“We don’t know what this is.” I’m not defending him per se—I just don’t want to jump to the obvious conclusion. “He said he was working an angle. This could be it.”
“We need fucking answers,” Saint says. “And we’re getting them tonight.” He looks into the back seat. “Reschedule the meet with Bry to tomorrow night. This can’t wait.”
We sit in silence for another few minutes, watching the two men talking, their faces changing as the conversation grows heated.
What I wouldn’t give to hear what they are saying.
The DEA dude jumps up, stalking off and getting into a blacked-out SUV. We all duck down in our seats, waiting for his car to pass. Saint has his hand on the door handle when I tug on his elbow. “I’ll go. You two will just end up punching one another.” I don’t wait for his reply, hopping out and jogging toward Diesel’s Land Rover.
He’s about to drive off when he spots me. He rests his head on the steering wheel, his lips moving as I walk around the car and climb into the passenger seat.
“I bet this was that asshole’s idea,” he supplies, but his voice is resigned, not angry. I’m guessing that is more to do with the bruising shadows under his eyes and his pale pallor.
“When did you last sleep, Diesel? Last eat a proper meal?”
He shrugs. “I’ve a lot on my plate right now,” he admits.
“And I’m only adding to your burden.”
“You’re not a burden, Harlow. You never could be. You’re my priority.”
“Why, Diesel? You’ve got to give me, us, some answers.” I make a split-second decision, hoping I’m making the right call. “I know you work for VERO.”
“Shit.” He closes his eyes briefly, and air escapes his mouth. “Theo is more talented than I’ve given him credit for.”
“My man has mad skills.” Pride seeps into my tone, and Diesel picks up on it.
“You’re in love with him.”
I confirm it with my eyes.
“With all of them?” he inquires.
I don’t answer that question because I haven’t told the guys yet. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is, we’re supposed to be working as a team and we’re not. We need to know it all, Diesel.” I touch his arm. “I know you don’t trust them, but you trust me, and I trust them, so, please, come back to the barn, have a shower, eat some lasagna, have a beer, and just tell us what the fuck is going on.”
_______________
“Where do you want me to start?” Diesel asks an hour later after we’ve all eaten. Theo has lit a fire, and we’re all sitting around it, sipping beers. Diesel is drinking coffee, because he insists he needs to head home later, and it’s probably for the best even though I offered him a room for the night.
There’s no guarantee Saint wouldn’t try to slit his throat while he slept.
“How did my father find you?” I ask, curling my hands around my beer.
“Through my brother Lincoln.”
I sit up straighter. “Lincoln from the law firm is your brother?” He nods. “Huh. You look nothing alike.”
“We were both adopted,” he confirms, drinking from his mug.
“Lincoln never mentioned a word.”
“He wouldn’t. He’s been sworn to secrecy. Anyone who knows the identity of my employer is at risk, so I tend to limit the people I tell.”
I’m guessing it’s a lonely lifestyle and not one conducive to marriage and family life. My heart aches for Diesel for all he’s missing out on.
“How did you end up working for VERO?” Theo asks, idly threading his fingers through my hair. Saint is on the other side of me on the couch while Caz and Galen share the smaller couch and Diesel occupies the chair.
“I was recruited by the FBI straight from college. Spent a few years working for them, but the regimented structure went against my nature, so I quit. A couple months after I left, I was approached to join VERO. It sounded a better fit, so I took the job, and here I am.”
“How did Lincoln convince you to train Lo?” Saint asks, and I’m pleased he’s behaving himself now. When we first got back here, I thought he was going to put a bullet in Diesel’s skull.
“I only signed up for a few weeks. No offense, Lo,” he says, smiling at me. “But training a feisty thirteen-year-old wasn’t exactly on my bucket list.”
“What changed?” Galen asks.
“I met her,” he softly says, and all the guys stare at him.
My heart thumps behind my rib cage.
He turns to me. “You were so lost, but you had this fiery determination and this inner strength, and I’d never seen anything like it before. I knew you were special, and I also knew you were vulnerable. Your father was a shrewd player. He knew as soon as I met you I would change my mind, and he told me what’d happened and explained about the continuous threat, and that was all it took to confirm my commitment to a more permanent arrangement.”
“I’m taking it your employer doesn’t know.”
His jaw clenches. “They didn’t at first. But they found out.”
I shift uncomfortably, and the guys turn rigidly still.
“Explain that,” Saint grits out.
“I kept Lo a secret, fitting training sessions around my missions. I called in favors and built up a small, loyal team I could call on to go head to head in combat, but otherwise, I kept it on the down low. But one of the guys in the team ratted me out to my superiors a year ago. I expected a couple of potential outcomes, but the one they presented me with was not on my list.”
“What went down?” I ask, chewing on the corner of my nail.
“I’m guessing you weren’t able to dig up much intel on the VERO board of directors,” he says to Theo.
Theo shakes his head. “It’s all sealed, but there is a lot of speculation on the darknet.”
“About it being government funded and led?” Diesel asks.
“Yeah.”
“And it is, but it’s way bigger than that. The board is made up of powerful figures in business and government. All these guys stand to lose everything should their involvement in VERO ever come out.”
I notice he hasn’t mentioned what his missions entail, and I’ve no desire to pry. I know this is dangerous for him, and the less we know, the better. I want to keep our questions focused on how this impacts us.
“How is this connected to Lo and us?” Galen asks.
“When my superiors pulled me in, they told me I could continue training Lo and they’d let my disobedience slide provided Trey worked with the FBI to take down The Sainthood.”
“What?” I yell, completely taken by surprise.
“Are the FBI involved with VERO?” Theo asks.
Diesel shakes his head. “They are aware of VERO’s existence, but they operate as completely separate entities. VERO wanted to supply intel to the FBI in a way that couldn’t tie back to them. When they found out about Trey’s connection to Neo “Sinner” Lennox, they knew they’d hit pay dirt.”
“Do they want to take The Sainthood down, or is this part of a personal agenda?” I ask.