The Repair Shop was a lie. She just needed to prove it. If she could show Atlantis and the rest that they’d all been lied to, maybe she could set them free before it was too late. Even if she died trying. So long as no one she loved died trying to save her.
Gina kept moving forward in her thoughts.
The days following Jeremy’s death were a blur. Lachlan was gone on a mission and Gina didn’t dare try and discover his location. She was being watched closely, supposedly to keep her safe, but she knew better. The CIA had a leak and she looked like a prime suspect. Plus, she was numb. Her mentor was dead. Her hopes of marrying Lachlan, delayed. She needed to stay in and find where Jeremy had been taken and tortured to death, though her best guess was Little Edward Cay. Flight records showed that Marcus Porter had flown to his island the night of Eva’s murder. When questioned by the press about Eva’s death, he said he was saddened and that it was tragic that she was supposed to accompany him to the island that day, but changed her mind at the last minute due to a party in town. Gina had bet her soul Jeremy was on that flight, probably drugged, only to wake up in a torture chamber.
Months went by and it became clear her time with the CIA might be ending anyway. She was stonewalled, left out, and questioned at every turn. Until one day, she was approached by a man who called himself Atlantis who recruited her into The Repair Shop. The clandestine group was government-funded, though Gina dared anyone to trace the funds. As far as she could tell, it was made up of former CIA, FBI, military, and a few civvies with special talents and no family ties to speak of. Their mission was to track the movements of a mysterious group rumored to be controlling world events and stop them where and when they could—by any means necessary.
Gina saw The Repair Shop as a way to track Marcus Porter and eventually bring him down. She was shocked to find that he wasn’t even on their radar. Then her shock turned to nausea when she learned just how many other people were suspected of being members of what was rumored to be called Capitoline.
“But this time,” Atlantis assured her, “you’ll be able to finally act against them directly.”
Gina couldn’t resist. Surely with new resources at her fingertips and carte blanche to pursue her enemy, she could finally clear her name, bring justice to Marcus Porter, and let Jeremy lay at rest.
Her first thought was to discover where Lachlan was and get word to him, tell him that she was only staying in a little while longer, just long enough to avenge Jeremy. She left a message on his phone explaining as much as she could and telling him to contact her when he returned.
If the CIA was intrusive, The Repair Shop was worse. Members were discouraged from any relationships at all. It was the nature of the work, Atlantis told her. And in the meantime, she trained and learned a new level of spycraft. Once she passed her tests, she was sent on missions around the world. Every new place she went, she wondered how close or how far she was from Lachlan. But she didn’t have much time to wonder. She faced danger she’d never known before, she took lives, telling herself she was saving others. And it was true. Capitoline liked to stir up political unrest, especially in Africa. The entire continent was targeted by the whole world, and Capitoline especially, for its resources.
When it came to Lachlan, she was patient. She would wait, and in the meantime, continue to fight the good fight. The Repair Shop had already stopped an attempted coup with her help. It felt good to actually do something without all the red tape, something that saved thousands of lives that would otherwise be lost to a pointless war where billionaires profited.
After months of hearing nothing from Lachlan, she sent a text but it bounced. A letter she sent to his apartment returned to her. She tried again to find him, but had no luck; whatever mission he was on was top-secret. She called the property management company and was told Lach’s prepaid lease had ended three months ago and was not renewed. That’s all the guy knew since his company had just taken over the building the month before.
My God, is he dead? Had he been killed during his mission? Frantic, she lied to Atlantis, saying she needed to know the whereabouts of a certain squad for her next mission. It was a terrible lie, and Atlantis saw right through it. But, he told her he’d look into it and let her know when she got back from Africa if not sooner.
It was there during an already frustrating mission that she discovered Lachlan was not dead. He had retired from the SEALs three months ago—the same time his lease ended.
Not a word. Not a single text or call. No letter in her secret P.O. box.
He’d given up on her after all.
That’s when she found Fleur.
Fleur came into Gina’s life at the moment she needed her most. Sitting in her hotel room with the dog she’d just rescued after a protest turned deadly, Gina thought about Lachlan and their last conversation.
I’m gonna get a doghe’d told her.You’d be a good dog mom.
Well, she had a dog right there, one who seemed loyal and brave and protective. And Gina was already feeling the same way toward Fleur.
Ironic.
Walker Dean saved her on that mission when she became trapped in the hotel. She called in reinforcements and his SEAL team answered, only to have Walker captured and tortured.
Her fault.
She went back for him, which took a lot of cajoling, but in the end, he was rescued and recruited into The Repair Shop.
No. Drafted was a better word for it. As much as they liked to say their members were dedicated to the cause, once you were in a while there was a feeling of being…trapped. So much so that when Atlantis asked if Gina wanted to know where Lachlan was currently living—a knowing grin on his face, damn him—she said no.
The Repair Shop was also where she met Malcolm McCoy—one of the coldest killers she knew, and yet she’d called him a friend. Like her, Malcolm was still part of The Repair Shop and working at Watchdog as a cover. When he’d met Annalie Givens on a security job, she brought out his warmth and humanity. Gina had arranged for Mal to keep his cover at Watchdog and was honestly surprised they let him. After Hawaii and losing Skeleton Key, Gina was no longer the organization’s favorite daughter and didn’t always get what she requested.
Now, Malcolm would do anything to protect his fiancée. Gina prayed he’d do the right thing and stick with Watchdog. She hoped again that if Elissa did have an alert on the app and Lachlan was after her he would head for Key West thinking she was trying to send him a signal.
Even a cruel one.
* * *
Gina, four years ago, Key West
Gina had arrived in Key West the day before and checked into her hotel. She’d treated herself to room service, a long soak in the tub, then slipped between soft sheets into a marshmallow of a bed and fell into a fitful sleep. It was too much jetlag she told herself, and not this particular mission that had her tossing and turning, second-guessing herself. Was she pathetic? Desperate? Was she doing this out of selfishness, wanting an answer, closure? Time would tell.
