"You're at a club?!"
"No. A bar."
"Same difference."
"Whatever. Just come on. Wayne's not much company, babe."
"I have another house to stop by. We all know that the meeting isn't going to end on time anyway. I'll be able to make it, mon cheri."
"Cameron--"
"In a while."
"But--"
"In. A. While."
I hung up and looked up Lexi's driveway. It had been a full two hours since I pulled up. She had been gone for an hour after I arrived. When she finally returned, she had been drunker than God knows what. That made it three something in the early evening. Just two hours before Luca was due home. Six hours before the gala would start. This would give her enough time to work off the nervous energy she would accumulate during our talk.
Thirty more minutes and her in-laws left the house. There weren't any cars around the cul-de-sac except hers. The garage door had been let down, so I assumed no one would be able to get in without a key to the side door. If I was correct, the front door would be unlocked. In a neighborhood like this, I could see why she felt protected. Her gate was nearly as high as a wall around a castle. What did she have to worry about?
I pulled up around the cul-de-sac and got out. The path leading to her house was already decorated and ready to be lit up. I assumed this was where all the VIPs would be heading before going outside. They'd mingle with each other inside, then go outside so the others wouldn't feel left out. It worked like that every year.
Lexi opened her door to my smiling face. Her eyes went round as soon as she registered who I
was. I pushed past her, causing her to stumble a bit, and sat on her couch. I could say that the house was a little homey. Not too gaudy or anything.
"You're even more beautiful than Luca let on," I commented. Lexi closed the door. "Do you want to know a little secret?"
"...Not really." She turned to me. "What are you doing here?"
"I came here to talk to you about...Luca." Relief flooded her face. She didn't think I knew yet.
"What if I told you he was with--"
"He's at the company. He told me that much just a few minutes ago," She snapped.
"Maybe you read it wrong."
"What?"
"What if he meant he was with company? As in Sha'Kayla Anderson. His childhood wife to be. Remember her?"
Lexi glared at me and muttered something under her breath. It sounded like she said something about a divorce.
I chuckled. "So you don't trust him? I wouldn't blame you. He is a little iffy at times."
"Why are you wasting your breath telling me something I already know?" She asked.
"Even though I am a little angry at you for robbing me, I truly believe a woman should know where her husband is at all times. Be treated like the queen that God made her to be by her king who should be loyal. She shouldn't be left in the dark on what her husband is up to."
"But Luca would never go back to any of his exes." Lexi bit her lip in thought. "Would he?"
"I don't know. You tell me."
I got up and went to look at the pictures on their wall. It was cute to see her smiling and playing with her children. Seeing her with her cousins and grandparents and even people she'd once been friends with. When I looked at the pictures of her and Luca, there was something missing. Luca looked alright, I guess. Lexi...She looked as if something was wrong. As if she knew her marriage was fake and wasn't going to go anywhere in reality.
"You have a beautiful family," I noted. "Except Luca. He makes everything look noticeably fake."
"Shut up," She growled.
I saw her look at the stairs then back to me. The staircase was right beside her wall full of photos. It would be hard for her to make her getaway without passing me. My arm shot out to grab her and force her against an empty spot.
"What picture's missing here?" I asked.
"I stopped taking pictures a long time ago," She said.
"Uh-huh. Your friends sure do take a lot."
"Let me go or I'll scream."
"And risk waking the kids? I know you're alone. Your in-laws left a long time ago and Luca's out with that whore of an ex. You. Are. Alone."
Lexi looked away from me and fidgeted. She was nervous about something. Did she have the drive on her? Was it somewhere in the house? I'm sure Wayne had already spoken to Luca about my predicament. I wanted that drive back and other people wanted to steal it from me.
"You remember Evan, right?" I asked.
"E-Evan?" She stuttered.
"Yeah. Kathryn was torn over what you had done with him. I didn't think you were that type of girl. She never told a living soul."
"Kathryn Thibault?"
"Yeah. Such a nice girl, my fiancée."
"He left before anyone--"
"Could you find out?" I shook my head. "I lied about her not snitching. She told me. She told her cousin--"
"Asher?!" Lexi looked a little panicked.
"No. Ricardo." Her body relaxed just a tiny bit. "That's why he looks at you weirdly. He didn't like what you had done. Then you went and slept with his cousin and pretended like nothing had happened between you and his uncle."
"What do you want from me?" Her voice was shaking.
"I only want back what you stole from me. That drive holds a lot of valuable information. What if the police were to get a hold of it? How would your identity stay a secret from the ever prying world?"
"What's on it?"
"Our true identities. Our secrets...The mafia..."
I let my words hang low in the space left between us. She knew the consequences of letting anyone get a hold of the drive. Even if they weren't the type to snitch. Once they get a glance of what's there, they'll want to get a reward for catching the biggest outlaws in America. Even the world.
"You want me to make you feel better about the situation?" I asked. Her eyes stared at me with anger simmering just below the surface. My fingers lightly grazed her cheek.
"Don't you have a fiancée?"
"And you have a husband. Has that stopped you before?"
"My children are upstairs," Lexi pointed out.
"Sleeping. Not unless you're a loud one. Someone told me that the quietest ones are the loudest during--"
"Shut up."
I smirked and leaned closer. She wasn't making any move to move me, so I took that as a green light. I wasn't the one to do something like this, but Cam Jr. was getting a little excited. Lexi bit her lip and that turned me on even more. What was she doing to me? I was never phased by another woman. Never.
"What would you do if I kissed you?" I asked softly.
"What can I do?" She asked.
My lips crashed onto hers. She kissed back almost immediately. I could tell it was out of anger. Out of hurt and loneliness. I knew the cause. I knew who it was for. I grabbed her thighs and hoisted her up. Her legs instantly wrapped around her waist.
Her breath hitched as I trailed butterfly kisses down her neck. I was tempted just a tiny bit to leave a hickey. To mark my claim. Just to see how anyone else would react to the darkest spot on her neck. But I knew that if Luca spotted it, he would make a whole story out of it. Lexi would be in the tabloids again. On her birthday. I could see the headlines now.
My lips crashed onto her lips again. She started grinding on me and that's when I realized I had gone too far. Just stepping into her house was bound to do something bad to the both of us. She was a hurting woman going through a divorce. I was an engaged man about to get married in a couple weeks. Polar opposites. I had everything I ever want. She had things she wanted to get rid of.
"Hey..." I muttered against her lips. "Hey!"
"What?" She hissed at me. "You're going to wake the kids."
"They're your kids," I pointed out. "I gotta go. As much as I want to take you against your wall, I've places to be."
"I hate you." Lexi leaned forward to kiss me again. I let her. "Any word of this gets out to my family and I will personally see to it that you die."
"Yeah. I got that loud and clear, princess." I let her down and fixed my pants. Well, tried to. Lexi huffed out an annoyed breath and crossed her arms. "What?"
"I don't believe any of what you told me before," She said. "About Luca and Sha'Kayla. He had never liked her from the beginning. We were engaged as kids. He thought I didn't know, by the time we had been forced together, he told me about how much he hated the Andersons. That Sha'Kayla was a gold digger like her mother."
"How could you believe him? He literally cheated on you so many times."
"If you would just get out...that would make me very happy."
"You think I'm going to leave that easily? I might as well forget about you being that smart detective Adrien always bragged about. You could have just followed the signs. He was bound to go back to the woman."
"What signs?" I pulled out my phone. Her eyes were wide with anticipation of what was to happen next. "Wh-what are you doing, Cameron?"
I texted Kat for pictures of Luca and Sha'Kayla. I just knew that they would be together. She texted back saying that wouldn't be a problem.
"Luca isn't the man Brad forced you to marry. The AOC isn't protective of their agents as they should be. I know I've lied to you before, but in times like this, the truth isn't too hard to keep hidden."
"Where is my husband?"
"Husband?" I scoffed. "Not for long, mon cheri."
"What are you getting at?"
"You and I both know your little secret. The one you're hiding from the reporters. The ones you lied to and said you were in Los Angeles. It won't be long before they come back and realize that you and Luca aren't together. You're getting a divorce."
"Ho-how did you know that?" She exclaimed softly.
"I didn't. You just told me." I shrugged nonchalantly and took a step away from her. My phone vibrated, reminding me that I was on a mission. "Take a look, princess. I told you he would get tired of you."
⭕️⭕️⭕️⭕️⭕️
"Finally," Kathryn exclaimed. "I didn't think you'd actually show."
"Your accent's showing," I muttered. "You might want to check it."
"Check it? Wayne loves it."
"It's his native language. Of course he loves it."
Kathryn dragged me over to Wayne and forced me to sit down. Before I could protest, she plopped down on my lap. Wayne looked at me with the most vicious look. What did I do? It's not like I actually wanted to be here. If I had my way with Kat, I would have let her stay here alone. It's not like I didn't know what he was doing behind my back with my wife. I really didn't care.
"How's Sean?" He asked.
"I don't know. It's been awhile since I've seen him," I said.
"He's your son. How could you not know how he's doing?"
I shrugged. I didn't know, because I didn't care right now. Who would? Kathryn. Shawn was as old as Asher's son. He was old enough to attend a boarding school till I called for him. Him being in town wasn't for anyone to know. Especially the government. One word and we were done for. That's why I needed to find the drive.
The "meeting" didn't last as long as I thought it would. Luca was getting ready to leave. He was already two hours late to getting home. Lexi was going to be furious. I really hoped she would be okay. I didn't want to go to a party where the hostess was either dead or wasn't planning to attend. Knowing Lexi, she would still try to attend the party. It didn't matter if she was beyond the grave.
Taking Kathryn home was like trying to tame a wild elephant. She wouldn't get in the car. Even when Wayne helped me, she was still refusing our help. Was this what it was like to have a drunk wife? Kat had never been drunk around me, so I wouldn't really know. I guess this is it. I don't want her to drink anymore. Never again.
"Thanks, Wayne," I said.
"No problem. See you at the gala," He muttered.
"Is Luca going to get the drive?"
"He said he would. Let's hope for the best."
"If we can still hope."
The ride home felt longer than it actually was, but it was worth it. I just hoped that Sean wasn't at the house yet. I didn't want him to see his mother drunk. He had seen it before, but I doubted he remembered it. He was quite young when it happened. Today wasn't going to be pleasant if he came home to this.
I pulled up at the house and was disappointed to see a taxi pulling in before me. He was here. How was I going to hide his mother from him? Kathryn chugged down two bottles of water and it was quite miraculous to see her sober up a bit. I prayed it was enough to help her walk and think straight. Sean was an intelligent boy. He wasn't going to be fooled by his mother's tricks.
He hopped out the taxi and turned around to see the car pulling into the garage. Kat and I were out of the car in seconds. I'd help him get his luggage while she went into the house to sober up some more. It was a good plan and I hoped it worked. It had better worked. There was so little time till the gala and we all had to get ready.
"Papa!" He exclaimed when he saw me. "I missed you."
"I missed you too, son," I said and pulled him into a hug. "How was school?"
"It was good. I have two weeks off."
"Thanks to your father."
"Yep. Thanks to you."
I smiled and helped the driver take Sean's bags out the trunk. I paid him a good amount and watched him leave. The small gates shut after him. Tonight was going to be a good night after all. I was more than happy to have my son's bag in my clutches. No more worrying about him getting into trouble or danger. Finally.
"Where's maman?" Sean asked.
"Inside. She's waiting on us." I picked up his bags and led him up the front steps to the house. The maid opened the door and was surprised to see Sean standing with me. She froze for a moment, before looking at me for approval.
"You can hug him. I'm not stopping you," I muttered and walked inside.
All I heard was laughter as I walked away. I don't see why my maid has a better relationship with my son. There was something going on with her. Or maybe I was just jealous. I did hate it when my own family got close to him. I was a ticking time bomb. You didn't know how to stabilize me until the last second.
Upstairs Kathryn was washing her face. I dropped off Sean's bags in his room and went to ours. Kat was at the sink assuring herself our son still loved her. It wasn't like she was the one who sent him to the boarding school. My son still loves me, so she had nothing to worry about.
"Stop worrying and go meet your son," I scolded. "We don't have much time till the ball, mon amour."
"What if he doesn't like me anymore?" She asked.
"Go before I have him sent back to the school."
Kathryn ran off before I could say more. I guess that did the trick. I don't think I want to send our son back to that boarding school. It was secluded and safe, but I didn't trust the staff. They were suspicious. Meeting with them was like handing me son off to his kidnappers. How did I know they weren't planning to kill him? Taking this long to do so was making me antsy. I didn't want to leave him in their care anymore.
An hour later and we had more than enough time to arrive at the party early. Kathryn was still in the bathroom fixing her makeup. Sean was talking with the kitchen staff about his stay in Germany. I listened, but came to realize my son was actually enjoying his stay there. I didn't have much to worry about anymore. I still don't trust the staff.
I got the keys to my Mercedes and walked out to the garage. I found some of the security guards talking amongst themselves. I wonder what. Maybe it wasn't my business. Oh, but it is. I live here and they're my staff. I want to be nosy and know what it is.
"Is there a problem, gentlemen?" I asked. "And lady..."
"...Yes, sir. We have come to believe the drive is not at Mrs. Thompson's house," One guard said.
"How? It can't be in the Agency."
"Of course not. We checked the cameras for both the Agency and your headquarters. There is a large time difference. She had at least an hour to take the drive to wherever she wanted and go to the Agency."
"I don't think Asher has it either. He was to have company over that day. If she did come, he wouldn't have come to me about it Sunday."
We all thought for a moment. This was odd. What was Lexi doing in the time it took her to get from my company to the Agency? There had to be someone she trusted enough to take the drive. Not Sha'Kera and Hayden. I haven't heard anything from them since last week. I think she knows they're trouble anyhow. What about Brad? Could he have taken it and given it to someone else?
This was hard. Asher was out. That was too obvious. She's only recently gone to her company and the police station. What if she hid it there? No. That's also obvious. The whole Agency knows her relations there. What about an outside leader? She could be working alongside someone else. I needed to find out who.
"You guys look into it while I'm at the gala. If anything changes, then call me. I'll be waiting," I said. "I'll also try to keep a close eye on Luca and Lexi. No telling who they might be siding with."
"What about their friends?" Another guard asked.
"Let me worry about that. Tonight starts a war. If the mafia gets involved...then so be it."