeting with the Griffins today—this time for real. I’m going to hold off on official plans so I can consult with Faith—if she ever agrees to see me again—but I want to get the ball rolling to look for land and all that. It’s a little weird this time because I know they all know what’s going on.
“Hey Gavin, it’s great to see you,” Ryan tells me as I walk into his office with Chloe. I still think it’s weird that she’s his assistant, as well as everything else, but I guess it works for them.
“How are you guys doing?”
“You mean now that we know our mom’s one of the heads of a secret society that employs secret agents to defend women and children? And that all our wives, one of our brothers, and our niece knew. But our dad and us couldn’t because we’re guys?” Owen asks me.
“Yeah, that.”
“Surprisingly—or not—we’re doing great. Our mom’s always been awesome, so it just ups her cool factor.”
“Our dad wasn’t sure what to say at first and then he decided that, and I quote, ‘I’ve been sleeping with a secret agent for years. How cool is that?’ I mean, ew, right? But also good to know they’re still solid,” Ryan tells me.
“Yeah. That is good.”
“It sucks that Faith left, though,” Candi says.
“What are you talking about?”
“You don’t know? Well, shit. Faith quit.”
“No. She wouldn’t.”
“Well, she did. They won’t tell us why because we’re not part of the inner sanctum, but I know it’s bad. The girls can barely stop crying, especially Reina. And Cyndi’s a mess,” Chloe informs me.
“I have to go. I’m sorry. Can we reschedule, or I-I don’t know. I just have to go.”
“Do what you need to, Gavin. We’re here when you’re ready.”
“Thanks Ryan.”
Luckily the Corrigan building is close by. I’m a little crazed, and driving far is not a good idea. The guards at the gate don’t want to let me in, but they finally agree to call Reina, and then I’m waved through. I walk into the lobby and get a visitor’s badge from the receptionist. An elevator is waiting to take me up to the foundation’s public space.
Alex Griffin is sniffling when I walk in. “H-hi, Gavin. Reina’s expecting you. You can go on back to the last office on the left.”
“Thanks, Alex.”
“You’re going to bring her back, aren’t you?”
“That’s my plan.”
“Good. Everyone here is willing to help. We miss her.”
“I know. I miss her, too.”
I walk down the hall and knock on Reina’s door before walking in. She’s not alone when I walk in. Stella, Tegan, and Ainsley are also in the room.
“Hi ladies.”
“Hello, Gavin. Please take a seat,” Reina tells me.
“She really quit?”
“Yes.”
“Is she still in her apartment?”
“No. We told her she could stay there, but she refused.”
“Of course she did.”
“She hasn’t reached out to you at all? I mean, I know she thinks you hate her, but I thought she’d break and call you,” Stella says.
“She thinks I hate her because I was shocked when she killed them, right?” They nod. “I don’t. I was only in shock because I’d never seen anyone get killed before. I know she did what she had to. I had already come to terms with it before it went down.”
“I tried to tell her that you were probably just in shock. And that you wouldn’t have sat at her bedside if you hated her. She was just scared.”
“And then Cyndi told her about her mom?”
“Yeah.”
&nb
sp; “I was afraid that wouldn’t go well. I’d been hoping to be with her when she found out.”
“I just can’t believe that she thinks she doesn’t belong here with us. She’s so good at everything. Like literally every class we took she was at the top. Well, except for martial arts. But she got better at that,” Ainsley tells me before bursting into tears.
“No kidding. Before Selene had her held, she only had a few cuts and bruises. Selene could barely walk.”
“Aiden told us. We’ve all tried to reach out, but she said a clean break was better.” I reach over and squeeze Tegan’s shoulder as she begins to cry, too.
“Have you found her replacement yet?”
“We’re not looking. No one wants her replaced, so we’re just pretending like she took a personal leave. Jane said we could give it three months, and if she’s still not back, we’ll make a decision.”
“Even though you’re acting like you don’t, I know you know where she is,” I say to Ainsley.
“Yeah. I deactivated her tracker when she asked me to, but not until I knew where she moved to. I’ve used public surveillance cameras to check on her every couple of days.”
“What has she been doing, Ainsley?”
“She goes to a French café in the morning, and then she wanders around the malls, or casinos, sometimes even Target. Just blending in with locals and tourists.”
“She’s trying to see if she can live a ‘normal’ life.”
“I think so, too,” Reina says, agreeing with me.
“What time can I find her in the café?”
“She usually gets there between nine and ten during the week. They’re closed on weekends.”
“Good thing tomorrow’s Friday.”
“Bring her back, Gavin. Please bring her back,” Stella tells me, grabbing my arm.
“I’ll do my best, Stella. To bring her back to all of us.”
I walk out of the office and am heading back to the lobby, when Matt grabs me and pulls me into an empty conference room.
“You didn’t need to grab me. I would’ve just walked in here with you.”
“I didn’t want Reina to see.”
Devouring the SECRET (Corrigan & Co. Book 2) Page 14