Page 19 of No Mistakes
He leans back in his chair, his gaze flickering between me and Mandy. “So. You two wanna tell me what the hell happened out there?” He starts. “I sent you out on a simple job. A stakeout. Follow a simple woman and report back.”
I look towards Mandy, trying to figure out what to respond, but she’s already a step ahead. She looks forward, placing her elbows on her knees while keeping eye contact with him. “Look, sometimes in this job we have to go off the radar for our protection. It was in the training. It’s in all the contracts for every single stakeout job, and unfortunately, this time, it had to happen.”
Rob doesn’t look convinced as he narrows his eyes at Mandy before shifting his gaze to me. I swallow hard, feeling my body clench up from nerves of being caught for… what? A traumatic romantic fling with someone from the mafia? Because that would look great on my CV if I need to look for another job.
“You disappeared. No calls, no check-ins, nothing. You understand how bad that looks? I had execs breathing down my neck, threatening to shut us down for losing two of our best.”
Mandy shrugs, “But we’re not lost. We’re here. In one piece.”
“Barely,” he mutters under his breath. “What the hell went sideways out there? And don’t tell me nothing because those marks on Eva’s face say otherwise.”
I exchange a glance with Mandy. Obviously, the make-up didn’t work as much as we thought it did. She gives me the slightest nod, and I inhale sharply, picking my words with care.
“We arrived at the safe house as planned and awaited confirmation to proceed with the investigation. Once received, we followed the target.” I begin, making sure to run over the checklist for the story Mandy and I made up. “It came to our attention that she wasn’t who we thought she was, and we didn’treceive the information that was required to execute this job correctly.”
Rob leans forward, his elbows on the desk as he listens. “Explain.”
I take another deep breath, trying to calm the anxious feeling brewing inside of me. Mandy reaches over and squeezes my leg, no doubt noticing the signs. “She was connected to something bigger,” Mandy explains, stepping in smoothly. “Dangerous people. High-level players. Not just some cheating spouse like the job described. We got too close, things escalated, so we took the actions needed.”
Rob stays silent for a while, no doubt processing everything we just said. “Are you saying the client lied?”
“I’m saying the client definitely isn’t who we thought they were,” I reply carefully, because that statement is partly true. Axel isn’t who I thought he was; he was someone completely different.
He throws himself back into his chair, exhaling through his nose. “You expect me to go on the board with that?”
“You asked what happened,” Mandy replies, “We’re telling you.”
Rob rubs a hand over his face. “Jesus. You should’ve called it in. The second it got dangerous-”
“And what?” Mandy interrupts, her tone sharper. “We were being watched. Tracked. We barely got out of there. Making a call would’ve been a death sentence.”
I watch his expression carefully, trying to figure out what could be going through his mind. Does he believe us or can he tell it’s all a lie? There’s a flash of concern that flickers across his face, buried under all the frustration and exhaustion, but it’s there.
He opens one of the folders in front of him, “So what now? You think whatever mess you stirred up is going to stay buried?”
I hold back a laugh at the thought of anything staying buried. I may not have known Axel for a long time, but something inside tells me it won’t be long until we meet again, whether I like it or not. All I know is that right now, he isn’t my problem.
“I don’t know,” I answer, “But it’s not our problem anymore. The job’s done.”
Mandy shifts in her seat, preparing herself to say something. “We need to see what’s on that flash drive Adam left.” She blurts out.
Her words grab Rob’s attention, and his eyes lift with a hint of suspicion. “Why?”
“Because something’s wrong,” she says. “You know it, too. He didn’t justquit. There has to be something else.”
He holds his hands up in the air, shaking his head. “Sorry, ladies, but unfortunately, I am unable to approve that request.”
Mandy stands, forcing the chair backwards as it scrapes across the floor, “but-”
“I will examine the contents and inform you if anything unusual comes from it.” He says, cutting her off.
She smirks, “Of course. You don’t trust us anymore, do you?”
Now, why do I have a feeling we’re about to get ourselves in even more trouble? But this time, for stealing.
CHAPTER 10
ANT
