Page 129 of After All The Wreckage
“Don’t take the job at ZeoTech.”
I raised my brows at her, and she smirked. She tossed back the contents of the glass, leaned in toward me, and said quietly, “I don’t work for the FBI.”
Somewhere along the way, I’d figured that out. It wasn’t just because she never dressed like the other agents—it was something in the way she held herself. Her training had been different.
When I didn’t respond, she asked, “Have you ever considered working for the NSA?”
That surprised me. It wasn’t what I’d expected her to say. I’d been expecting DEA or CIA or some other group known for its clandestine activities. “You don’t look like a computer analyst.”
She laughed. “And you don’t look like a private investigator.” When I didn’t say anything, she went on. “Truth is, I’m in the field a lot. Publicly, the National Security Agency does not conduct human-sourced intelligence gathering. We do, however, assist in the installation of required software and tools. We’re the tech buddy our partner agencies can’t live without, especially in foreign locations.”
I looked at Gage as he threw his head back and laughed at something Audrey had said. He’d been happier in the last few days than I’d ever seen him.
Even as a teenager, there’d always been this layer of sadness to him. Pain. Regret. All caused by the repeated cycle of his mother being in and out. I’d tangled my life with Gage’s, and I wanted it. I wanted all of it—the burden and the joy of each relationship. But it also meant I couldn’t leave them.
“Truth is,” I told her with a shaky breath, “I think my goals have changed.”
She looked toward Gage and then back and smiled. “I can understand that. My brother was Secret Service until recently. He resigned so he could be with his fiancée. Family is important. But just because you have a family you want to stay close to doesn’t mean you can’t work for the NSA.
“We need smart analysts, Rory. We have plenty of people who can code and hack and install the right technology, butpeople who understand the data coming in and who can put the pieces all together? That’s rare. You have an innate talent for it. My boss has told me to ask you what it would take for you to join. Not quite a carte blanche—we are the federal government after all—but you’d be able to set some terms. Push the salary a bit. Maybe get a signing bonus.”
The check from Dad was burning a hole in my pocket.
I was pretty sure I knew what I wanted to do with it. But it would eat up the check. I’d have to find a way to support myself. To help support a family.
She rose, sliding a business card over to me. All it had on it was a phone number.
“Give me a call after you’ve had a chance to think about it.”
She started to walk away, and I called out after her. “Hey G.”
When she looked back, I swallowed hard, guilt flooding me so hard I almost passed out. “I made a lot of mistakes recently.”
“Don’t we all. In this job, this way of life, you’ll make more. We’ll never have all the facts. We’ll never be able to fully trust the people or the systems we get our intel from. But from where I’m sitting, you’ve done a hell of a job with the cards you were dealt. Don’t underestimate yourself, Rory. I’m sure you’ve already realized there are plenty of people who will do it for you.”
She walked away, blending into the crowd of college kids before disappearing completely.
Gage’s eyes met mine across the room, and as if he could see and feel my uncertainty, he frowned. He started toward me, and I met him halfway. I rubbed at the frown line between his dark brows. The touch of him, as always, filled me with energy that coiled and grew, desperately needing a release.
“You’re going to be wrinkled and gray if you keep this up. Then people will really believe you’ve robbed the cradle because I don’t plan on having any wrinkles before I’m fifty.”
He smiled. That slow stunning smile that had first stopped my heart at twelve. Now, it curved through my chest and stomach and lower. Filling me with heat.
When he looked down, gray eyes turning stormy, I finally saw all the pieces of my life coming together. My past. My future. My present. And I knew what I wanted to do with the check in my pocket and with the offer G had made.
But even more, I wanted to surprise Gage with all of it.
? ? ?
The surprise had taken some finagling. More than I’d thought it would, but all the parts of my plan came together on New Year’s Eve. It was a big night for the bar, and Gage was supposed to be working, but I’d enlisted his family and mine into helping me execute the plan by freeing him up.
When he came downstairs from the apartment to start prepping the bar for opening, he found all of us waiting for him, including Dad and Nan.
“What’s all this?” Gage asked hesitantly.
“I have a surprise for you, but it means leaving with me now.”
He swallowed hard, looking around at everyone waiting there. “It’s New Year’s Eve, Pipsqueak… It’s a busy night. I can’t afford?—”
