Torn (Deep 8, #5)

32. Roger

THIRTY-TWO

Roger

I’ve never quoted Shakespeare to any woman. As an actor, Shakespeare’s words live deep in my soul, reserved for someone who deserves them.

My honest observation of her backfired, but I want her to confront why she operates the way she does. The adage of the pot calling out the kettle comes to mind.

My dad has a lot of secrets, making me question whether he wasn't the one who failed me. Over the years, I became aware of his manipulations, but breaking free is tough. He wasn’t the father I would wish on anyone. I thought I was strong enough to handle whatever he threw my way, but exhaustion has set in, and I need to reenergize to deal with the storm headed our way.

A cold space next to me gets me to crack an eyelid to see where Harlow might be at this hour of the morning. Silence greets me as I sit up and stumble to the shower. The hot water sprays over me, washing away the confusion of everything leading up to this moment.

Harlow thinks I’m the eye of the storm, but I’m part of the storm created by my father, and I need to find my footing before it’s too late.

Downstairs, the team mills around in the kitchen and living room. They mumble good morning and go back to focusing on their phones.

I grab a plate of food and go in search of Harlow. Muffled voices come from the dining room, and I follow the sound, sitting down at the table in front of Harlow and Pippa.

They stare at me as if I’ve committed a gross faux pas in etiquette. "What?"

"Do you mind? We’re trying to work here," Harlow says indignantly.

"I do mind. That zip drive came from my father’s office, and I have a right to know what’s on it." My eyes bounce between the two of them as they glance at each other.

Harlow stands behind Pippa, glancing toward the kitchen and living room. "It’s not pretty. Your father has files full of evidence implicating Nick Wagner of corruption."

Pippa taps on the keys. "He even goes so far as to predict Nick might kidnap him to get access to the pieces." Her green eyes lock in on me over the top of her computer.

I stop chewing long enough to absorb what she is saying, and then swallow a dry piece of toast. "I take it Dean doesn’t know any of this yet," I say in a hushed tone.

They shake their heads. "I’m trying to get as much evidence as I can before we tell Dean. He won’t be happy," Pippa murmurs.

"I’m surprised. Nick has always been a patriot. I can’t imagine he’s wrapped up in half the stuff Lucas has in these files." Harlow’s brows cinch together.

"Is it possible these files are doctored to look like Nick is involved in shady shit?" I counter. "My father loves to come out on top, no matter what. He could have manipulated these documents."

Pippa turns the screen in my direction. "Go ahead. Click through."

The files contain official government letterhead as well as photos of Nick meeting with heads of state not in alliance with Australia. My fingers hit the touchpad several times as I search for any glitch, signaling tampering, or fakes.

"Did you authenticate the documents?" My eyes begin to blur.

Harlow puts her hand on Pippa’s shoulder. "Yes. I double-checked everything. I’ve been up most of the night."

I sit back and sigh. Today is going to suck worse than yesterday. "When are you planning on telling Dean?"

Harlow speaks up. "We were going to present the information to the team. Dean will freak out if we make it personal instead of part of the mission. He needs to see it through the lens of an operative and not as his son. Do you have any other suggestions?" Her eyes beg me.

"No, you thought this through and know him better than anyone. He’ll have his team to lean on, which he will need. This is going to be a shit show of epic proportions." I bury my head in my hands.

Pippa calls the team into the dining room. They sit around the oval table wearing grim faces. She must have given them a heads-up on the direction of the discussion because their eyes land on Dean.

The information is projected onto the back wall so it can be viewed by everyone. Dean stares at the screen with a stoic face, but his hands rub his chin while he clenches and unclenches his fingers as we go deeper into the information.

Pippa finishes her presentation loaded with undeniable incriminating evidence from docs to photos. Dean stands up and stalks out of the room. Harlow is close behind until Beck catches her arm.

"Let him go. He needs time to process. It’s a lot to take in." His voice is gentle, and he releases her arm.

She nods and comes to sit down in the empty seat next to me. Her arms cradle her head as she lays it on the table. No one utters a word. Dean guns the engine of one of the motorbikes as the sound of flying gravel fills the air.

"I didn’t see this coming. We need to get to Nick before he tries something else out of left field," Sean instructs.

"Harlow, do you think Nick has Lucas?" Mac asks point blank.

She lifts her head. "At this point, nothing would surprise me. Nick is a great leader and always has his team’s back. I’ve never seen him lose his cool or act suspicious. This must be killing Dean. They weren’t on the best of terms to begin with, and now this," her voice breaks, but she swallows down her emotions.

And that’s a wrap. If we can get to Nick, he can give us the location of where he’s holding my father, and this can be over. At least my father is one of the good guys. The outstanding question is where I stand with Harlow. I don’t want her to run away, but I don’t have the power to keep her with me.

Mac walks around the table and toggles through some of the photos on the laptop. "We need to find his schedule and the best way to approach him. Guys like him usually have a daily routine they follow so their security can be on top of any unusual activity. Pippa, can you hack into the ASIO mainframe and get into his calendar?"

"I can, but it won’t be pretty, and we’ll be on their radar. I may have a way to circumvent them that will give us time. Are you sure you want me to do this? We’ll have to scramble."

Mac turns to Sean. "Boss, what do you think?"

"We need to look at all the angles. We’ll use that as a last resort. Can we track down his secretary? Chances are she carries her laptop with her everywhere. It might be easier to hack her computer outside the ASIO firewalls."

"Maybe I can use some of my Southern charm on her." Peter wiggles his brows.

"That’s not a bad idea. You haven’t been in the field for a while. It would be good for you to get back in the saddle again," Beck offers. The room goes silent.

"You’ll have to tap Dean for information on the secretary. Pippa, can you do a search on her?" Harlow speaks up. Heads nod around the room.

As we come up with several other less viable options, the low rumble of a motorcycle comes closer to the house. The talking stops as the back door bangs shut and heavy footsteps turn toward where we’ve gathered. Dean appears in the entry to the dining room we’ve made into a command center.

"Did you get your head screwed on straight? We can’t do this op without you," Beck says from across the room.

Dean nods. "We have to bring him in and find out what’s going on. I contacted my sisters and told them to take my mother back to New York City, where they will be safe and away from him. I’m directing them to one of our safe houses."

His blue eyes darken, a fair warning to everyone. Harlow doesn’t move a muscle toward him.

"We need you to tell us about his secretary. It might be our way in." Harlow's eyes swim with questions.

Dean grins and starts laughing. "I can tell you anything you want to know about her since I slept with her years ago. The only problem is I also slept with her sister. It didn’t go well."

Of course.