Page 96 of Courting Gossip (Courting)
‘He got in the way,’ she whispered.
Brody nodded. ‘It’s all been hinted at, but I haven’t been able to verify anything. From what I’ve been able to gather, the unit had to split their resources to cover him. It made them vulnerable, and two were hurt during the extraction.’
She gasped. ‘Why didn’t any of this come out?’
‘Because it was deemed a successful mission. They safely retrieved our agent, and the whole rescue mission was filmed.’
‘With a GoPro camera?’ she said sarcastically.
She wasn’t going to let that go. Somehow,some way, Brody had to get that footage of her back. It wasn’t safe outside their possession, not even in the bowels of the Metro PD Evidence Room.
He sat back heavily in the chair. ‘The mission was presented to the public. Awards were given. Murphy wanted that story and he went after it, not caring who got hurt in the process.’
‘I care,’ she said. ‘And I think the public would, too, if they knew.’
‘Nobody’s talking,’ Brody said. He scrubbed his hands over his face. He hadn’t pulled too hard when he’d found the thread, but there had been no give. ‘Not the military or the crew he was with. If we’re going to use his greatest achievement against him, we need proof.’
Genieve’s mouth scrunched as she thought, but then her consternation cleared. Colour lit her cheeks as she whipped out her phone.
Brody frowned. ‘Who are you calling?’
‘You’ve tried your resources, but I haven’t tried mine.’
His scowl deepened, and she narrowed her eyes on him. Stubbornly, she continued to dial. ‘I haven’t slept with every man I know,’ she hissed.
Her mood switched on a dime when whoever she was calling answered.
‘Hey, Darien,’ she said, her voice silky smooth. ‘I need your help.’
The big bruiser. Brody’s fingers drummed. It was good to know they’d never been an item, but what exactly was that guy’s job?
‘Do you know who Kevin Murphy is?’ she asked. ‘Right, the candidate for senator. I’ve heard that when he was a reporter in the war, he botched a mission and Marines were hurt. Can you get me their names? Pretty please?’
She rolled her eyes and wobbled her head as the guy obviously turned her down flat, yet Brody’s eyebrows lifted when her voice turned throaty and vulnerable.
‘It’s not for Gunderson. It’s for me.’ She took a shaky breath. ‘Rielle probably doesn’t know this, but Nina found out Murphy is the one who sent those reporters to the Emissary. He’s the man behind what happened to me.’
From where he sat Brody heard the cursing on the other end of the line. Genieve threw him a wink, and he shook his head in disbelief. She knew her power over men. They were all doomed.
‘Brody’s trying to protect me, but he needs the names of the soldiers injured so he can take Murphy down.’ She cleared her throat, and her voice took on a teasing tone. ‘I’d appreciate it, Darien, and you do owe me.’
She giggled at whatever he said. ‘Get me the names, and we’ll call it even on the darts games.’
She was smiling when she hung up and looked at him. ‘He’ll see what he can do.’
Brody could only stare. ‘You’re better at this than I am.’
She got up onto her knees and put the phone on the table. ‘I’m better at getting information from people, but I suspect you’re better at using it against them than I am.’
He hoped so. He leaned forward to give her a swift kiss. They made a good team.
‘So Darien’s military?’ he asked.
She shrugged. ‘I don’t know what he does. Nobody does. It just seemed like something he could help with.’
She got to her feet. ‘Want another beer?’
The storm outside moved in as they waited for the phone to ring. Rain began to splatter against the roof and the windows. Lightning flashed, but the thunder was still a ways off. Maybe it would just trail along the coastline. Genieve started the gas fireplace in the corner and laid down on the sofa. Brody watched her for a moment before joining her. He slid in behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist.
