Teddy: Still hunting the cartel?
Seth: No, this mission was something different.
Teddy: So you’re working for them?
Seth: Nope. It was a one-time deal.
Teddy: That’s how things start. Just one time. I remember Archer saying that when he began training with you.
Seth: He did?
Teddy: Yes. He was excited to learn karate with his best friends. Dad didn’t want to let him do it and he said, it’s just one time.
Seth: Strange.
Teddy: Why?
Seth: Why would he tell your dad it was just one time when he wanted to learn everything I did? He wanted to be a part of The Organization more than anyone I knew. It makes no sense to me that he promised your dad it’d be just one time.
Teddy: That’s how Archer got permission to do stuff. He would say that, ‘just one time’. Once Dad saw he was invested, he let him continue.
Seth: He’s a tricky man.
Teddy: Are you doing the same? A one-time thing that might become permanent?
Seth: Not permanent.
Teddy: But?
Seth: I don’t know how long I’ll be here. We’re taking the cartel down slowly. It could be a few more weeks or several months. It all depends. If I have to be here for longer, I might volunteer to go on a few more missions.
Teddy: Why not go back to your father?
Seth: At this point I think I’m humoring this guy.
Seth: Enough about me and my current situation. You’re supposed to update me. My life is boring.
Teddy: You’re wrong buddy. I lived with you for what felt like a thousand years, and it was like living on the set of some action movie.
Seth: I recall you calling me hotter than Jack Ryan.
Teddy: Probably a lie.
Seth: You lied to me? What happened to keeping the lines of communication open?
Teddy: I wouldn’t know. You always have secrets.
Seth: Like Jack Ryan?
Teddy: And there you go again. You’re not him.
Seth: I’m better.
Teddy: How?
Seth: He doesn’t have my gear.
Teddy: The weird utility belt? That’s very Batman of you. But you didn’t wear it while we were on the road trip.
Seth: I had people covering us.
Teddy: And yet, you had guns hiding in places I couldn’t see them.
Seth: You’re making things up.
Teddy: Uh-huh.
Seth: Now that we know you have a big imagination, let’s get back to you.
Teddy: Why do you want to focus on me?
Seth: Because you’re the most important person in my world.
Teddy: Are you sure about that?
Seth: I understand that my emotional issues prevented me from behaving like a man in love, but I’m ready to correct my actions.
Teddy: Because I almost died?
Seth: No, because I almost died.
Teddy: You did?
Seth: Yes. I can’t remember what happened after the last explosion. I fell and everything went black.
Teddy: Are you okay?
Seth: Of course.
Teddy: Are you lying? Maybe you have a bandage on your head and lacerations everywhere and that’s why you’re not coming to see me.
Seth: I hit my head, there were no broken bones, and I had to wait until a doctor said I could look at screens and exercise.
Teddy: I wish I had been there taking care of you.
Seth: Let’s make a deal, when we’re both back in Seattle, we’ll look after each other.
Teddy: Because I’m an unofficial Decker.
Seth: I want to believe that it’s because I love you and I want to work through all the problems we’ve had in the past.
Teddy: Hey, I’m falling asleep.
Seth: Sweet dreams, baby.
Teddy: You too.
Chapter Sixteen
Seth
This isn’t part of the plan.
Ever since Coco unleashed the paparazzi on Teddy, things have been chaotic. More like it’s extremely fucked up. Being part of Finnegan Gil’s roster was never my goal. I had no idea the man existed.
Nathan on the other hand… We have to have a chat about his involvement with this guy, and… who else is he working with? My brother is an issue for another time. There are many other things I should worry about, like Teddy, my father, and the Z’s.
I’m too old to be concerned about Dad, but I wonder how he’ll react once I’m home.
Will he fire me?
I’m sure he’s two steps away from asking human resources to wipe my name from the employee roster. It’s not about the salary, but the fact that I’m working for a third party. So far, I’ve dealt with twelve different teams. The only person who hasn’t changed during all the operations is Finnegan. Well, and his second-in-command, Derek, who the guys call Blade.
Is it sustainable to reach out to different people from his database? How can he work with other people? What happened to trust and organization? I can’t just believe these men who don’t know my name will have my back.
It’s not like they’re not capable, but it’s strange.
“You seem to know your way around planes,” Blade says as I leave the cockpit.
“I got my license when I was sixteen.”
When I descend the jet stairs, Finnegan is in the middle of a circle talking with the men who worked with us today. His plane departed ten minutes before I did. It surprised me he allowed me to pilot one of them. Maybe he doesn’t have any pilots on the list of consultants who can help him during missions.
Does he run a background check on all of them?
“Do you sulk all the time?” Blade asks.
I huff but surprisingly smile right after. His comment reminds me of Teddy, who compared me to Matthew McConaughey.
“Thinking of the little lady?”
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Finnegan asks when he approaches us. I’m glad because I don’t want to discuss Theodora or my personal life.
“You like to work with chaos,” I accuse them. “We should bring some sort of order to this place.”
Finnegan smirks. “It’s organized chaos.”
“You could do better,” I insist.
“Nah. I’m not going to set up a payroll. The men I contact are contractors who need the money, not benefits, paid vacation, and an annual bonus. I have too many companies to oversee and don’t need to add more to my load.”
“You do?”
He glares at me. “There you go trying to get more information.”
“Give the man a break. He’s good at interrogating others.”
Finnegan rubs his chin. “So far, he’s proven to be a great asset. We’ll add you to the database.”
“They’re called conversations,” I correct him, unsure if I should add that I don’t plan on working for him after this.
He snorts.
Since we’re discussing interrogations and obtaining information, I say, “I heard Piper is home.”
His jaw sets. The anger in his eyes tells me Piper pissed him off. I wish I had been a fly on the wall to see their interaction. “That stubborn woman escaped.”
Piper escaped? I’m not surprised. She does whatever she wants. There had to be a good reason she stayed to begin with. I would like to know why she decided to finally leave and head home.
Since I don’t want to get into a conversation that might jeopardize the elimination of the Z’s, I say, “Your consultants are easier to handle than my cousin. I don’t know why you tried to keep her confined.”