“What if they’re left-handed?” Garrett deadpanned.
Gah.
“And the penis pump? By the look of it, you seem rather fond of the pump.”
“Zane,” Ivy interjected.
“What?”
“Don’t mind him, Evette. He’s like a five-year-old. He likes the word penis.”
“Actually I prefer cock. But cock pump isn’t as catchy as penis pump so I’m going with that. Garrett, hit that first YouTube link “mishaps of the pump.” That one looks like fun.”
“Please don’t,” I mumbled.
“Oh, please do,” Zane continued.
“Seriously, Zane,” Ivy chided.
“Does no one else want to see some dude get his balls sucked into the pump?” Zane looked around the table.
Gabe’s hand dropped to my knee and a wave of excitement shafted through me. The gesture was friendly and I knew that when he made no move to slide his palm higher into non-friendly territory—which I would’ve probably welcomed—but instead patted my leg.
“He’s teasing,” Gabe whispered. “It’s his way of making you comfortable so you’ll relax.”
Comfortable? I wanted the floor to open up so I could jump in and escape.
And where was Kyle?
I couldn’t relax until I talked to him.
“Evette? Look at me.”
I didn’t want to look at Gabe because I really, really did. I wanted to turn sideways and stare at the man sitting next to me until I took my fill. I wanted to see him smile. I wanted to hear him laugh. I wanted to feel his touch. I wanted to know how he kissed. I wanted to know everything about him.
And that wasn’t like me. I was cautious. I was reserved. My stomach didn’t flip-flop and get squishy. I didn’t attract good-looking men so I knew better than to look. I was slightly better than average and that was only on a good day when I put in the effort to make myself that way. I was on the tall side which some men found to be a turn-off. Even my hair and eyes were average brown—just brown, no hint of red tones that would make my hair interesting. No green highlighting in my eyes that would make them pretty. I wasn’t witty or worldly.
My life was boring.
At least it was until I poked my nose in things I shouldn’t and now I had someone trying to kill me.
“Please look at me.”
It was the please that made me turn my head and when I did my breath caught. The stony look on his face countermanded the softness in his voice. Gabe looked pissed.
“You’re safe.”
That was all he said but that was all he needed to say.
For some odd reason, I believed him.
Chapter 5
Ivy Lewis was a smart woman.
A few minutes ago she’d suggested she and Evette go get some coffee. When Evette perked up and nearly jumped out of her chair I felt like an asshole for not thinking to offer the poor woman something to drink.
And now that she was gone the rest of us could speak freely.
Kyle had stalked back into the conference room like a grumpy grizzly bear who’d been awoken from hibernation. Not that I blamed him. It wasn’t recent but it didn’t have to be for Kyle to remember the way his wife looked when she’d returned from Timor-Leste only to turn around and go back to the warring country. They’d saved a bunch of girls from a lifetime of pain and misery. But it hadn’t been easy and had led to Anaya being kidnapped.
Being as I’d never been in love I couldn’t understand the magnitude of Kyle’s anger that his wife had been used as leverage to control Evette, as well as being threatened directly, but I could imagine it.
“She’s good,” Garrett muttered as he clicked away at the keyboard. Not looking up, he continued. “And she’s organized. I like that it makes this easier.”
“What’d she find?”
“Enough to make a lot of very rich people nervous. Though I doubt she knows what she’s actually found.”
I was not in the mood for more riddles and delays.
I wanted details and facts about how a beautiful, funny woman came to have a gun pointed at her head. Something I hadn’t broached, but I would, as soon as I understood what the hell was going on.
Thankfully, Kyle was done with the bullshit, too.
“Garrett.”
Garrett was one of the best information specialists in the country. And what Garrett couldn’t find, John “Tex” Keegan could. Tex didn’t work for Z Corps. He technically didn’t work for anyone, he helped various organizations and if he considered you a friend he was always on standby. Luckily for us, Tex considered Zane a friend. There was nothing the man couldn’t find.
“As you all know, I’ll need to vet her intel. But from what Evette found it looks—and I caution you to withhold judgment, we all know in most cases the surface is bullshit—but it would appear someone at Abrams sent the emails and pictures.”
“Seriously?” Linc asked.
“Again, this is surface. It’s also sloppy even for a novice. So immediately I call bullshit. Delilah Watts, a high-level IT specialist at Abrams, would without a shadow of a doubt know how to mask her IP address. It wouldn’t do her any good, I’d still be able to track it back, but at least it would give the appearance she wasn’t a complete tool.”
“All the emails came from her?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Set up?” I guessed.
“That would be my thought,” Garrett agreed.
“Address for Delilah?” Zane asked.
“Already sent it to your email.”
“Myles, Kevin, you’re on Delilah Watts. I want her brought in.”
Kevin and Myles gave Z twin chin lifts in acknowledgment.
“Kyle, you’re scheduled to leave tomorrow for vacation,” Zane continued. “I’ll leave it up to you how much you tell Anaya. My advice, keep a lid on this, your wife is crazy and she’ll likely cancel your trip and horn in on whatever revenge Evette is planning and want to participate and we all know what happens when the women get involved.”
Good to know my boss hadn’t missed Evette’s plans. Though I didn’t think he would; the man didn’t miss much.
“Owen, you’re with Garrett. I want Evette’s files gone over, everything she had backed up, not just what’s on that thumb drive. And, Garrett, you call Tex and ask him if he’ll share all the intel he collected about the rebels and Kalee.”
Zane stopped rapping out his orders and leaned back in his chair.
“I need to make a very uncomfortable call to Rocco. I’ll let him decide how much information he wants to share with Ace and Phantom. Which means ten minutes after I hang up with Rocco, I’ll receive an ass-chewing from Phantom.”
“And Evette?” I asked.
When Zane didn’t answer I glanced from the wall-mounted screen to my boss. For all intents and purposes, Z looked totally at ease. His chair was pushed back from the table, his hands casually folded in his lap, his face devoid of emotion. He was coming up with a plan, and by the way he was leveling me with one of his signature glares, I was certain I wasn’t going to like what he had to say.
“Two choices. I make a call and see if Chaos and his guys are around, Fallport, Virginia’s only a few hours away. Or, Gabe, you and Cooper take Evette to the safehouse.”