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Blake’s expression hardened, and Skyla wondered what she’d said to piss him off. “Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it. I really should go make those drinks, and bring them out to everyone.” She stood, needing to put some distance between them.
But Blake followed her into the kitchen, and surprised her yet again, when he silently helped her mix drinks.
Chapter 7
Blake arrived at the bureau early on Monday morning and headed straight to Caden’s office. To his dismay, Vivian was already there, and the two appeared to be waiting for him.
“G’mornin’,” Blake said tersely, trying not to reveal his surprise and annoyance at her showing up everywhere he seemed to be.
Caden on the other hand looked happier than he’d ever seen the man. Engagement looked good on him, and there was no question Hallie was the best thing that ever happened to his friend. Blake was happy for both of them, but he really needed to talk to Caden before the man accidentally let something slip in front of the woman he thought was from Internal Affairs.
Not that he thought Caden would ever say anything to incriminate Hallie. It just felt wrong to be sitting on this bombshell for as long as he had, especially after the way Vivian had ingratiated herself into the women’s lives at Madigan’s and then at the barbecue.
“Blake, I’m glad you’re here,” Caden said, suddenly looking serious. “Vivian was just bringing my attention to the fact that you almost blew the entire operation Friday night.” Caden’s eyes narrowed, and Blake could practically feel his friend’s disappointment coming off him in waves.
Blake’s gaze went from Caden to Vivian, scorching her with his glare for a long moment. The woman had admitted to not being part of Internal Affairs. So, why was she tattling on him to Caden now?
Blake swallowed, pushed his shoulders back, ignoring the slight twinge of pain the slight movement caused, and maintained an unreadable expression. He might still be the hothead, but at least he wasn’t hunting down innocent people and doing who knows what to them in some testing facility.
“I just thought it was best that Caden know,” she said, almost sweetly, making Blake’s blood boil even more.
“Know what?” He nearly barked out. “Yeah, I got a little excited. We all do sometimes. But nothing happened. No one saw us and I got plenty of photos in case we need them for trial.”
Caden sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “Would you mind giving us a minute alone, Vivian?”
She eyed Caden for a moment, clearly debating her next move, but then simply turned and walked out of Caden’s office.
Blake let out a sigh of relief. The nerve of her, acting like she was all innocent and just doing her job.
“Sit,” Caden ordered.
Blake lowered himself to one of the chairs in front of Caden’s desk and started talking before the other man could say anything else. “I know. Not my finest moment and I’ll be the first to admit I’ve had a few of those lately, but what I have to tell you trumps anything I have ever done or could do. And I don’t have a whole lot of time to tell you. So, can you please listen first and ream me out afterwards?”
Caden raised an eyebrow and relaxed into his chair. “Okay. You have my attention. But I’m not going to sweep this under the rug. I won’t have a short-fused maverick I can’t rely on as part of my team.”
“I hear you loud and clear, but it’s actually because of what I did that I even learned the truth about Vivian.”
Caden sighed, his patience clearly waning. He was obviously expecting this to be some stalling tactic to get out of the lecture he’d planned for Blake. And Blake wished it was that simple.
“Vivian is not from Internal Affairs,” Blake started, thinking it was best to rip the band aid off as quickly as possible. “She’s from Intuitive Affairs.”
Caden looked like he was about to say something and then suddenly barked out a laugh so strong, he shook with it. Blake stared at him, his expression hard, until Caden regained his composure. “Oh, that’s a good one,” Caden finally said. “Which one of the guys put her up to that? And can I just say, she played her part perfectly. Oh man,” he sighed, still trying to get his laughter under control. “What department is she really from?”
Of all the ways Blake expected Caden to react, laughter and joking were definitely not it. “I’m being serious, right now,” Blake insisted. “She’s not who she says she is.”
Caden chuckled. “I believe you. I have to give the guys credit, but I’ll have a talk with them. It’s time they move on and let you move on, too.”
“No,” Blake said, frustration now evident in his tone. “Caden, listen to me. I found out on Friday night, and I was planning to tell you first thing this morning. I had no idea Hallie was going to invite her to your house or I would’ve told you that night. Agent Vivian Bennett is part of the Intuitive Affairs Division. They find people with paranormal abilities and bring them in for research purposes, but the main goal is to get them off the streets because from what she said, they’re considered dangerous and a threat to the general population.”
Caden’s smile slowly faded until the reality of Blake’s words set in. His jawline went tense and his gray eyes narrowed, turning nearly black. “What?” He ground out.
Blake swallowed. Hard. “Yeah. That’s what she said. I didn’t want to press her on it, and then Ellie came out of the van, and -”
“What the hell is Vivian doing here? Why is she targeting you?” Caden interrupted, clearly not thinking about the case anymore. He was sitting upright in his chair now, his posture rigid.
That was the question Blake knew would send his friend over the edge. Somehow, Blake needed to find the words to tell his closest friend that the reason Vivian was in their lives was because of him. Blake quickly decided it didn’t matter if Caden hated him after this. The man deserved to know everything. “Hallie,” Blake finally said. “The tip she sent in… for me.”
“We got rid of everything that led back to her,” Caden said, panic rising in his tone. “Tell me we got rid of everything.”
