Page 67 of Drift

Raif eased into a softer smile seeing him as the huge cat started stalking Jack. “Doing good.”

“Fuck… off.” Jack pointed at the Maine, and Jan rested in the doorway, his small smile on the cat’s play to get at Jack. He looked a little more relaxed, which put Raif at ease from how he’d last seen him a month ago to discuss… Jude.

“I’ve just showered away the last cat hairs.” Jack tried to sidestep the cat,but he only ended up doing a really bad dance of Twister as she slithered in and around his legs. “And how the fuck did some get in my boxers? You pulling them out my drawers as well as leaving the milk out of a night to take those steroids? Because that’s been happening over the past month since Light’s been back, and I know that last one ain’t me despite popular, and I mean Jan’s, opinion. My money’s on Light with the milk and trying to upset you over stealing it, but no… me. I just get called ‘paranoid’ and a ‘trouble…maker’.” He glared at the cat. “Stalking’s an arrestable offence as well. Stop it.”

The cat sat on his feet. Licked at her paw…. Winked.

Jack toed her off. “Asshole. That’s now your name.”

Raif found a laugh and headed for the hall as Jack nearly tripped over the cat now she darted between him and Jan. Jack managed a kiss at Jan’s jaw before a “Fuck” went the cat’s way.

“Cockblocker.” Jack nodded. “Yeah. That’s definitely it now.”

Jan laughed, an arm around Jack’s shoulder pulling him in close to soothe all his butthurt. He looked like he agreed with the last one, but didn’t fancy calling it out around the grounds.

Yeah. Things were kind of settling here from the last time he’d seen Jan but then this was the kind of place where secrets were kept and buried behind soft, sensual smiles like Jan’s. It was just such a shame Jan looked more at home lately keeping those secrets behind his soft smile. “You good?” He still wanted to check with Jan. Out of everyone here, Jan needed the protection.

“Tired,” Jan said eventually, and Jack went in, vampire biting at his neck, all to have Jan try and push him off, because he looked just that: damn tired. Jan went to say something else Raif’s way, then stopped himself, either because he hadn’t told Jack yet about the search or was aware the hall wasn’t as secure as the Oval, and Raif nearly groaned out loud.

A spy Jan would never make. His eyes said too much. A good thing in Raif’s book: raw honesty he could work with. Gray’s look offered the same, only it carried that brutal black or white quality in them, but Raif knew exactly where he stood. Even with Martin, his game play let Raif know where heshouldn’tbe treading. But Jack…?

Raif had been a spy for many years, but even he couldn’t conceal himself and hide away as good as Jack did in another identity.

“Gray’s in the Oval,” said Jan, and Raif sent a wink his way, then he left them to it, distracted only by how the Maine brushed against his legs as he stopped by the door. Giving a look down, he pointed back the way he’d come.

“Beat it,” he mouthed. “Your bed’s back that way.”

The cat flicked her tail, sneezed, then headed the opposite way.

Raif snorted as he knocked. Yeah, too many here walked their own path.

“Come,” called Gray.

Raif pushed on through and let the door close behind him before heading over to the main desk. Gray sat working behind it, and he got a glance up.

The look wasn’t good, and Raif stopped a few paces short, hands going in his back pockets.

Blackness ran into Gray’s eyes, but unlike killing the Holly Blue Butterfly killer here a few years back, something set the ink darkness to… off. Like he caught a scent of something and it left him taste-testing the air to understand why he didn’t like the sourness of it on his tongue with how it dodged out of his way. Whatever case that sat on his iPad as he locked it away in one of his drawers, it wasn’t MI5 business. Raif would never ask, and Gray wouldn’t ever tell him.

Gray got to his feet and came to rest against the front of his desk, arms folded. “Talk Jude.”

Okay, so maybe that blackness wasn’t entirely down to any case Gray worked. But he didn’t seem surprised by Raif’s look into Martin’s boy.

“Jan told you.”

Gray nodded. “A month back. Jack as well.” A tilt of head. “I’m surprised you didn’t.”

Raif shrugged. “I honoured Jan’s ask for confidentiality. I didn’t think you’d want me breaking that, even with you. He looked like he needed it.”

Gray didn’t say anything for a moment. “So what changed? Why the call today to break confidentiality?”

“I haven’t broken it.” Raif meant that. “I made it clear from the outset that if this moved into illegal waters beyond just a trace and not locate, then it would be breakpoint. It’s reached that, and I’ll be letting him know shortly. I know if the contract broke because of trouble, you’d be Jan’s next stop. This is me working damage control.”

“Non needed. You got a job done that Jan asked you to do.” Gray frowned. “So what’s voided your surveillance. What did you find?”

The call for business offered safer footing, and Raif took out his phone and pulled out a map before going next to Gray and resting against his table.

“I took Jude’s name to Newham. Here, to be more precise.”

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