Page 27 of Rhys

“How sure are you that what you found is legit?” He had to know. “I mean, I know you’re good, Grey.” In his opinion, the man was the best there was. “But we’re talking CIA here. How do you know the intel you found isn’t something the Agency put together to cover their tracks?”

“I’m sure.” The other man paused. “And to be honest, I’m a little offended that you felt the need to ask.”

One corner of Rhys’s mouth lifted with a half-smirk. “Sorry, man. I didn’t mean—”

Greyson chuckled. “I’m just giving you shit, Maddox. And don’t worry, I’m one hundred percent certain that what I just sent over is accurate. My guess is the Agency saw the story, read about the couple’s only surviving child—a daughter at the top of her pre-law classes. They saw an opportunity and decided to use her tragic situation to their advantage.”

“You mean, they usedher.” Sitting back in his office chair, Rhys linked his fingers behind his head and sighed. “And Kabul?”

He’d finally said screw it and filled Greyson in on the full story of his and Vanessa’s personal history earlier in the conversation. Even the part about the ring he’d bought the day before she took off.

His intent had been to propose after dinner the next night. But that dinner never happened.

Thankfully Grey hadn’t razzed him too badly. Mostly because the guy was a literal genius and had already suspected Rhys’s claims about the casual, not-a-big-deal relationship were a bunch of bullshit.

Greyson also assured him that he understood Rhys’s need to distance himself after being ghosted by a woman he’d been planning to marry. The man was nothing if not compassionate.

“From what I found, it all adds up,” the former SEAL responded. “Vanessa was sent to Kabul three months before the two of you met, and according to the intel included in the final case file against Young and the others…I mean, yeah. She could’ve had him and the others dead to rights long before she took off, but for some reason—and by some reason, I mean because of you—she stayed.”

So she was telling the truth. At least about the job. As for the way she left things with them, he still wasn’t fully convinced.

“What about the other?”

“I didn’t find any incriminating photos in her personnel file or the in-house Kabul after-action report. But I also didn’t expect to. In my experience, if a group like the CIA wants to blackmail someone into doing something for them, they’re not going to keep those types of files in their regular database.” Grey huffed a breath. “Asshole probably has copies of the photos locked away in his spank bank somewhere.”

The crude image the man’s words created sent a rush of anger through Rhys’s system. The mere thought of anyone else seeing Vanessa in what should have been a private, intimate moment made him want to find John Faraday and beat his scheming ass.

“So there’s no way of knowing if she was telling the truth about why she suddenly took off.”

“I didn’t say that.” Greyson paused dramatically. “I traced the I.P. address from one of the reports in the case file back to Faraday’s personal computer. Once I was in, I used a back door approach to gain access to everything…personal and professional emails, saved docs, all of it.”

“And?”

“I almost missed it, but just before I closed everything down, I found a massively encrypted file referencing the name V.M.”Vanessa Marsh.“Once I opened it and saw what was in there, I got right back out.”

“You gonna share or make me guess?”

“Pictures.” He sighed. “About two dozen, all of you and Vanessa. I’m sending those over now, but it looks like your girl was telling the truth about that, too.”

The dinging of a new notification filled his computer’s speakers. Clicking on the little paperclip icon, Rhys began scanning every photo, the private images taking him on an erotic trip down memory lane.

Son of a…

She was telling the truth. Every fucking word she’d said last night was true.

The secretive woman really had grown up in Nebraska. She really had lost her parents far too soon. And given the photos he was currently scrolling through, Vanessa really had left him that day in order to protect him.

It all added up to one thing…

I’ve spent the last two years hating the woman when all she was trying to do was keep me safe.

Putting that aside for now, Rhys asked Greyson one final question. “You speak to your detective friend? What’s his name, Hill?”

“Hall,” Greyson corrected him. “Lucas Hall. And yeah. He was able to run interference for us, but only for a few days. After that, he can’t make any promises.”

“Thanks, man. Seriously. And let Hall know I owe him one.” The sound of a door opening from upstairs had him rushing to get off the phone. “I gotta go,” he lowered his voice. “See you and the others in an hour.”

“See you then, brother.”

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