Shit.His story was not something he was eager to tell Hadley.If she knew too much about him, she’d stop trusting him.Or looking at him like he was her hero.
Hereallyliked it when she looked at him like that.
Franklin, however, was all too willing to ruin Cole’s day.“You know those stories you hear on the news when a foreign dictator is mysteriously toppled?Or when our governmentsomehowends up with an enemy’s top-secret data?Well, chances are, if that shit happened in the last decade—up until last year, of course—your friend Cole, here, had something to do with that.”
But much to his surprise—and Franklin’s—Hadley didn’t react like either of them expected.She shifted her wide eyes to Cole and said, “I knew it!You’re Jason fucking Bourne!”
He could’ve gone on for days about all the things that were inaccurate in the Bourne movies and books.Instead, Cole turned his attention to a now scowling Franklin.“How did you even know I killed those guys?Have I been under surveillance?Becausethatwould also be a violation of our agreement.”
He’d agreed not to turn over the dirt he had on Franklin’s boss in exchange for his complete freedom.That meant no one in the government was allowed to check up on him unless he’d committed some kind of crime, which he hadn’t.Well, until tonight, at least.
Franklin leaned forward, clasping his pudgy hands in front of him.“That’s the beauty of this whole thing.No one was surveilling you.Shewas the target.”
“Me?”Hadley asked.“Why would anyone care what I’m doing?”
Well, Cole cared.He cared abouteverythingshe did.But he imagined his interest in Hadley was different from the CIA’s.“I’m betting it has something to do with your date.His family is Irish mafia.I’m sure the FBI wanted him to inform on them.He wouldn’t.So, they turned to you.Probably thought you’d agree to gather info and testify against them.The CIA only got involved when I showed up and broke the guy’s arm the other night.Their interests would trump the FBI’s in that case, since I’m a Homeland Security risk.I assume Franklin’s been watching since then.”
Franklin gave him a slow clap.“Well done.Glad to see you’re not rusty after your extended vacay.”
Cole would’ve given him the finger, but that would’ve required letting go of Hadley’s hand andfuck that.But Franklin’s confirmation of how things went down did bring to mind one question.“So, you were watching her house tonight, right?”
Hadley sat up straighter when Franklin stayed quiet.“Wait…you were watchingtonight?When those fuckers broke into my house, held me down in my bed, and threatened to sex traffic me if I didn’t agree tomarryDarren?Thenagainwhen he tried to kill me in my own foyer?Why didn’t you stop him?”
Franklin had the grace to at leastlooka little regretful, but not enough grace to apologize.The cowardly asshole kept his mouth shut.It was Cole who answered, “Because they didn’t care what happened to you.If he killed you, the FBI would have the leverage they needed to flip Darren against his family.If I showed up and saved you, the CIA would have leverage against me.It was a win-win for both agencies.You were just a pawn.”
The look of hurt and betrayal on Hadley’s face really clarified one fact for Cole.
He was going to destroy Franklin.Not today.Maybe not tomorrow.But eventually.And it was going to be slow and painful.OfthatCole was sure.
Thankfully, though, the emotions on Hadley’s face quickly shifted from pain to rage.Her rage was way easier for Cole to handle.Mostly because he found it unbearablyhot.
Hadley’s lip curled in disgust as she regarded Franklin right before she said, “Well, in that case…I hope you choke on a giant bag of dicks, you itchy, flaming, syphiliticasshole.”
The rusty, choked sound Cole let out was probably a laugh.But it had been so long since something amused him that he wasn’t sure.Itfeltlike amusement, though.He glanced over at Franklin and caught the shell-shocked, offended look on his face.
Yep.That shit washilarious.
Franklin cleared his throat.“Well.Um.None of that is relevant.What matters is that Iownyou now.Bothof you.”
That effectively killed Cole’s amusement.Fucking Franklin.He would’ve loved to bask in glow of the first thing that made him laugh in years, butno.Here was Franklin to ruin his good time.“You’ve got nothing on her and you know it.And are you forgetting why the CIA let me go and I didn’t end up dead in a ditch somewhere?It’s because I have proof of all the unsanctioned shit your boss did.As soon as I disappear, I have fail safes in place that will push everything to the media.After that, if I end up in Guantanamo, it’ll be in a cell right next to his.Something tells me he’ll find a way to drag you down with him.”
The bastard’s smug smirk made Coleitchto smash his face in.“You can do that.And it’ll probably go down just like you said.But when you and I disappear, the only one left to take the blame for killing those two men is her.And I’ll make sure she looksdamnguilty, Clayton.How long do you think it’ll take for the Irish to come after her?”
Cole’s blood ran cold.He was willing to die or rot in a pit for killing the men who hurt Hadley.He’d happily drag Franklin and his boss to hell with him.But leaving Hadley holding the bag for murders he’d committed?
Not fucking happening.
He narrowed his eyes on Franklin.“What do you want?”
Franklin chuckled.“Finally.About time you realized you’re not the one in charge this time.”
Hadley tugged on his pinkie with hers.“Don’t do it,” she hissed.“Whatever he wants, don’t do it.They can’t prove I killed those guys.”
He admired the hell out of her spirit.But she was so, so wrong.
“Oh, but we don’t just need him, Ms.Lockhart,” Franklin said, sounding way too smug for a man with as little time left on the planet as Cole would makesurethis motherfucker had.“We need you, too.”
Cole’s chin hit his chest.And here he’d been thinking everything couldn’t get worse.
