“No. Jesus fuck. No, don’t fucking come here. Not now. Not before I’ve told her. I have to go.”
He ends the call with an angry jab of his finger and tosses the phone down. He pauses, and then suddenly whirls, his brows shooting up as he sees me.
“Hey gorgeous,” he purrs, grinning. “Take another shower without—”
“Who was that?”
The words come out sharper than I intended, but I steel myself, narrowing my eyes at him.
Colm frowns. “No one.”
My own brow darkens even more, my lips pursing tight as I glare at him. And slowly, he starts to grin.
“Something funny?” I snap
He chuckles. “Yeah. You’re jealous.”
“I am not,” I mutter, glaring at him. “Or should I be?”
“I like you jealous.”
“You sure about that?” I spit.
He grins a hungry, heated grin at me. And it makes me shiver, even if I’m supposed to be suspiciously pissy at him.
“Pretty fucking sure, baby girl.” He smiles, nodding at the edge of the big bed. “Sit.”
My brows arch sharply, flames blazing in my eyes, and he grins as he beckons me with a finger.
“Sit please, angel.”
Warily, still glaring at him, I march over and plop down on the side of the bed.
“I’m gonna tell you what I’ve been doing these last few months.”
I shake my head, looking down. “Colm, I don’t know if I want to…”
He chuckles, suddenly squatting down in front of me and cupping my face in his hands.
“Fuck, angel, do you think there was another girl?”
I don’t say anything, my eyes darting anywhere but his.
“Abby, no. Jesus Christ, no. Never.” He sighs, pulling my head up, forcing me to look at him.
“I was yours and yours only the second I fucking saw you, baby girl,” he purrs. “Done, sealed, tied off with a fucking bow. No, angel, this isn’t what you think.”
“Then what?” I say softly. “What are these big plans of yours? Who was that on the phone?”
He takes a breath.
“The guy I was talking to is Director Willis, my main contact.”
I cock a brow. “Main contact for what?”
He nods slowly, moving to sit next to me.
“There was a time once when you asked me if what I was doing was what I wanted to do forever.”
I remember. It was earlier on when I’d first learned about his work.
I nod.
“The thing is, I was always torn. On one side, fuck no. I hated working for the Lucretas and doing the shit I did for them. But I do have a special set of skills. There are things I’m good at, angel. Things that not a lot of people ever even think about. But you leaving forced me to come to hard truths. And I put plans into motion.”
He takes my hands in his.
“I’m done working for the Lucretas. Tonight, actually. I wasn’t planning on dong it so soon, or the way I did, but they moved up the timeframe when they made a move on you.” He growls the last words, his face darkening as his jaw clenches.
I shake my head. “Colm, what are you up to?”
Slowly, he shakes away the darkness and grins.
“I’ve been building a company, angel. I’m turning the tables, and I’m going to go after the scumbags. It’s called Wild Horse Intel, specializing in clandestine intelligence gathering and targeted strikes. The mob, terrorists, and any other assholes that avoid getting caught by living in the shadows. Trust me, I’ve lived there myself long enough to know how you kill a shadow.”
I raise a brow, and he smiles grimly.
“You turn on the lights. The guy on the phone was Director Willis, head of clandestine domestic ops with the CIA.”
I blink, and everything freezes for a second.
“You…” I blink again, staring at him. “Hang on, the CIA?”
Colm chuckles. “Is there more than one?”
“You’re working for the CIA.”
He grins. “With. As an outsourced contractor. Unofficially, and only on the most redacted, undercover record they have.”
I blink again in shock before suddenly, I’m laughing.
“Wait, hang the hell on. I can’t even process this!”
He grins, shrugging. “Surprised?”
“Colm, you’re a criminal.”
He laughs. “Ouch, baby.”
I giggle, “Well, you are! I mean, it’s fine, I made peace with that a long time ag—”
“But I didn’t,” he says quietly. “Not when it meant almost losing you. So, I was a criminal. Was.” He grins. “Okay, fuck it, I still am, I guess. I’m just endorsed by the government now for doing it to get at the worst people.”
I beam at him. “So you sold out?”
“Oh, big time.”
I laugh, shaking my head, and when he pulls me into his lap on the edge of the bed, I let him move me willingly.
“Wait so what does this mean?”
“It means no more bullshit, angel. It means I’m taking an office job. I’m a desk jockey for this whole thing. No more late nights, no more getting my ass shot at.”
“Good. I don’t like the idea of anyone shooting that ass of yours,” I pout, kissing him softly. “It’s too pretty an ass to get a bullet in it.”