Loving My SECRET (Corrigan & Co. Book 10) (21 page)

“
Yeah.
Of course. Catch you around, Princess.”

I
don’t look back. I can’t. Nate just saved me from doing something
I wouldn’t have been able to come back from. Like kissing her. Or
worse, telling her I love her.

* * *

Matt

Reina’s in Paris now.
She spent two weeks in smaller French towns, but I wasn’t able to
give her much in those places. Credit card security is easier to get
around when it’s a big city, and especially with people who
recognize my name. She picked up a few things I left for her
yesterday, and she called to tell me that she loved them, but I have
something else I want to give to her.

I had hoped that she’d
see the ads in the Metro, and go to get the ring herself, but she
hasn’t yet. I actually think it might get me another Skype session,
so I’m eager for her to hurry up and get it. So eager that I
actually resorted to texting her the store name and location. I got a
smiley face back, and I haven’t slept since then.

I’m much stronger
than I was, but I’m not quite where I need to be. I would say I’m
at about 78%. It’s not bad, and for most people it would be almost
miraculous. I’m not most people, and I won’t be satisfied until I
get back to 100%. If anyone can get me there, it’s Waverly.

She’s got me running
on the treadmill when my phone starts ringing. I jump off, but she
grabs my phone before I can answer it. “Reina can wait.”

“The fuck she can,”
I tell her.

The phone stops
ringing, and Waverly steps back as I advance on her. “You need to
stick to your recovery plan.”

“No. What I need to
do right now is speak to my wife. Give me my phone now.”

“Or what?” she
asks, swallowing hard.

“I don’t hurt
women. But I will fire you.”

“Miles is in charge
right now.”

“If you think my
brother won’t go along with what I want, you’re wrong.”

“I just want you to
get back to where you want to be. You can’t do that if you’re not
sleeping, or just half-assing it while you wait for Reina to give you
a few minutes of her time.”

“I appreciate you
wanting to help me, but do not ever speak of my wife like anything
she does is less than amazing.”

“You’d fire me for
saying that Reina is less than perfect.”

“Yes.”

“Damn. I knew you
loved her, but just, damn.”

“Phone.”

She hands it to me, and
I immediately call Reina back. She sends me to voicemail, and I try
not to panic. Maybe she’s going down into the Metro. Or maybe she’s
talking to the people at the store. She just called me, and she knows
I have PT, so it can’t be bad.

“She didn’t
answer?”

“No. I’m sorry I
was such an ass. I just need to hear her voice.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. We’ll
talk later. We should get back to work, huh?”

“If you’re up for
it, yes.”

She works me for
another two hours. We both look at my phone frequently, but it
doesn’t ring. I wasn’t worried before, but I’m starting to
worry now. Even if she was busy the first time, she should’ve had
some time to call back by now. Or at least answer my call and say
she’s busy.

“I really am sorry,”
Waverly tells me as she walks with me back to my room. I’m using a
cane, but it’s much better than a wheelchair.

“I know. She’ll
call.”

I tell myself that as I
have my afternoon snack and read a few more of my emails. The more I
read of them, the sorrier I am that I ever left them for Reina. I can
see now how they must have hurt her. They hurt
me.
I was so stupid to not trust her to love me, and also so stupid to
treat her like I have all of these years. Hot and cold doesn’t even
begin to describe what I did to her. It’s a true testament of her
love for me that she stayed this long.

“Dude, have you been
online?” Nate asks, practically running into my room with Aiden,
Jake, and Miles hot on his heels.

“Just reading emails.
Why?”

“It’s Reina. And
man, it’s bad,” Aiden tells me.

“Reina? Is she hurt?”
No wonder she couldn’t call me.

“No. Well, probably
yes. But not in the way you mean,” Miles says.

“Just tell me.”

“I think it will be
more effective if we show you,” Jake says, holding up his tablet.

I feel like my heart
has stopped when I see what’s on the screen. “This isn’t real.
It’s Photoshopped.” It has to be.

“There’s a video,
too. It’s real,” Miles tells me.

“I need to see it.”

“You don’t.”
Aiden says.

“Either I watch it
with all of you here, or I kick you out and watch it myself. Your
choice.”

They look at each
other, and then everyone nods. Jake steps forward with his tablet,
and taps the button to play the video. My heart breaks as I see Reina
in a black dress that’s almost up to her crotch in front, but drags
on the floor in the back. Her upper body is totally covered, but
without the lace on the bottom of her skirt, she’d be showing even
more than she is in the video. She has black stilettos on her feet,
and I can’t believe what I’m seeing. Not after our Skype and
phone calls.

She’s kissing every
guy she comes across, and even starts to give one a lap dance as he
shoves his tongue down her throat. There’s video of her dancing
between two guys, pretty much making out with them on the dance
floor. I replay the video, and that’s when I see the truth.

She’s not letting any
guy touch her anywhere except for her hips. It’s subtle and if I
didn’t know her so well, I wouldn’t see the way she moves her
body and arms just enough to stop it. She also isn’t enjoying the
kisses. I’ve kissed her in every position imaginable, and if she
isn’t leaning in, or arching her back, she’s not into it. It’s
been rare that she’s faked it with me—mostly in public after I’ve
pissed her off—but I recognize it. And then there’s one more
thing that seals the deal for me.

“She’s wearing her
ring.”

“No. She’s not,”
Nate says, looking sorry.

“Not her wedding
ring. The ring I gave her today. She has it on. Something’s wrong,
and she’s telling me this isn’t real. As if I couldn’t already
tell.” I turn to Miles. “Call Alex. We have to help Reina.”

* * *

Reina

I hope this is working.
I need the world to see that I’m over Matt, and waiting for my
divorce. And I need Matt to see me wearing his ring, and know that
none of what I’m doing is real. Without being able to contact the
Society, I had to improvise, and honestly it sucks. I said I wanted
to kiss a bunch of guys, but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.

Some are too sloppy, a
few are too timid, they’re all liquored up, and most importantly,
none of them are my husband. I hate that I’m kissing other men,
even if we are technically broken up. There’s always a fine line
when going undercover. We have to make things seem real even when
they are most definitely not. It’s a fine balance on any mission,
but this time may be the most important acting job of my life.

I see the guys here in
this club. The ones who approached me outside of the jewelry store.
I’m not sure exactly what the threat is yet, but there definitely
is one. And it has something to do with my last name—my married
last name.

The guy called me Mrs.
Corrigan, and said things could’ve been avoided if my husband had
just followed through and divorced me. I got away from them easily,
but my gut tells me divorce proceedings need to move forward. Whoever
these guys are working for wants me away from Matt, and since I’ve
always trusted my gut, I need to push him away. Until I figure out
how to neutralize the threat.

I’m still trying to
figure out how I can make sure Matt has gotten my message when Joel
Cruz walks in. He’s a good friend of Zack Taylor’s, an
acquaintance of Miles, and attended a ball with Audrey recently. He’s
a notorious playboy, and right now I need to pretend to play him,
while getting him to help me.

I walk over to the
chair he’s slouched into, and drop on top of him, straddling his
body as I take his mouth in a hot kiss. He hesitates for a second,
because he knows who I am, and who my husband is, but then he gives
in. I burrow my mouth into his neck and then lean up to his ear.

“Don’t react, Joel.
I need your help, but no one in this room can suspect that we’re
doing anything more than making out.”

He nuzzles into me.
“Whatever you need, Reina. I figured I couldn’t be lucky enough
for this to be real. Just don’t let Matt kill me, okay?”

I chuckle. It’s a
real laugh, but it also helps my performance look real. “I need you
to get in touch with Zack, Miles, or Audrey. Any of them is fine.
Tell them that Jane, Alex, and Jessica Corrigan need to be protected.
I don’t know why yet, but I know that they do.”

“Shit. That sounds
bad,” he says, nibbling on my neck. “Shouldn’t you call the
police?”

“No,” I tell him,
kissing him again before moving over to his other ear. “No police.
They’ll know what to do. You can’t be obvious about calling, and
don’t do it from here. Maybe borrow someone’s cell phone even.”

“I feel like a spy.”

“For right now, I
need you to be one. I’m afraid this might even be life or death.”

“I didn’t think the
Corrigan Foundation was so dangerous.”

“You have no idea.
I’m going to slap you now. Sorry, but it has to be done.”

I do it before he can
prepare himself. “Bitch,” he yells with enough force to tell me
he means it.

“You’re the one who
can’t kiss for shit.”

“I knew you were
frigid. Now I know those rumors must be true. Matt Corrigan has
tossed you aside, and you’re desperate for a new meal ticket. It
won’t be me.”

“I don’t need any
man,” I tell him, and everyone else listening, as I walk out.

I’m trusting Joel
with a lot. I hope to God he comes through for me. I don’t think
he’s as flaky as he pretends to be, and I’m not often wrong about
people, but I’ve been surprised before. If I am this time, I’ll
just have to deal with it.

I feel the eyes on me
as I walk back to my hotel. I booked the same small one I’d put
Darcy in a few months ago. It’s out of the way, but also not
secure. I need to shake these guys, because I’m not ready to fight
just yet. I calculate what I have on me, and realize it’s not
enough. I can do without my clothes, and shoes. I can’t leave
Matt’s gifts behind, though. No matter how much danger I’m in.
He’s finally showing me that he’s all in, and tonight
notwithstanding, I want that to continue. Even if he’d understand
me leaving things, I can’t do it.

I’ll just need to
throw these guys off and then make my way back. If I wasn’t in a
residential area, it would be easier. But with almost everything
closed, I don’t have a ton of options. Until I see the boat as I
walk past the Eiffel Tower. I remember that it goes to the mall by my
hotel, and also that the last one should be leaving any minute now.

I pick up my speed, and
manage to jump on just as it pulls away. I look back and see the guys
who were following me stop at the water. I make eye contact with the
one I took down the hardest earlier, and see his lips curve into a
smile. It’s not a comforting smile, though. It’s one that
promises me pain. Bring it on, buddy. The only man who can break me
has already done it, and yet I’m still standing. I won’t topple
over for anyone else so easily.

Matt

Miles can’t reach
Alex, and it has us both a little freaked out. The other women said
she went out for lunch, but didn’t say who the lunch was with.
Ainsley is trying to locate her, but something seems to be wrong with
both her phone, and her tracker, too. That’s too much of a
coincidence, and though none of us are saying it, we’re all
thinking it. When his phone rings, he jumps, shows us the unknown
number, and answers. He listens for a second, and then puts it on
speaker.

“What the fuck do you
want, Cruz? Making out with my sister-in-law wasn’t enough for
you?”

“She made out with
me. And then slapped me. I’d think she was crazy if she hadn’t
asked me to call you.”

“Do you have a death
wish?” I ask him.

“Hello to you, too,
Matt. She said she won’t let you kill me.”

“Why did she ask you
to call?” Jake asks.

“She said to tell you
Jane, Alex, and Jessica Corrigan need to be protected.”

“Why? Why do they
need to be protected?” Miles practically screams into the phone.

“I don’t know.
That’s all she told me, other than to borrow someone else’s phone
to call from.”

“Thanks for calling.
And I won’t kill you unless you think Reina was really into you and
you try and get with her. Then it’ll be a different story,” I
tell him.

“No doubts on my end.
Hope this helps.”

He hangs up, and I turn
to Miles. “Where is your mom right now?”

“She was in London
when she called me two days ago.”

“Call her now. I’ll
check on Gram.”

He makes his call, but
it goes straight to voicemail. He tries her landline at her flat, but
she doesn’t answer there, either. I get the same result when
calling our grandmother. Whatever’s going on is already happening.
It’s too late to stop whatever’s been set in motion, and how we
all react is going to determine how fast we get them all back. We
will
get them back.
There’s no question about that.

The Corrigan PR intern,
Camari, comes rushing in then. “Oh my God, Matt. The phones haven’t
stopped. What has your wife done?”

“What are they
asking?”

“The press wants to
know if you’ve been separated and just not filed for divorce yet.
Then they want to know if you’re going to file. I kept saying ‘no
comment’ because I didn’t know. How did I not know that you two
are apart? My boss is never going to give me a good recommendation.”