Page 9 of A Labor of Hate
“I’ll do it,” I said, relishing the burn of Colt’s stare against the side of my head.“Whatever it takes, I’ll do it.”
McBride offered a small smile.“I’m glad you feel that way, actually.Dixon?”
Colt pounded a fist against his chest and cleared his throat, and I swear I could feel his attention on me despite the fact that he looked only at McBride.Here it was: the polite refusal.
Except, to my horror, the words that came out of his mouth were, “I’m in.”
I blinked, stunned into numb silence as Colt settled smugly back into his chair.Did I hear that right?Clearly I’d misheard, and what he’d actually said was “Yemen.”Which admittedly wouldn’t make much sense, but it would make more sense than himagreeingto this.
“Excellent.”McBride met my eyes now, blessedly not commenting on my dead fish stare.“I know you’ve already accepted, but there’s something I wanted to make sure you were aware of before?—”
The door opened with a knock, and a middle-aged woman in a sharp suit poked her head in.“I hate to interrupt, but I finally have a few minutes if you can spare the time, McBride.”
“Ah, yes, ASAC Williams, just the person I was hoping to see.”He stood, motioning for Colt and me to vacate his office.“You’re dismissed, agents.Now, we can talk wherever works best for you, but I was hoping to catch you before the brief…”
Their voices trailed off as I walked woodenly back to my desk.The fluorescent lights overhead seemed to bug in and out, and the voices of the other agents around me were nothing more than a low hum.
He’d agreed to it.Colt and me.Fake married.It would be the unhappiest, shortest marriage in the history of unholy matrimonies, but we had to make it work.I certainly wasn’t going to back out, no matter how much the thought of feigning romance with Colt made me want to hurl.And, apparently, he was in the same boat.
Whoopty-freakin-do.
I was going to needa lotmore coffee.
CHAPTERFOUR
“AS YOU ALL know, Charles Gauthier,”McBride began, motioning toward the image of a stone-faced man wearing a scarf and overcoat on the giant screen, “also known asLe Chimiste, is responsible for the infamous cocktail drug ‘ambrosia’ that has claimed over fifty lives in Detroit last month.It’s highly addictive, incredibly potent, and able to be administered in a number of different ways.Word on the street is that he’s releasing a newer, better one in two months’ time.”
I listened with my characteristic emotionless mask on, forcing myself to focus on the information rather than the hurricane of mixed emotions raging through me.As much as I hated the idea of playing nice with Colt Dixon, I was part of something way bigger than myself.Astronomically bigger.
Le Chimistedidn’t make the drugs, not exactly.His specialty wastweakingthem.Enhancing them.Modifying them.Whatever you wanted to call it, he did it.If a drug dealer in Cleveland or Chicago wanted bigger profits, he sent his product toLe Chimistefor “perfecting.”His reputation was far-reaching enough that every drug-related crimes agent in the northeastern United States had heard of him—without knowing who he really was, of course.Not until recently.
McBride continued, “Our sources indicate that Gauthier is behind the recent spike in drug abuse and deaths in the last five years, specifically in Detroit and Windsor, Canada.We’ve been gathering intel for the past three years but have yet to get any hard evidence that linksLe Chimisteto the drugs in any way.”He met my eyes with a brief nod.“Now that we know his real identity, we’ve combed through every receipt, tax return, and social media post we can find.”
Max grinned and shot me a thumbs up, a stark contrast to Colt’s brooding face.At least Colt wasn’t smug at the moment.For once.
“His business books are impeccable, so we can’t even nail him for tax-related charges.”McBride clicked to the next photo, showing Gauthier surrounded by a group of beefy men.Each of them differed widely in ethnicity and appearance, save for the fact they could all crush a watermelon with their bare hands.“Whenever he’s in public, he’s surrounded by five different bodyguards—four of whom are suspected to be on loan from various cartels and gangs around the nation who use Gauthier’s services.We have only recently found a potential opening in his security we can exploit.We will do this by sending in two agents—Piper and Dixon—undercover.Hopefully, they will be able to get close enough to get evidence against Gauthier before his next cocktail drug hits the streets.”
Heads nodded in understanding, rippling through the conference room like a wave.The next photo on the screen showed a harried Gauthier exiting the hospital next to a petite blonde with a barely-noticeable baby bump.Flanking them on all sides was his security entourage.Always there.
Always.
“Our surveillance indicates that the only time Gauthier won’t be surrounded is during his wife’s Lamaze classes.”
My stomach sank with the unmistakable feeling that this assignment just got a whole lot more complicated.I didn’t know jack squat about Lamaze, short of it being a birthing class, and I wouldn’t need Colt with me if I was going undercover as the instructor, anyway.Was this what McBride had wanted to tell me before the assistant special agent in charge had interrupted?
McBride shot me another glance, and I swear his frown looked a little guilty.“Piper and Dixon will be undercover as a married couple attending the same class.”
The blood drained from my face.Yep.Suspicions confirmed.This was going to suck.
Colt arched a brow, and the corner of his mouth quirked into his smug little smirk.I’d almost give him an award for going three whole minutes without wearing it, but I was too busy going through my own personal crisis.The medal would have to wait.
A variety of reactions swept through the room, from Max’s polite attempt to hide his smile, to Rowan’s sympathetic grimace, to Alec’s blatant amusement at this development, but I barely noticed them.My attention was locked on my fake husband and the gleeful sparkle in his eyes.Not only would I be his fake wife, but I’d be fake-pregnant while doing it.
And I’d already agreed.
Lex’s final words:Whatever it takes, I’ll do it.Let those words appear on my tombstone.Spoken with a well-meaning sense of duty and honor, sure, but they were still my downfall, nonetheless.
Worse yet, I wouldn’t back down even knowing these new details.Yeah, I’d like to stick it to Colt—who was undoubtedly waiting for me to back out—but what I wanted even more was to takeLe Chimistedown once and for all.Whatever it takes.
