Page 48 of Soldier, Tailor, Spy
Jake strode out the back door to the table where Ginger sat. With everything well in hand, he figured a nice little stroll along the beach was the perfect way to end their day. He might have had a few regrets about how he rekindled things with his ex-wife, but it didn’t mean he was about to give up ever having her back in his life. No, hearing what everyone had to say in Asher’s C&C only solidified everything for him. Ginger was his. Always had been. Always would be.
“Hey stranger,” he said, stopping beside her. “How about you and I take a little walk?”
Ginger glanced at the kids, then at him. “Sure, I’d like that. If it’s okay to leave the kids here?”
“Go,” Rae said. “Put him out of his misery.”
Ginger smothered a giggle. “Okay, I will then.”
Jake laced his fingers with hers and guided her away from the crowd, starting for the beach. “You look happy.”
Ginger sighed. “Because I am. I’m glad I’m here with you. Even if the circumstances aren’t the best.”
He nodded, the warmth of the setting sun blooming across his skin. “Same. I can honestly say I’d given up on us. I thought you finally had it all. Now, I realized it was all a mirage. I swear I’m going to make this right and make you happy again, Ginger.”
She stared up at him, pulling a strand of her dark, wavy hair from her eyes as a gust of salty wind swirled around them. “You already have Jake O’Malley. You already have.”
Peace settled in his chest as he let out a pent up breath. “Okay.” The edges of his regret evaporated along with his guilt and the anger he carried as his constant companion. “Okay.”
Later that night, after everyone had gone to bed, Jake sat in his office, poring over the evidence once more. They had all the answers they were looking for. He knew it. He grabbed the tumbler beside him and swirled the amber liquid inside. Tonight, he needed something stronger. Since the meeting in Asher’s mini C&C, he couldn’t shake what Tex said. Someone in the FBI knew what Oscar was doing. If they did, they also knew he was spying on R.O.O.T. and if they sanctioned that, it meant someone within the FBI was dirty.
None of it, of course, surprised Jake.
Over the years working with R.O.O.T. and for the security company, he learned most people didn’t enjoy having their private life put out there for public consumption and Asher, well, when it came to investigating people and organizations, he put everything on blast. The shit with Lincoln wasn’t the first time he’d ever publicly had someone arrested. Sure, it was the first time Asher had physically done the job, but most of the investigations led to a suspect or five being picked up. It was just how things worked out.
Knowing as much, Jake had the sneaky suspicion this was personal, but why? Who could be left that had a vendetta against R.O.O.T.? All the major operations they’d been a part of over the years were finally closed. Anyone associated with them was in prison, or worse, dead. He scrubbed his face and finished his drink before tossing the file back on his desk. He wouldn’t find the answers sitting there all night. There were too many questions swirling around in his brain, and exhaustion was seeping in at the corners.
Perhaps tomorrow, after some sleep, he could hit the case running and find what he was missing. Until then, he exited his office and started for his room across from Ginger. The temptation to creep into her room and lie beside her had been a constant companion. Still, he told himself he would wait for her to make the next move. With everything he’d learned since he reentered her life, he’d never be the one to take her choices away. Ever. If she wanted him back, she’d have to tell him.And if she doesn’t?Well, they’d go from there. No matter what, though, he’d always be in her life.
Watching her back.
Chapter 11
When they were first married, Ginger noticed Jake kept everything he’d been working on secret, hidden from her. Now, as she stepped into his office, trying to find him so they could talk, files lay sprawled across his desk. Some were open, others closed. The bottle of bourbon on the desk along with the tumbler explained why. He must have been working into the wee hours of the morning.
Ginger crossed to Jake’s desk, knowing full well she shouldn’t be snooping, but she also couldn’t help herself. The information was right there. She hated being in the dark and if she could help the team, she would, especially where she was concerned. The folder with Mr. Yamamoto’s name on it stuck out to her. She grabbed it first as she sat down. It was stupid wanting to read everything about the man she worked for. There was a chance she could be implicated in his side business. The thought made her stomach clench in revolt. She’d never knowingly help any organized gang.
She opened the folder and peered at the contents. There were photos of Mr. Yamamoto when he was younger, along with his wife and baby son—Kiyoshi. There were pictures of the shop along with the exact milage from the business to the port, with areal views. The lengths Oscar had gone to, to scrutinize her boss and her. That thought bothered even more. To think her ‘husband’ thought she’d ever willingly help the Yakuza transport women made her laugh, and not because she’d found the situation funny.
Fucking prick.She opened the bottle of bourbon, even though she hated the stuff, and poured herself a drink. She had a feeling she’d need it the deeper she peered into the stack. As she continued reading, she came to a passage about a show she did about a year into their marriage. She’d asked Oscar if he’d like to go with her. They could make it a weekend, since her mom could watch Fawn. He declined, telling her he had some work thing to do. Ginger snorted.Right. A work thing.Instead, he’d been there. He’d captured several moments on film of Mr. Yamamoto talking with associates while the models wearing Ginger’s suits strutted their asses off down the runway.
Bastard.
It was official. She hated Oscar.
Oh sure, she should have hated him long before she even stepped foot into Jake’s office but, she hoped there was some sliver of good living in that snake’s slimy body. Ha, she was so stupid. As she pushed through the paperwork, she found a transcript of Jake’s interview with Ethan. Her stomach dropped. Her heart lodged in her throat. She still hadn’t processed Oscar had been married to a man. How could she? Ethan showed up at her temporary home, a place no one should have known where she was, and dropped another bomb in her life. In a single breath, he not only told her he was married to her now dead husband, but that Declan wasn’t meant for them, but for Ethan and Oscar. The crazy in that statement alone flayed her open.
But it also made sense.
Then she started reading over what was on the transcript. Before Oscar left Ethan, he promised they’d have a baby, which meant the likelihood of him trying to get her pregnant again had been higher than she realized. Now she was glad she never allowed Oscar to touch her after Declan’s birth. The idea nauseated her. Using her for his other family. What the fuck was wrong with her? Why didn’t she see all the red flags? She’d gone into their relationship with such clear glasses she should have seen those warnings. She had with Jake, especially when things were going sour between them. Yet, with Oscar, only recently had she figured out she was missing something.
The condom situation made sense, too. Which meant he was having sex with Ethan bare. She shivered in disgust. Not because it was two men having sex. No, she had nothing against same-sex relationships or whatever; it was the fact that Oscar could have been playing Russian Roulette with her sexual health, and he did so without remorse or care—like so many other things he did.
She grabbed the glass beside her and took a deep swallow of the amber liquor, then poured herself another glass and shot that one for good measure. Yeah, she was going to need an entire bottle to get through the pile of shit her life had become. Knowing the truth would allow her to find some closure, but at what cost to her mental health? As it was, she hung in a strange space where the truth was a lie, and a lie could be the truth. She wasn’t even sure she could trust herself at that point, because it seemed as if she always made the wrong decision.
“There you are,” Jake said from the door of his office. “Read anything interesting?” He stepped closer. “Or are you torturing yourself again?”
“Fuck off,” Ginger slurred. “I’m getting the truth my way.”
