Page 38 of The Yeah Baby series: Vol 2

Chapter 9

Weston

“Justice,” I greeted the tall, dark haired man I’d admired for years. He wasn’t much older than me, but he’d been a legend when he was an active operative. A few years ago, when his wife, another operative, had gotten pregnant, he’d retired from field duty and I’d been one of the lucky ones to have him as their controller.

“Sidewinder.” He shook my hand and smiled. “Maybe you should start calling me Alex, since rumor is that you won’t be in the field much longer.”

We’d taken over someone’s office, and I sat facing him across the desk. “You must have rubbed off on me, man. Turns out, I’m a wife and kids kind of guy.”

Alex’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “You’re getting married?” he asked with a grin. “And already planning for little kids? Wow, this is monumental.”

“Not planning,” I clarified. “I have a son.”

At my announcement, he looked confused. “How did I miss that? Damn, that was quite a secret to keep, especially considering CIA operatives can be as gossipy as those Beverly Hills Housewives.”

I sighed. “I only just found out,” I confessed. A thought sparked. “Actually, I could really use your help with something.” I’d finally called Kat after two weeks of silence, irritated as fuck, and I didn’t even try to hide it this time. She’d said that IT had dug into the account and found no trace of any activity at all. I never had a reason not to trust Kat. If I had, she wouldn’t have been an effective handler. But lately, there was just something bothering me and my gut was telling me to keep looking into it.

“Aspen, my fiancée.” Fuck, that felt good to say. “We met right before I left for my last mission. I set up a secure dummy email for her to reach me, then have the messages relayed to me through my handler. For a year, she tried to reach me and tell me that she was pregnant. I never got any of the messages and my handler says IT wasn’t able to find even a single trace of activity. My instincts are telling me that she missed something.”

Alex’s frown had deepened as I spoke and he was tapping his finger against his mouth in thought. “This is Kat Petrov?” he asked. I nodded and he looked like he wanted to say something more, but instead he picked up his cell and dialed a number.

After connecting with someone, he handed me the phone. “Tell Martin everything you know and he’ll get you some answers.”

I almost sighed in complete relief. Martin was the absolute best when it came to anything concerning computers and technology. I told him everything about the situation and he agreed to look into it and call me when he had something. I hung up and tossed the phone back to Alex. “Thanks. I appreciate it. I know this is awfully personal to be appropriating CIA resources, especially Martin.”

Alex waved off my concern. “If it were Evie, I’d be doing the exact same thing. Also...” he trailed off and stared at me, clearly contemplating whether to go on. “There is another reason I wanted Martin looking into it, but until we hear from him, I think it’s best to keep my suspicions to myself.”

“Are you fucking kidding me, Justice?” I exploded, then immediately settled down and contritely apologized. “Damn, I’m sorry, Alex.”

His eyes were narrowed in disapproval, but the understanding was still there. “Look, I know you, Weston. You’re one of the best agents I’ve ever worked with, but you and I both know you have a short fuse. And, when people threaten the women we love, that fuse is non-existent. If I tell you who I suspect, you’ll run straight at them and I’m not going to let you risk your career if I’m wrong.”

I held in a frustrated growl and simply nodded my acceptance. “Thank you.”

“So,” Alex said, leaning back in the desk chair, clearly ready to move on. “Aspen lives here? In Atlanta.”

I mirrored his position, seemingly relaxed, even though I was wound up tight. “We just bought a house in a neighborhood near where I grew up.”

Alex raised a single brow and stared hard at me. “Bought a house? Fuck,” he sighed. “You’re really serious about Columbia being your last mission.”

My spine snapped straight. “Columbia?” The assignment I just completed was in Europe. “I told Porter I was done before I came to Georgia. I turned in the papers three weeks ago.”

A manila folder sat on the desk in front of Alex and he slowly tapped a finger on it. Then he opened it and flipped it around, pushing it towards me. I reached forward and picked up the sheaf of papers inside.

On top was my transfer application, nothing seemed out of the ordinary until I reached the requested date for re-assignment. It was six months away. What. The. Fuck. I shifted it to the back of the pile, revealing a mission assignment, with my fucking signature accepting the job. Next, was the job specifics.

Six months.

If I didn’t get out of this, I would lose Aspen.

“Justice, please tell me you know this is bullshit.” My voice was vibrating with contained rage.

“I do now, but I had no way of knowing that when the paperwork hit my desk.”

The folder dropped to the floor, the papers scattering, and my hands balled into fists on my knees. “Alex, this needs to be fixed or I’ll be forced to resign,” I said tiredly. “Aspen and Carter come first. Always.”

“And, your signature?” He sat back again, the finger now tapping his lip.

I picked up the transfer form and studied it for a second. “It’s a damn good imitation, but something isn’t quite . . .” I pulled the form closer and then twisted the paper, making sure I was seeing it correctly. “Look at the curve of that letter. The person who copied it is left handed.”

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