Hurry Up And Wait (Owens Protective Services #24)

29. Isla

29

ISLA

“Are we going to talk about this?”

I kept working on my project, trying to finish it today, three days ahead of the deadline. I wanted to clear my schedule for the rest of the week and take some time to myself. However, that wasn’t likely to happen with Riley hanging over my shoulder, talking my ear off.

“Uh…maybe later.”

“Later is no good. Later is like saying we’ll never talk about it.”

“Maybe because it’s none of your business.”

“None of my—” I could feel her pinching the bridge of her nose. She always did that when she was frustrated. “Isla, how could this not be my business?”

“Simple. Because it’s not.”

“I think I have some say in what happens. This affects me just as much as you.”

“I highly doubt that,” I grumbled.

“Really? So, you just go on with your life after what happened last night, and you think that doesn’t affect me? Your decisions have a very strong impact on my day-to-day life. I moved here with you!” she stomped her foot .

I finally turned to face her. “And I appreciate that, but I seriously don’t think this is your problem.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and glowered at me. “I think that might be the most hurtful thing you’ve ever said. After all we’ve been through—” She covered her mouth like she was about to cry. She always was a tad melodramatic.

Sighing, I took her hand. “Look, I’m sorry I had the last of the bean dip. It won’t happen again.”

“Right,” she scoffed. “You always say that.”

“Well, I mean it this time.”

She yanked her hand out of mine and spun away from me. “It wasn’t just about the bean dip. Don’t you see what happens when you make decisions like this? I really had to use the bathroom!”

“There’s another bathroom down here,” I pointed out.

“Yes, but it was an emergency and you were hogging the one I desperately needed!”

“Proving that you really didn’t need that bean dip,” I grinned.

“Hey, you do not get to turn this around on me. For all you know, I could have had diarrhea.”

“You haven’t had diarrhea since the spring of ’01 when you ate all that fruit.”

She gasped, slapping her hand over her mouth. “You knew?”

“It was obvious. I could hear the noises from outside the door.”

“Nobody was supposed to know about that!”

“It’s not a big deal. Everyone gets diarrhea from time to time.”

“Not me. Never me.”

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you. Where’s Bowie? Maybe you can argue with him about this. I have work to finish.”

“He’s outside checking the perimeter,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“I thought you wanted a man who would check the perimeter.”

“I did,” she grumbled. “But I liked him better when he was just a mechanic.”

“So, tell him to go home.”

“Then he might find someone else.”

This was all too much to think about. “Riley…seriously, can we be done? ”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “Fine, but if the bean dip is gone tomorrow, we’re gonna have problems.”

She stomped toward the kitchen and turned on the TV, blaring it to drown out my silence. Doing my best to forget that whole argument, I went back to work, but I didn’t get far before a name on the television caught my attention. I shoved back from my desk and made my way to where my sister was sitting at the table.

“Turn it up.”

She pointed the remote at the TV and cranked up the volume.

“—where Senator Kavanaugh announced his intentions to run for president. This comes as a surprise to most, but an even bigger shocker was when his son joined him at the rally, along with his fiancée.”

“The senator’s fiancée? Did his wife die?” Riley asked.

I ignored her and watched in shock as Kavanaugh took the stage after the senator walked up the stairs with a younger woman. She was beautiful and poised, but when she turned to Kavanaugh—the younger one—it was his hand she took.

“However, the rally took an abrupt turn when his son Bradford James Kavanaugh took the stage and appeared to have a panic attack. He ran off moments later and did not return. The senator told the crowd that his son has suffered a great deal since returning from the war and still has trouble dealing with crowds. The senator beamed with pride as he told his supporters about his son’s trials and what an amazing job he did serving his country.”

Riley paused the TV and slowly turned to me, her face just as shocked as mine. “ His fiancée?”

I shook my head. I couldn’t believe it either. “Is there any chance it was the father’s fiancée, but took Kavanaugh’s hand for guidance?”

“That would be a little weird,” Riley muttered.

I sank down in the chair, still shaking my head as I tried to wrap my brain around the fact that Kavanaugh had lied to me. When he told me the other woman wasn’t what I thought, I stupidly suspected the woman was a clingy client or something. He asked me to trust him.

I’m doing everything I can to end the job.

He was trying to end the engagement. He was with this woman and me at the same time. He didn’t tell me because he knew I would leave him, and that’s why Red and Eli looked so guilty when I saw them. Because they knew. They knew what he was doing and they didn’t tell me.

“I slept with a man who’s engaged to another woman,” I whispered.

“She’s beautiful.”

“He lied to me.”

“Did you see her clothes? They’re not cheap.”

“I don’t understand,” I sucked in a ragged breath. “Does she stay in the city? How does this work?”

“Her manicure was amazing,” Riley sighed. “If I wasn’t lazy, I would get a manicure.”

“Does she know what a lying bastard Kavanaugh is? Seriously, how the fuck is this my life?” I shoved out of my seat and paced the room, ignoring Riley’s comments about Kavanaugh’s perfect future wife. “We have amazing chemistry. How can he marry another woman?”

“Maybe he was engaged to her, but then he saw you and knew he couldn’t marry her.”

“He was on stage with her,” I snapped. “He took her hand!”

“Actually, he ran off stage. Maybe he realized what a horrible mistake it was and knew he couldn’t go through with it.”

“He had to know it would be broadcast. He didn’t even warn me!”

“Well, in all likelihood, you would have kicked him in the balls. Just like you were about to do a couple of weeks ago when he was here.”

“He has the nerve to try to tell me what to do,” I seethed. “He acted like he cared. He wanted me to have a bodyguard.” I shoved my fingers through my hair, thinking about just the other night when he said he had to see me. He snuck into the house and wrapped his body around mine. He acted like he could only get away for a few hours.

He wasn’t lying. He had to get back because he had a fiancée waiting for him and a rally to attend. He was playing me, trying to keep me around while he tried to figure out what to do with the woman he was engaged to.

“Was any of it real? Or was it all to keep me from finding out about his would-be bimbo? ”

“Oh, she’s not a bimbo,” Riley said, staring at her phone. “The future Mrs. Kavanaugh is highly educated. Who has an art history degree?” she asked, looking up from her phone. “What do you even do with that? Are there symposiums? Do people go to lectures where they just listen to someone blather on about the history of art? Do they get graded on it when it’s over?”

“And he took her on stage with him. On stage! In front of the whole world!”

“Technically, not everyone in the world saw it. I highly doubt anyone in Africa cares about the senator. Or people in England. They have enough to deal with on that side of the pond.”

“And what was all that crap about the war? His father never wanted him to join the military.”

“How do you know that?”

“I just know,” I snapped, pacing the kitchen. “His father wanted him to become a politician like him and marry a good woman and make little politician babies.”

“Well, he can do that with Art History Barbie,” Riley muttered.

“I can’t believe he did this to me,” I groaned. “Why am I so stupid? I didn’t even ask him if he was seeing anyone. I just assumed he would tell me the truth!”

“Did you ask?”

“No, but?—”

“Then, technically, he did tell you the truth. If you had asked if he had a fiancée and he said no, then he would be lying.”

“An omission of the truth is as good as a lie!”

“Sure, to us, but in politics, it’s completely different. And his father is definitely grooming him for a future like his.”

I shoved my fingers through the tangled mess of hair on my head and screamed under my breath in frustration. I felt so dirty and used. I had moved closer to be near a friend, and instead, I had ruined a future marriage. I stopped pacing and stared at Riley in horror.

“Oh my God. What happens when this gets out?”

“Why would it get out?”

I slapped my hands on the table, causing her to jump. “It always gets out. Someone’s going to dig up information on Kavanaugh and they’re going to follow his life. He lives here, where I live! And then they’ll find out that we slept together and that I’m a homewrecker!”

She chuckled at me. “Okay, don’t give yourself too much credit. They’re not married yet.”

“I slept with her fiancé! I can’t believe I was so stupid! I thought—” I groaned, tossing myself back into the chair and banging my head on the table. I was an idiot. I couldn’t believe I had moved here and hadn’t bothered to find out a single thing about Kavanaugh before going to bed with him. I was a ho bag and a slut and fiancé-ruining temptress.

I stood suddenly. “I need to see IKE.”

“Hot IKE that saved your life?” she asked, shoving out of her chair.

“You’re not going with me.”

“You need backup.”

“I don’t need you.”

She snorted. “I think you do. The last thing you need is to accidentally bed another man. Look what happened when you saw Kavanaugh again.”

I glared at her, not appreciating her attempt at cheering me up.

“What? I’m just saying, let’s take it one man at a time. One very hot, very sexy man at a time.”

“I still think we should have brought some of the guys with us,” Riley rambled on. “They could have been helpful.”

“I’m here,” Bowie rumbled from the back seat.

“In what way?” I asked as we drove down the road. I was trying desperately to ignore Riley and concentrate on where we were going, but she wouldn’t shut up.

“Because they’re hot men, and IKE is a hot man. They speak the same language. They could probably get more out of him than you could.”

“Again, I’m back here. I’m a hot guy. You slept with me,” Bowie retorted. “You said you had to have me because I’m a mechanic. I guess that shit flew out the window. ”

“Hush, sweetie. The girls are talking,” Riley said, completely ignoring him.

“We’ll be fine.”

“Sure, you say that, but what if we show up and he doesn’t want to talk at all? What if he asks where our backup is?”

Bowie sighed heavily. That was really all he needed to do.

“Since when do we have backup?”

“Well…we should. Two women like us should always have backup. We’re backup-worthy.”

“And what defines the worthiness of backup?”

She opened her mouth, but gaped like a fish when the answer didn’t immediately come to her. “Okay, maybe there’s no standard for the worthiness of backup, but that doesn’t mean we don’t deserve it!”

“I feel like there’s really no reason I’m here any longer,” Bowie muttered. “Sure, I’ll stay and watch over them. I’m not only former military, but I’m also a mechanic, which you were so desperate for the other night. But apparently, I’m completely useless in this situation.”

“Not useless,” Riley said, spinning in her seat. “You’re amazing, but…”

“But what?” Bowie asked, his face pinched in a frown.

She tapped his hand that rested on the back of her seat. “We’re very happy you’re here. We feel safer already. Right?”

“Right,” I muttered.

Sighing, I chose to block her out for the rest of the drive, focusing instead on how I was going to get IKE to tell me the truth. I couldn’t believe that Kavanaugh was engaged. And worse, why the hell hadn’t he told me? I despised secrets above everything else, and the fact that we’d barely gotten together and he was already lying to me really struck a chord deep in my gut.

I turned down the long driveway and parked next to the house. It looked like no one was home, but I still had to check. I got out and marched up to the house as Riley chased after me. Bowie strolled behind us, his hands shoved in his pockets.

“I thought you liked him?” I hissed.

“Oh, I do, but I’m not stupid enough to get too attached. What if he turns out like Kavanaugh? ”

“A giant cheater?”

She looked at me funny. “No, a giant douche protector. I want a mechanic in the sack. Not a man who’s going to hover and drive me insane.”

The sad thing was I knew exactly what she was talking about. I liked Kavanaugh a lot, but I didn’t appreciate his need to put me in a cage to protect me. Although, it seemed now like perhaps he was doing that to keep me from finding out his deepest, darkest secrets.

“Tell me again why we came here instead of talking to anyone at OPS?”

“Because IKE won’t lie to me.”

“I thought you said he was an ass.”

“Yes, but he’s an ass who speaks the truth,” I muttered, walking up the stairs.

Here I was again at IKE’s door, but this time, he wasn’t protecting me. This time, I was only looking for answers and I trusted IKE to tell me. He didn’t like his job of watching over me when I was here, but he kept me safe and was always honest with me, even when I didn’t want to hear it.

I banged my fist against the door and stepped back. If he was home, he already knew I was here. His security measures would have alerted him the moment I pulled in the drive.

“I still can’t believe I’m actually going to be in IKE’s house,” Riley whispered. “It’s so exciting.”

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear you say you wanted to go in another man’s house,” Bowie grumbled.

“Why are you whispering?”

“Because he’s IKE. He probably has probes and sensors and all kinds of crazy shit around here. He’s probably listening to us right now.”

“Then maybe you should stop talking about him.”

“Or maybe…maybe I’m saying the wrong stuff.” I felt her straighten, and then covered my ear as her loud voice almost broke my eardrum. “Yeah, that IKE is totally hot.”

“What are you doing? ”

“Flattering him. If he’s going to answer the door, it’s going to be because of me.”

“Because you said he’s hot? Do you really think that’s what’s going to make him open the door?”

“You never know. Maybe he’s vain. Maybe he needs someone to flatter him and show him how desirable he is. And clearly, you’re not going to do it.”

I gritted my teeth and pounded on the door again. “Because I’m with Kavanaugh.”

“Well, that’s to be determined after what we found out. Are you sure you want to call yourself his?”

No, I wasn’t sure about that. In fact, I was praying Kavanaugh would tell me this was all a big misunderstanding and I had nothing to worry about. But what possible reason would Kavanaugh have to explain away what I saw on the television?

“This is pointless. Let’s just go.”

I turned just as I heard the door open. Riley’s gasp was no doubt because of IKE’s extremely handsome features. I already knew she had an obsession with the hot men in this town. And IKE was definitely on the hotter end of the scale.

Bowie snorted at Riley’s response. “I should have worn my coveralls. Maybe then I’d stand a chance.”

Slowly, I turned to face the door. There he was, leaning against the doorframe as his eyes slowly roamed over my body. I tried not to shift uncomfortably under his penetrating gaze, but he had an unnerving way of setting me on edge.

Clearing my throat, I temporarily forgot why I was even here. When I stormed out of the house, I thought I had every reason to come here, to ask him for his opinion. But now that I stood on his steps, all I remembered were the harsh words he spoke to me, the way he so clearly insulted me as he held me in the dark, accusing me of letting any man touch me.

I could have sworn as I stared at him that he was thinking about the very same moment. His eyes heated the longer he stared at me, but even more unnerving was the way he seemed to read precisely what was on my mind .

“Problems in paradise?”

“Forget it,” I snapped, turning to walk down the steps.

“You didn’t know about her, did you?”

I could have sworn a low chuckle slipped from his throat, making me snap. “And you would like that, wouldn’t you?”

“I don’t see why I would care one way or another,” he shrugged. “But it’s not surprising.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

“Kavanaugh has never really been the monogamous type. But I thought it would be you who broke first.”

I fully faced him, my anger simmering under my skin. Riley was watching the whole thing with wide eyes, her mouth hanging open.

“What, are you betting on this? Is this some sick game to you?” I snapped, marching up the stairs to get in his face.

His hand latched onto my arm and before I knew it, he was dragging me into the house and slamming the door.

“That’s okay!” Riley shouted. “I’ll just wait out here!”

IKE dragged me all of five feet before shoving me up against the wall, caging my body with his as he leaned in close. “Why the fuck are you with him?”

I flinched back at his tone. “What?”

“He’s only going to fuck you over. That’s what a guy like him does.”

“And you would know this because you’re around so often?”

“I know his type. The only thing he cares about is getting in your pants, and now that he’s gotten what he wants…” His eyes dragged down my body as if he could tell exactly how many times I’d been with Kavanaugh and what happened between us.

His blue eyes stared intently into mine, waiting for me to make a mistake so he could pounce. This was all a game to IKE. The only thing he wanted was for me to admit that I’d made a mistake. He made it perfectly clear when I was here that Kavanaugh wouldn’t stick around for someone like me.

“You know nothing about us.”

“Yet, you’re here. Why?”

The question died on my lips. I hadn’t considered that by coming here, asking IKE these questions about Kavanaugh, I was giving him the ammunition he needed to make my life hell.

“This was a mistake,” I whispered, ducking to get out of his embrace, but he moved in closer, his body nearly pressed against mine.

“He’s a fucking idiot,” he grumbled, his chest vibrating against mine.

I swallowed hard, trying not to let the intimacy of our positions get to me. That’s what he wanted, for me to fall into his arms so he could say he proved his point. “And I suppose I would be smarter to be with someone like you.”

“That would be the stupidest thing you could ever want,” he rumbled.

My breath caught in my chest and he moved closer, his breath fanning over my face. Why was he so close? Why was he doing this to me? It was foolish to come here for answers. This was all a game to him. And as I stood here and remembered the way he touched me…the way he slid his fingers inside my shirt and then threw it in my face, I realized that the only thing IKE was good for was keeping me safe.

I pressed my hands to his chest, ignoring the feel of his muscles beneath my fingertips, and pushed him away. He didn’t budge an inch. Instead, he inhaled sharply, lingered for a moment, then took a step back.

“Why are you really here?” he questioned.

“I—Is Kavanaugh really engaged?”

He shrugged, glancing away. “Don’t know. Don’t care.”

“How could you not know? You work with them.”

“No, I don’t and you know that. So, again, why are you really here?”

“I came because I thought you might have some decency and tell me the truth.”

“And why would I do that?” he asked, leaning back against the opposite wall.

“Because…because…”

“Because you think I’m such an upstanding guy? Because I kept you here for a day after your ex tried to blow you up? It was a job.”

“I didn’t say it was anything else. ”

“Then why the fuck are you here?” he growled, his face turning hard as granite.

I shook my head. “I don’t know why I thought you would tell me the truth.”

“I just did. If you’re looking for another answer, go find it somewhere else.”

Stupidly, I thought I had some sort of quasi-friendship with IKE, that despite what an asshole he was, that if I needed something from him, he would help. Clearly, I was mistaken. There was no unspoken friendship between us. IKE was…I wasn’t sure what he was, but he definitely wasn’t someone I should trust or turn to when things were bad. He was out for himself and didn’t care about anyone else.

“Sorry I bothered you.”

“You didn’t,” he muttered. “That would imply I actually gave a shit about you.”

I rolled my eyes and headed for the door, but before I could open it, he spoke again.

“You want some advice? I’ll give it to you. You already know the answers to your questions. Will he stick around? Is he good enough for you? Those are all things you can figure out on your own. Ask yourself, when your ex tried to kill you, was he here?”

No, he wasn’t. But that wasn’t the question I had come to ask. I jerked the door open and walked out, ignoring Riley’s questioning gaze as I stomped down the steps.