“Speaker Finely, is everything all right, sir? I’m in the car now, on my way over to your place. Did you need me
to do anything for you before I get there?”
“No, Colt. Actually, I was hoping to catch you before you got here. I’ve just spoken with Natalie. I’m not sure what’s going on, but she requested to speak with the head of the security team.”
“Oh…” I’d said, my mouth having grown dry right on the spot.
“Do you know what this is about?”
I swallowed, not having the faintest idea what to say. So I lied. “I’m not sure.”
“Well, she sounded pretty upset. Now I’ve actually been contacted by the head of security, myself. Someone else has been sent on my detail for the day, and I’ve been told that if I spoke to you before your handler did, to let you know that you are to report to his office.”
I swore in my head. “I see. Thanks for the heads up, sir.”
“Keep me updated, Colt. I hope everything is all right.”
But of course, everything was far from all right. And my time to figure out what needed to be done to make it all right was quickly vanishing.
It had been a hassle to so abruptly change direction in order to head over to the security headquarters, but it’s not like I hadn’t know this was coming on some level. After all, that’s why I had left Natalie’s safehouse so early in the first place. I knew she would be ready to unleash pure hell on me for what I’d done to her. I had completely shattered not only her peace of mind, but her heart as well.
As I continued to sit outside of the office waiting for Jared to see me, I began to hear him shuffling about behind the closed door. After a while, I heard him on a phone call. My heart began to race, intuitively knowing I was the topic of the conversation. I knew I was about to face unemployment very soon for the careless antics I could no longer deny or take back.
Basically, I was about to get what I deserved.
Fuck.
The office door swung open. “All right, Colt. Come on in,” Jared said.
I took a deep breath, rose from my seat, and entered the office. It too, felt cold and unwelcoming, just like the waiting area.
My handler’s face lacked its usual friendliness. Although his act of optimism had annoyed me the last time I’d been in his presence, I now wished he would keep up the charade; it would have made the situation feel a little more tolerable. But then again, I didn’t deserve such comforts.
“Take a seat,” Jared instructed.
We sat down opposite of one another at the table, and proceeded to stare at each other for what felt like an eternity. Finally, Jared broke the silence.
“Look Colt—you’ve always been one of my best, so I really don’t know what to make of this. Can you tell me what happened?”
Another long silence occurred as I sat there, trying to put into words what I needed to say. Unfortunately, my mind was suddenly drawing a blank. Just moments ago, I had been prepared to tell the truth and face the consequences, hoping Jared would have mercy on me. I had planned to confess that I had indeed gotten a little too close to Natalie Finley, and that my professional judgment had momentarily been hindered as a result. I wanted to tell him that nevertheless, I still took my job seriously and didn’t want to be cut from the team—that I was invested in Speaker Finley’s safety, and that from now on, it was all I would focus on.
Jones could remain on Natalie’s detail, as long as she was safe.
But as I sat across from my handler, none of those words seemed capable of leaving my mouth. All I could think about was the night I’d spent with Natalie at the pool, the last time we had sex, and that fateful day in the library when I not only confessed my feelings to her, but had even acted on those feelings right on the spot.
I thought about the first time we’d met, all the way back in Turkey…
How last night, she had looked me right in the eyes and told me that she loved me, and how like an asshole, I hadn’t even responded.
Jared cleared his throat, clearly not in the mood to be on the other end of the waiting game.
I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck. “I guess you can say some things went wrong during my assignment at the safehouse with Natalie Finley. She would now feel more comfortable if someone else was placed on her detail. I think her wishes should be granted.”
“Something went wrong like what?” Jared asked.
I swallowed. “I think there was some confusion about…about the nature of…the work I was doing for her.”
“I’ve also heard there was some confusion about the shifts between you and Jones. Can you tell me why Jones informed me that the two of you had occasionally been switching locations, after I clearly stated you were to stay with Speaker Finley? Jones stated that he was under the impression that you had been given official word that such switches were to occur. But that’s funny—because I certainly never gave any orders on such a thing. So where did you get these orders from, Mr. Jackson? And don’t tell me Speaker Finley put you up to it. Speaker Finley is not your handler.”