12. Kavanaugh

12

KAVANAUGH

“What the fuck is going on?” Red asked, slamming his door as he got out at Isla’s house, marching up the steps to where I sat in stunned silence on her porch. I still couldn’t believe it. After all this time, it was over. I was done.

“I’m out.” The words still seemed unreal to me.

“What the fuck do you mean you’re out?”

I was exhausted and fucking angry as hell. Working with the senator had been the tip of the iceberg, but then to pile on all this shit afterward…I was not doing well with any of it. Isla was about to lose all her additional security. I had to find a job sooner rather than later, and that would leave her vulnerable. Frankly, I was at my wit’s end.

“Kavanaugh, tell me what happened.”

“Remember what I told you about my brother?” He nodded. “Cash threatened to use it against me. Against Isla.”

His eyes widened in shock. I knew he was just as staggered by the news as I was when Cash said the words. Never in my life did I think Cash would turn on me. He was always someone I thought of as family, but now…he was too far gone. He was making rash decisions that would get others killed.

Red took a seat beside me on the steps. I reached into the cooler of beer beside me and handed it over. He opened it on the steps and chugged the whole bottle. For the first time in a long time, I was fucking lost. I knew I couldn’t go back to the senator and take his offer. Even if I did, it wouldn’t take back what Cash just did.

“I can’t believe it,” Red finally said, rubbing his hand over his jaw. “What are you going to do?”

“I have no fucking clue. Isla’s here, but I need a job.”

“Do you have anything saved up?”

“Plenty, but I can’t just sit around. And I can’t stay in the same town as him. I need some distance.”

“What about Isla?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know what the fuck to do. I can’t leave her. It’s not safe.”

“We have the security?—”

I shook my head. “Cash is sending someone over.” And just as I said it, the minivans pulled around the corner and stopped in front of the house. Red got to his feet instantly, the fury rolling off him was nearly at the same level as mine.

“No, this is bullshit. You’re paying?—”

“Doesn’t fucking matter. He won’t work with her now.”

He spun around to face me. “All because you won’t go along with his insane fucking plan?”

“It’s done,” I said, not knowing what else to tell him. “He’s fucking lost it. The only thing he can see is revenge.”

“He’s putting Isla at risk!”

“I fucking know that!” I shouted, finally losing my cool. My fingers pulled at my hair as I took off down the steps toward Rae and Thumper’s team. None of them looked particularly happy to be here. In fact, the questioning looks on their faces told me all I needed to know. Cash fucking lied to them.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Thumper asked.

“Do what?”

He glanced at the house, then back at me. “Take down all the equipment. The threat might be over for now, but that doesn’t mean he won’t try again.”

I scoffed, turning away from them.

“Is that what he fucking told you?” Red snarled.

“Why do I get the feeling we’ve walked into some alternate universe and the joke is on us?” Rae asked.

“Because you shouldn’t fucking be here,” Red snapped. “This is all Cash.”

“What does that mean?” IRIS asked.

“It means he’s lost his fucking mind,” Red continued. “He’s punishing Kavanaugh because he won’t throw himself at the senator’s feet for a second time, endangering the lives of everyone at OPS.”

“Yep, this is definitely an alternate universe,” Rae nodded.

“Just fucking do it,” I sighed.

Red cut in front of them as they tried to advance on the house. “No, you don’t fucking do it. You go back and tell Cash to fuck himself.”

“I…don’t think that will go over well,” Slider shrugged. “But sure, we can try that.”

“What exactly is going on?” Thumper asked.

“The senator wants to use Kavanaugh as his flashpoint in the race for the presidency. Cash is being a giant dickwad and wants Kavanaugh to agree to the senator’s deal so we can find out who’s behind keeping The Syndicate functioning. But these people are so dangerous that if we move on this, all of us will die horrible deaths, along with everyone we know. The town will be blown up and life will cease to exist for all the citizens. Oh, and all the cats and dogs will have to be re-homed or live sad ghetto animal lives on the street.” She looked at me. “Does that sum things up?”

“How did you know?” I asked.

She shrugged lightly. “I’m a woman and I know things. Plus, I drink coffee, which gives me superpowers.”

“And Cash wants to go along with this?” Thumper asked, his eyes bracketed in concern.

“Pretty much.”

“Well, fuck that,” he snarled. “We’ll leave this shit up and?—”

“No, you’ll take it down,” I interrupted. “All of it. And you’ll do whatever the fuck Cash wants.”

“You’re joking,” Slider said, shaking his head at me. “That’s insane. He’s being unreasonable.”

“It’s far beyond unreasonable,” Red gritted out.

“It doesn’t fucking matter. If you don’t do what he says, you’ll find yourselves out of a job.”

“He wouldn’t fire us for disagreeing,” Thumper said, though his tone wasn’t quite as sure.

“Cash isn’t himself right now,” Rae said. “Losing Rafe really fucked him up, if you couldn’t tell. Yes, he would absolutely fire you for disobeying his orders.”

“Then let him fire us,” Thumper growled.

I appreciated the enthusiasm and support, but that wouldn’t help anyone. “If you go up against Cash, everyone will follow.”

“That’s what we’re trying to do with you,” he pointed out.

“You need to keep OPS running.” I couldn’t believe I was saying this, but here it was. “Cash and I have run our course. There’s no coming back from what’s been said and done. But…he’s fucking hurting right now. You know this isn’t Cash. He’s not like this, and he would never willingly put anyone in harm’s way if he wasn’t half out of his mind with grief.”

“More like completely,” IRIS muttered.

“If there’s even a chance that Cash can be pulled back from the edge, you have to help him.”

“And what about you?” Rae asked.

I shrugged like it would all be fine, but I knew it wouldn’t. I didn’t know where to go from here. I was fucking lost. “I’ll be fine.”

“You could always go to Reed Security. They’d take you in a heartbeat,” Rae grinned.

“Payback for how Sinner was snatched away all those years ago by Cash,” Red smirked. “I don’t think Sebastian ever got over his irritation that it was so easy for Sinner to walk and find a home here.”

It soothed something in my chest to know I had a place to go. It wouldn’t be the same, but if it meant I could still do my job, I would make the change. I just had to contact Sebastian.

But not today. It was still too fresh.

“What about you?” Thumper asked Red.

I glanced at him, wondering what he would do. I didn’t want him to leave, but I couldn’t stand the thought of going this alone either.

He shook his head, sighing at the situation. “I can’t stay, but fuck. Everything is here. I have to think about Cotton and…” He glanced at me, his eyes filled with sorrow.

“It’s alright. I get it and I’m not mad. You have roots here, and Cotton doesn’t do well with change.”

I knew he didn’t want to break up the team, but there was no going back from what happened. I could never forgive Cash, not even in his state of duress, for basically throwing me to the wolves and threatening me and the people I loved. At least at Reed Security, I would be protected from any actions Cash took.

“So, this is it?” Rae asked.

“Don’t cry,” I smirked, knowing that was the last thing she would do. “We’ll see each other again.”

“Not if I see you first.”

She strode past me, circling her finger in the air. “Alright! Let’s get this shit done! I have places to be and a man at home waiting to get between my thighs!”

I glared at her. “That was just mean!”