As if on cue, his phone buzzed. Rhys pulled it out of his pocket suspiciously, checking the caller ID.
Aaron Merrett.
Rhys frowned.
What the hell is he doing, calling me? This could jeopardize everything!
Aaron shouldn’t be talking to him at all – he had, after all, testified against him at the suspension hearing, and since he was a part of the investigation and employed by the Agency, he wastechnically barred from having any communication with Rhys whatsoever.
Hesitating, Rhys contemplated simply hanging up – it wouldn’t dohimany good either to get caught talking to someone he couldn’t really talk to.
But in the end, despite his misgivings, his curiosity won out, and he picked up the call.
“Hello?” he said, keeping his tone professionally distant.
“Hey, Rhys,” said Aaron, sounding much more casual than Rhys felt. “How’s it going?”
“Aaron,” Rhys replied smoothly, as he continued to keep a sharp eye out for any kind of threat nearby. “Why are you calling me?”
Aaron sighed and paused for a moment, before the words came out in a rush. “I just wanted to say that I’m sorry about how everything went down. I know that you were just working with the information you had.”
Rhys could feel his teeth starting to grind, and he unclenched his jaw with some effort. “Aaron,” he said, “you know you shouldn’t be talking to me.”
“I know,” Aaron said. “But we’re all worried about you – I’ve been talking with some of the others, and we all think it’s bullshit. And then you apparently got shot, and then you just disappeared into thin air. It’s a relief just to know you’re alright.” A pause. “Youareall right, aren’t you? Where are you?”
Warning bells were going off in Rhys’s head.
Is this guy for real? Is he just so concerned about me that he’s breaking protocol to check that I’m okay, or is he checking up on my movements?
“I’m fine,” he said shortly. “I don’t want to jeopardize the investigation, so –”
“Oh no, I get it,” Aaron interrupted him. “I just… felt really bad. I didn’t really want to drop you in it, but you know I couldn’tlie, either. You’d think if the discipline board has half a brain cell between them they’d see that, right?”
Rhys paused, not especially willing to say any more, but at the same time, not sure what response Aaron was angling for. “Well, maybe,” he finally said.
“But that’s why we’ve been worried,” Aaron went on after a moment. “Where did you even get to?”
“Look, like I said, I don’t think I should be talking about this right now,” Rhys said. “I appreciate the call, Aaron, but right now I have to go. Bye, and thanks for your concern.”
He hung up and jammed his phone back into his pocket, his mood significantly lower than it had been a couple of minutes ago.
What the hell is going on?!
He was suddenly very glad that he had gone to Michael and Shaz for help, rather than talk to anyone within the Agency. Not that he didn’t trust his immediate team members, but the last thing he wanted was to drag any of them into this mess. Beyond them, though, he was starting to wonder just who hecouldtrust.
Better to trust no one, at this point, until he had more info. He hoped that Michael would get back to him soon.
He was dragged from his grim thoughts by Maisie, who emerged from the swimsuit shop, laden with bags.
“Sorry!” she said breathlessly. “I think I went a little overboard.”
Rhys smiled, his mood lightening. Whatever was going on at the Agency, he couldn’t do much about it until Michael had gotten back to him. Right now, he was with his mate in a tropical paradise, and he intended to make the most of it.
“Nah, I think you didn’t buy enough. Make that little pissant regret ever giving us his credit card.”
Maisie laughed. “Well, it’s not his money, so I doubt he cares. But itwasnice to buy some new things without worrying aboutwhether I’d have to eat instant noodles for the next month.” She handed him the card. “You better make sure to get yourself some clothes, too!”
Rhys nodded, though it was really the last thing on his mind right now. Still, he probably couldn’t go through the whole trip wearing the same outfit. He didn’t exactly think of himself as a sensitive new age kind of guy, but he was self-aware enough to know that Maisie would probably like him better if he had a change of clothes.
