The Single Lady Spy Series Boxset Page 6

  “Evie.” Mom frowned. “Honey. We can't run away from our problems.”

  “It’s not us. I—I mean the problems aren’t ours, but we may need to run anyway. We'll talk about this at home.” I had so many things to tell her, things that weren’t going to be easy. I had found forty-eight bugging devices and cameras in the house and garage. I figured Coop would be there now with a team reinstalling them all.

  She gave me a look, maybe a knowing look, and smiled as a sweet older lady would at a funeral. “We can talk later, dear.” She turned and went back to the kids.

  My nerves were shot and when I got a glimpse of the picture of James on the memorial table, I felt worse. Worse because I wished he were there to solve this for me.

  A hand reached out for mine, bringing me back to the current problem.

  “I'm so sorry, Evie.”

  It was our neighbor from across the way, Jeff. I smiled and let him embrace me. He held me tight. “If you need anything—anything at all, just call.”

  “Thanks, Jeff.”

  His wife, Megan, walked up and smiled compassionately. “Evie, honey, I am so sorry. James was the best.” She was obviously distraught as she covered her face and started to cry again. “I—just—am so sorry.” She was hardly keeping it together.

  Jeff's face tightened but he focused back on me and smiled weakly. “She's been really broken up about it.”

  “Of course. We all are. I better circulate. Thanks for coming, Jeff.” I turned and walked away. I didn’t circulate. I ran for the exit. I was going to be sick if I saw one more teary-eyed woman. I was either becoming that jealous psycho widow or ex-wife, or I was actually accurate in my assumption he was also fucking our neighbor.

  I drove home in a near coma and was so out of it by the time I got in the front door, I couldn’t see straight. I slipped up the stairs and flopped onto my bed. His scent wafted into the air from his pillow. I grabbed it and threw it across the room again.

  “Easy, tiger.”

  I jumped, seeing Coop standing where I had thrown the pillow.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked exasperatedly.

  He put a finger to his lips and gestured at the door just as Jules came running into the room and leaped onto the bed. She curled into me and sobbed. Mitch wasn’t far behind her. He wrapped himself around us and joined in on the crying.

  It broke everything inside me.

  Their suffering wasn’t a random accident. It was the recklessness of a philandering father who had betrayed his country and his family.

  Wishing the world would pause for us, I held my children to me and forgot we had an audience until my mom came in. She stood in the doorway and smiled. “Fresh cookies on the rack downstairs cooling.”

  I kissed Mitch on the cheek and smiled. “Go on.” He wiped his face and shoved his ball cap down before stalking past his grandma like a tough guy. Jules was asleep. I nudged her. “Cookies.”

  She didn’t stir so I lifted her off the bed and carried her to her room.

  When I came back in, I climbed onto the bed and smiled at my mom. “Thanks for making those.”

  “No. No thank-you needed. This is what family does when one of theirs is hurting.”

  “You always were a good mom. You're an even better grandma.”

  “Grandma is the easy stuff.” She laughed and sat on the bed. I scrutinized the room, checking for Coop but he wasn’t there. “That’s the payment for suffering through having kids. You get grandkids.” She beamed.

  I rolled my eyes. “Me and Sissy were easy.”

  “I suppose.” She folded her arms around herself and grinned. “I never said you weren’t. But you were kids. Kids are kids. They are work for at least twenty years.”

  “And then even when they’re in their thirties they end up needing you.” I put a hand on hers and saw the resemblance. We had the same hands. I had hers. I squeezed. “But right now, I need you to trust me. You have to leave town.”

  “We are not leaving.” She was adamant. “The kids need stability.”

  I pressed my lips together and took a deep breath. “They need to survive something I'm about to divulge that you may never speak of to anyone. I’m telling you not only so you’re prepared to run and raise them on your own, but also so you understand what I'm doing.”

  She squeezed my hand back. “Evie, honey, you're scaring me.”

  “I know.” I stared into her green eyes. “You should be scared. James did some bad things. He betrayed the country. He sold secrets. He was a rogue agent.”

  “That's not possible,” she argued, but truths were clearly making their way into her mind. Her eyes and the uncertainty of her headshake showed her doubts.

  “He did,” I whispered. “And now a bad man owns everything of mine. My home, my van, my car, my bank accounts—everything has been transferred into the ownership of this bad man. I have nothing. CI has basically told me, I’ll help them catch this bad man or I’ll fry for the things James did. I have to help fix James' mistake. It's the only way to get the danger out of our lives and get back what's rightfully ours.”

  Her face changed and I didn’t recognize the look she gave me. She glanced around oddly and whispered so silently, I barely caught her words, “Evie, we can run. We can take the kids. I have a little nest egg your father put aside, for a moment like this one. I know a place.” She seemed frightened but maybe it was determination and maybe she was suddenly a different person.

  I cut her off with my own whispers, “No. They'll find me. They'll hurt the kids or you. They know everything about all of us. There’s no other way.”

  Ideas were surely flying through her mind, rolling by like clouds in the sky. She twitched. “We can go to the FBI. I know someone—”

  “No, we can’t. As far as they’re concerned, he’s dead. CI is going to take the three of you and pick up Sissy, and take you somewhere. Somewhere safe. I won't help them if they don’t do this. I want you safe until this is over.” My voice cracked, “You keep my babies safe.”

  “I don't want to leave you, Evie.” She pulled her hand away. “Goddamn him. What was James thinking?”

  “He wasn't. He was leaving me for Mel. It was never me he wanted. He got me pregnant so he had to be with me. I was oblivious. Dad told him to do the right thing.”

  Her hands flew to her mouth. “You know?”

  “What?” She knew all along?

  “Nothing.” She recovered. “You know that for certain?”

  I nodded, hating everyone knew this but me. I crawled to where she sat on the bed and wrapped my arms around her.

  “You can't do this to them. You can't abandon them.”

  “I know.” I pulled her back and smiled. “I'm not. I'm giving them to the only person I trust in the whole world to keep them safe.” I turned to the side of the room and spoke softly, “You can come out, Coop.”

  He stepped from the walk-in closet with a savage expression until my mom lifted her head. Immediately, the clouds were gone from his face and he smiled at her. It wasn’t his cocky smile either. It was sweet.

  “Who are you?” she asked, sounding terrified.

  His eyes darted to me. “Everything she said was true. James was a bad man and has put the country in danger. My name is William Cooper. I'm in the section of the government where Evie and your late husband used to work. We need her to come back to work and help us.”

  Mom gaped at me. “Will she be in danger?”

  I bit my lip and eyed the floor. I didn’t want her to see my face. She could read me too easily.

  Coop smiled. “No. I'm very good at my job, ma'am. I will keep your daughter completely safe.” He offered her his hand. “You have my word.”

  I rolled my eyes. He was nine years old for God's sake. What word did he have to give?

  Mom ate it up though. She smiled and eventually got up off the bed, taking his hand in hers. “I am trusting you, William Cooper.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

 
; I glanced at my mother. “Can you tell the kids they get to go on a fun trip, and I'll make arrangements here with him?”

  "I suppose." She glared at us both and then walked from the room. She wasn't happy and I didn’t blame her. She closed the door and Coop lashed out at me.

  He grabbed my arms. “What are you doing?” He shook me.

  I jerked free and shoved him back. “You aren’t keeping them here as fucking bait, so you can play ball with me or I walk. I will go to jail for whatever the hell James did, just to see them safe.”

  He paced across the carpet for a minute before picking up his phone. He scowled at me as he spoke into it, “I need an evac and I need it now.”

  He hated whatever they said to him next. The stare he gave me was filled with absolute fury. “You tell anyone I’ve called you and that weekend I may or may not have footage of, goes live.” He ran his hands over his short dark-blond hair and spun back toward me, pointing as they talked in his ear. He mouthed the words, “You’re a pain in my ass.”

  “Whatever.” I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms.

  He continued, “No, she wants the family evaced. She wants them out now—tonight. No. She wants them in a safe house, out of country. I’m thinking Canada or even Europe. Find a fishing lodge or something the kids can have fun at, and they can blend. Something where we can post people and make them seem part of the resort. I want this handled by Martin's team.” He paced, still holding his hand on top of his head.

  My frantic eyes tried to read his body language. His abs peeked out of the tiny space between his tee shirt and jeans. I wasn’t certain if the tattoo on his side, which dipped into his pants, suited him or not. It was sexy and fun looking, whereas he came off as an asshole most of the time. His face was a storm of repressed anger. He reminded me of my dad a bit.

  He snapped a finger in front of my face when he caught me checking him out, and continued to speak into the phone quietly, “I want the jet ready and directions to be disclosed in the air like with the MacLean case. The pilots will be at the resort with them the entire time. No leaks this time. Make sure it’s some place we own—sheriffs and whatnot as employees. Don’t even mess with me, Mickey. I got your wife on speed dial. Yeah, fuck you too. See ya, man.”

  “This time. No leaks this time? What does that even mean?” My stomach was on the floor.

  “Don't start with me,” he snarled. “It’s done and I don't want to hear anything else in the way of demands.” He tapped his finger against his phone. “Don't fuck with me. I run this show—I tell you how it goes. No more stunts.”

  “Fine.” I swallowed and turned away. Having seen the anger on his face I decided then that he didn’t suit the tattoo. Cute and flirty Coop was not consistent enough to warrant the sexy tat.

  He strode across the room and leaned into my face, staring straight into my eyes. “I mean it, Evie!” His nostrils flared when he was angry.

  “Fine,” I whispered as I flinched at his rage.

  He softened when he saw my face. “What time did the card say?”

  The answer was there but my mouth didn't move. I had a strong desire to kick him in the face, but I could’ve been confusing it with the desire to cry. I hadn't been yelled at like that since basic training. I lowered my gaze to the floor and took a breath, needing a second so as not to cry like a little girl.

  “I shouldn’t have yelled,” he brushed it off, not really apologizing.

  “You're single, aren't you?”

  “Why?” He chuckled but it wasn't friendly. It was sort of bitter. “You're not really my type. I get the whole cougar thing is huge but I'm not into it. I like it when I'm on top and you forty-types always want to steer.”

  My hand flew at him. He caught it and glowered. “What was that for?”

  I yanked my hand from him. “I'm not a cougar! I'm not forty! I wasn’t hitting on you, you moron—I was mocking you.” I got off the bed and stormed out of the room, staring back with daggers. “Little bastard,” I muttered and stomped down the stairs.

  5

  From ma'am to madam

  Kissing my kids goodbye wasn't painful; it was too much pain to measure with only human emotions and words.

  A thousand times I wanted to jump into the minivan in the garage.

  A thousand times I wanted to hold them to me and beg the men getting into my van with them to take me too.

  A thousand times bad thoughts filled my mind and all I saw were horrid images of my vulnerable babies.

  Mom kissed me. “Be strong, safe, and fast.” She kissed the tip of my nose. My eyes watered. It was what she always said to my dad when he left. My mom was a military wife. She knew, at any given time, my dad's work could make her life painful. She knew it all too well. She loved it when he got too high in rank to go on mission anymore. “I’ll keep these kids safe.”

  I stared into the van and crossed my arms. Thankfully, my kids were confused enough that they didn’t ask too many questions. I had already explained that it was a military thing for the men to ride with them, as an honor to their fallen father. They did it for every family of the fallen.

  I took their small hands in mine and spoke softly, “Daddy had it in his will that we were all to take a vacation if he ever died. He didn’t want us to be sad or heartbroken. He wanted us to be happy and remember him. We will take that vacation like he planned in his last dying wish. Grandma is going to go ahead with you and I’ll stay behind and deal with the rest of his stuff. I love you both.”

  Mitch argued, “I don’t want to go.”

  I gave him my look for “I don’t give a rat’s ass.” “Mitch, this is your father’s dying wish. We have no choice but to respect it.” He cocked an eyebrow at me, making me snap, “Behave for Grandma or I burn the electronics!”

  Mom climbed into the driver's seat of the minivan. A man got into the passenger side and laid the seat back. My kids were put in the middle seats with men on either side on the floor and two men lying in the back. How they had all made it into the house from the backyard was disturbing. Had my neighbors really not noticed the military combing through the backyards in broad daylight?

  Coop ruffled the hair on Mitch's head and joked with him even though they'd known each other for a whole hour. I wanted to tell him to stop, but it was sweet to see Mitch trying to be a man in front of him.

  “Behave, and remember, I’ll be there soon and we’ll all have a vacation together.” I stepped away from the van and blew kisses at them as the door closed. Coop closed the last of the minivan doors and came to where I stood.

  As they drove off, he wrapped himself around me, helping me inside the house, and closed the door. I pressed my face to the cold metal.

  I dropped to my knees and struggled with everything weighing me down.

  “Get up, Evie." Coop said after a minute.

  “No!” I turned to tell him to kiss my old saggy ass but stopped when I saw what he had, a tray with tequila, two shot glasses, cut limes, and salt. I started to laugh. “You are so twenty years old. You can say twenty-eight, but I know the truth,” I whispered as I sat up, shaking my head and licking my wrist. I snorted as I put it forward, letting him shake the salt on it as he handed me a shot. He did the same on his wrist and held his shot out. “To your mom and kids arriving safe and staying that way.”

  “Cheers.”

  He clanked our shot classes together and gave me a mischievous look.

  “Stop trying to be nice to me. I have seen the real you, Coop,” I snarled and licked the salt at the same time he did. I shot back the tequila and grabbed a lemon from the plate. I sucked the juice, mirroring him.

  He reached over and wrapped his empty hand around mine that was holding the empty shot glass. “I am nice.”

  I gulped.

  The lonely corner we sat in, with our shots and lemons, suddenly seemed darker, matching the gloomy day outside. He took my glass from my fingers, poured us each another shot, and passed mine back to me. I licked my wrist a
nd held it out for him to pour more salt on.

  He held his drink up again. “To James, may he rest in peace.” His eyes twinkled. I grinned and nodded. “And Mel. May they be at rest together, happily.”

  "Until we find them." He half smirked, lifting only his upper lip on the right side. He licked and I tried not to notice how plump his lips were. Or how he had the subtlest cleft in his chin. Or the way his pulse beat rhythmically in his thick neck. It was like neck porn. I licked my wrist and sucked back the drink. I grabbed the lemon and sucked, all while watching the neck porn.

  I needed a nap and to be away from him. He was jailbait and had called me a cougar, and I was an emotional wreck who was about to make a poor choice based on grief and rejection. I jumped up and shook my head from the two shots. “Thanks.” I strode past him and up the stairs.

  “No prob,” he muttered.

  I curled up in my bed and laid there contemplating how the evening was going to go until he woke me with a shout from the bottom of the stairs.

  Then I jumped up and pulled on a casual outfit, not even checking myself in the mirror. When I met him at the door, he gave me a disapproving once-over.

  “What?”

  He cocked an eyebrow. “Is that really what you want to wear?”

  “What do you mean?” I growled. “I’m a grieving widow. What should I wear?”

  “You look fine.” He put his hands in the air. “Very fine. It doesn't matter. Let’s just get this sorted out then. I'm your cabby. Meet you out front in two.” He nodded all snarly again and then vanished, leaving me alone in my house. Completely alone.

  I gazed at the foyer and wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly vulnerable in ways I hadn’t felt before.

  How had it all happened?

  How had it gone so wrong?

  How could James die, or even worse, fake his own death and abandon us?

  Did he know I was paying his debts and our children were in danger?

  Did he care?

  I waited the two minutes and walked out the front door, wrestling a thousand fears and the terrible hunch that James knew exactly what was going on.