“Grant,” Royce sighed as their chests heaved and their bodies cooled. That sounded like love too and Grant prayed he was right as he gave what was left of his heart to Royce.
Chapter 41
“Where’s Grant and Edgar?” Vanessa asked as Royce paid for his coffee.
“I have an early appointment this morning so Grant’s sleeping in. You may see him later,” he replied airily. Royce had a feeling Grant was up and pacing and wanted to get his appointment over with as quickly as possible.
“I hope so! My day just doesn’t feel right if I don’t get to see their faces,” she said as she passed Royce his cup.
“Neither does mine,” he admitted then ducked his head as he thanked her. He felt lonely and hollow just imagining it and it was strange, being in The Six Beans without them. “Have a lovely day, ladies,” he said as he used his shoulder to push the door. He put on his sunglasses as he stepped off the sidewalk then waved at a woman with a stroller before he jogged across the town center then took the trail past the park. He strolled briskly but remained relaxed as he sipped his coffee and took the path into the woods. Waites was waiting on the bench and offered Royce a slight nod. His legs were stretched and crossed at the ankles as he read the paper and enjoyed a cup of coffee. There was an irrational flare of disgust as Royce stared at The Six Beans label on Waites’ cup, as if something sacred and vulnerable had been violated.
“You look like hell,” Waites noted. “I asked the lady in the coffee shop if there was someplace quiet I could read the paper and she called this the kissing bench,” he grumbled as he pretended to read. Royce hummed as he sat and crossed his ankles.
“I thought it was appropriate.”
“That depends on what kind of news you’ve got for me. You said there was a development last night,” Waites said. Royce chuckled as he sipped.
“There was indeed but I’ve handled it and I’m ready to debrief you about my investigation into the Lees,” he murmured and Waites’ brows jumped.
“You’ve handled it?”
“Li made his move last night but he won’t be a problem anymore,” Royce stated. He let Waites assume what he wanted.
“And the Lees?” He asked and Royce shook his head.
“Harmless low-level intelligence collectors,” he said then held up a finger. “But I knew they were a red herring early on and could feel that something bigger and more malicious was afoot. The arrival of the third agent was the alarming escalation that set everything in motion, wasn’t it?” Royce asked. Waites shrugged then folded the paper and tossed it on the bench between them.
“You said the jogger was just surveillance,” he replied. Royce nodded.
“He definitely was. The Chinese were probably trying to determine how much Weatherly knew about me and the Lees. Weatherly had his head on a swivel, unfortunately, and made the agent. I didn’t realize it at the time but we’d shown our hand. I knew foreign intelligence agents were operating in Hopkins Creek and Weatherly was knowingly aiding an American spy. Of course, the Chinese would have to send their most dangerous agent to investigate and neutralize a threat to the Lees, if necessary,” he explained then admired the subtle shift in Waites’ stony expression to feigned confusion.
“I’m not following you.” His faded pewter eyes narrowed as he watched Royce and shuffled through countermoves. Royce pulled in a deep breath and savored a rush of freedom and clarity, for the first time. He’d devoted his entire adult life to Waites, to blindly atoning for his sins and they were never truly Royce’s.
“I knew something wasn’t right in Hopkins Creek. I felt it the moment I arrived. Everywhere I looked, lovely people were innocently living their very normal lives but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was very wrong. Then, I realized it was that third agent. A known assassin with a reputation for being unpredictable and destructive had no business in a place like Hopkins Creek.”
“You said he was just surveillance,” Waites argued and Royce clicked his teeth.
“Give it up, neither of us is that stupid. I was the third agent. I’m the alarming escalation. The Lees were deeply imbedded and minding their own business and everything was perfectly fine in Hopkins Creek until I arrived. I spooked the Lees and the Chinese sent a third agent to evaluate and I did exactly what you hoped I’d do. I made the first move and they countered by sending in their power hitter to determine if I’d come to Hopkins Creek to recruit the Lees or get rid of them.”
“Why in the world would I risk my best agent to stir up a little trouble in the suburbs?” Waites countered as he crossed his arms over his chest. Royce’s head fell back as he laughed.
“A little trouble? Me, killing a Chinese diplomat in a quiet Maryland suburb would be a terrible scandal! I’d be disavowed immediately and the Chinese would cooperate to save face. The whole matter would play out like a messy love triangle in the media and I’d be burned and worthless,” he said but Waites shook his head.
“What would I gain from that? It took me fifteen years to whip you into a decent spy,” he growled.
“You did make the most of it but you were saving me for a power move. You set me up fifteen years ago but decided I might be useful to you at the last minute. You pulled my neck out of the noose and made sure I was grateful then used me until you were ready to sacrifice me again. To this day I still don’t know how I got to that party but I know where that boy came from now,” Royce explained and, oh, did he let Waites see his fury when their eyes met. “Who was I supposed to ruin? I had no aspirations or ambitions, so why target me?” He asked. Waites’ irises bounced and flickered as he calculated. Royce knew by the way they focused and tightened that Waites was nearly out of moves.
“Your father was eyeing a run for the senate. He would have won easily and had the potential to take it all the way to the White House. There were concerns that a Bradshaw presidency would be too unpredictable. Your father’s more concerned with his reputation and his legacy than being a team player,” Waites stated. Royce snorted and shook his head.
“So you planned to use me to torpedo his reputation and legacy because they were afraid he couldn’t be bought,” he confirmed. Waites sighed wearily as he held up a hand.
“It wasn’t personal and I took good care of you,” he pointed out. Royce gave him a patronizing look.
“I helped you take care of a lot of people and I’m beginning to question some of those orders, in hindsight. And since it appears that you’ve decided I’m no longer useful and disposable, I might need to take another look at some of those missions. I might even have someone take a look at how Mansky got a sweetheart deal. Walter Newberry won’t be the only one who knew you were Mansky’s handler and I’m sure there are plenty of people who’d like to see you go,” Royce speculated then offered Waites a wide, sunny smile. Waites didn’t smile back, shockingly. He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket then took off his glasses.
“You could but you’re going to have a hard time getting anyone to take you seriously after this,” Waites warned as he polished the lenses. Royce sighed contentedly as he relaxed and stretched his arm along the back of the bench.