Fay pulledinto Walker’s driveway, right behind Lee’s vehicle, feeling as though she was stepping into the lion’s den.
That shouldn’t be the sensation she got when she entered her boyfriend’s house.
Boyfriend.
Wow. That had happened fast. But if she were being completely honest with herself, it felt so right.
She scanned the area for anything out of the ordinary.
Nothing.
She wished she could see Walker. But she took great comfort knowing he was close by and that she had a listening device pinned to her shirt.
She took in a slow breath, focusing on her mission. “I’m going in,” she whispered.
Lee was arrogant enough to believe he’d gotten away with it, but only because two women were leading the charge.
She shut the engine down and slipped from behind the steering wheel. The idea that Lee was alone inside Walker’s house gave her a bad feeling. Not because she was concerned so much for her safety, but because she knew Lee was up to no good. Making her look incompetent bled over to Walker.
They were a team. They succeeded together.
And they failed together.
Something that Lee couldn’t comprehend.
She opened the front door and stepped into the family room, startling Lee, who had just come down the stairs.
“Jesus. You scared me,” he said.
“What the hell are you doing?” She didn’t bother with pleasantries. She didn’t see the point. “Walker told me you’re quitting?”
“Yeah. I’m leaving.”
“Why?” she asked as if she actually cared.
He set his bag at the bottom of the stairs and smiled. “Are you suggesting you might miss me?”
“That’s a stretch, but my boyfriend might.”
Lee laughed. “He’s crawled so far up your pussy that’s impossible.”
“You’re a pig.” She swallowed the horrible taste in her mouth. “What does my relationship with Walker have to do with you and him?”
“You’ve got to be joking.” He inched closer.
She held her ground, even though she wanted to back up.
“You’ve changed him, and not for the better. When he was my team leader, he struggled as it was to be the kind of man who made the tough choices. To do the things others couldn’t. To think outside the box and make the unpopular decisions. He was so close to stepping outside his comfort zone and taking the necessary risks to be a real hero, but you fucked up that extraction and he listened to you when deep down he knew that plan would fail.”
Fay stood there and listened to Lee spew his insanity. His passion for his own reality was undeniable. He believed his own hype.
“You’re going to turn down a position with the Brotherhood Protectors because of me,” she said matter-of-factly.
“It’s hard to turn something down when I was never offered anything in the first place.”
“We are in the middle of a case. You’ve been helping us with it and now you’re just going to walk away because you don’t like me—no, wait, I take that back—because you don’t like women in a position of power?” She paused for effect. “That’s super childish.”
He shrugged. “I really don’t give a shit what you think.”
“What about Walker? Doesn’t his opinion matter?”
“Not anymore. Now if you will excuse me, I have places to be.”
“You’re a fucking piece of work.” She planted her hands on her hips and stood in his path, blocking the doorway. “You call yourself a man? You’ve got no balls.”
He tossed his head back and laughed.
“If you had a pair, you wouldn’t leave us in the lurch, especially when you’re the one who made the connection with Randall.” She resented that she had to stroke Lee’s ego in such a way that made her and Walker appear to be a bunch of idiots.
“Are you giving me a compliment?” Lee cocked his head.
“Yes.” She choked on the single word. “I chased you down because we need you.”
“Did Walker send you after me?”