Loving My SECRET (Corrigan & Co. Book 10) (23 page)

Two hours later, I’m
showered, shaved, and dressed in the suit Stella brought me. “Are
you ready?” she asks.

“No.”

“You already gave her
divorce papers. You would’ve been making this same statement back
then,” Tegan reminds me.

“I still thought I
couldn’t have her back then. Now I know I have a chance to really
be with her, and what I say today will forever change that.”

“She’ll understand
later,” Stella assures me. “You’re doing this for her, too.”

“I’m hoping she’ll
understand today.”

“I have to admit that
a world where the two of you aren’t fighting is hard to wrap my
head around.”

“Don’t worry, Teeg,
I don’t think we’ll ever stop fighting. It just won’t be so
nasty, and we’ll get to make up every night.”

They both hug me, and
then it’s time to go upstairs. We’re presenting a united front
for the world, but I know they have my back for real as well. Miles
meets us at the elevator, and then we’re outside in the parking
lot. I’ve never seen so many members of the press in one spot
before and that’s saying something. Camari asks me once again if
I’m sure, and I tell her I am. I climb the steps and address the
crowd.

“Thank you all for
coming this afternoon. I will be making a statement and taking no
questions. I know you’ve been told that already, but I want to make
sure we’re all clear on this. After today, I ask for you to let me
deal with all of this privately.

“My wife has very
obviously chosen to live a new life without me. While I love her, and
wanted her to come back to me at first, I now realize that I can’t
stomach even being in the same room with her again. We have had no
contact since she left the country, and despite what some of my
competitors would like you to believe, I am no fool. I haven’t been
hiding because I’m emotionally hurt. I was physically injured
because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time during a botched
kidnapping last month.” To prove my point, I open a couple of shirt
buttons, and show them one of my scars.

“My brother, Miles,
has been doing an amazing job of running the company in my absence,
and he will continue to be in charge for a few more weeks as I sort
out my divorce from Reina. It will take a few weeks for me to finally
be free from her, but I no longer consider her to be a Corrigan. My
sister-in-law Alex, along with Stella and Tegan here are officially
in charge of The Corrigan Foundation. They have done a wonderful job
in her absence, and I have no doubt that they will continue to do so.

“On a final note, I
have a message for my wife if she’s not too busy screwing
everything that walks. You can keep the wedding jewelry since I know
you love it so much. I’ve cleaned out your office already, and
replaced all of the furniture in there. Our apartment is next. I want
no memory of our life together for the past year, because I’m ready
to start my life for real now. I hope you can do the same.”

I step away from the
microphone, jog down the steps, and power walk back into the building
as my friends surround me. No one speaks until we are in the
elevator, heading up to the Foundation.

“Damn, that was
awesome Matt,” Stella tells me. “You made yourself look like a
badass while still telling Reina you’re here for her.”

I breathe a sigh of
relief. “You picked up on it, so she will too.”

“No doubt. It was
perfect,” Tegan says.

Miles looks up from his
phone. “I’ve already gotten thirty texts from guys who wanted to
cancel their contracts saying they want to retract those demands.”

I nod. “Now we can
concentrate on what’s really important.”

“I wish we could go
with you,” Stella tells me once again.

“I know, but you
can’t. You’ll be giving me support and backup from here. My part
will be easy.”

“Getting all eight of
them out alive is easy to you?” Tegan asks.

“Just another day at
the office.”

“He’s not kidding.
The three of us rescued people in the double digits all the time by
ourselves,” Nate tells her.

“And it’s not just
him. You all know Reina won’t go down without a fight, and Alex has
been slowly training since she came to work here. She’s not mission
ready, but she can fight and handle a gun. The Society mentors aren’t
in top shape, but they can shoot.”

“So can my mom,”
Miles says.

“See, piece of cake,”
I tell them.

I know it won’t
really be easy, and so do they. We’re all going to pretend, because
none of us can afford to show our fear. We don’t know who has the
three women, or who in this building might be working for them. We
have to put on as much of a show here as Reina’s putting on in
Europe. Everyone’s lives depends on us keeping up the act. Miles
and I can’t afford to lose the women we love, and the Society
cannot fall. I feel like Atlas, with the weight of the world on my
shoulders. Good thing I’ve been working out again.

* * *

Reina

Dark sunglasses, casual
clothes, and staying at a small hotel really works when trying to
stay anonymous. I know the press are looking for me after Matt’s
press conference. The one where he publicly tossed me aside, while
still letting me know he’s all in with me from now on. I’m still
not sure I can trust us both enough to be with him for real once this
is over, but knowing that he wants it now, makes me lean more towards
that than against it.

London is one cool
city. I still feel the history here, but it’s more youthful and
fun. My hotel is near the Tate Modern, and Shakespeare’s Globe
Theatre. I walk to the Tate first, and peruse the galleries of modern
art. I’m surrounded by art every day at Corrigan, but seeing it in
a museum is somehow different, and more intense. I love almost
everything I see, and I want to come back here again.

In the gift shop, I buy
a pen that’s made to look like a paint brush, and receive the
t-shirt that’s waiting for me. It’s a multicolored skeleton of
the top half of a body on a white background. It’s another thing I
had been looking at, and the fact that he keeps picking things I want
really shows me that those damn emails were true. He’s always paid
attention to me, even when he pretended that he didn’t.

I have lunch in the
café at the museum before walking a few blocks over to the theatre.
There’s some kind of field trip going on, so the shop is packed.
I’ll check it on my way out. I buy a soda and a cookie, and grab my
seat cushion before heading into the open air venue. The seats are
benches and I settle in to watch the show. It’s no less amazing
than I expected, and I’m enchanted by the realization that I’m in
England, and watching a traditional production of a Shakespeare play
while sitting in a replica of his Globe.

I’m still riding the
wave of awe as I buy pretty much one of everything in the gift shop.
Of course there’s another gift for me when I pay. It’s a tote bag
featuring Shakespeare’s insults. I had one in my pile already, so
it’s switched out, just like at the Orsay. I know there’s no note
in there, but I still feel like Matt’s telling me he loves me
again. His love is what’s keeping me alive right now, and I’m
pretty sure that no matter what else happens between us, there will
be lots of kissing.

Keeping up my carefree
ruse, I walk down to the London Bridge Station, and take the Tube to
Baker St. I have someone take a picture of me kissing the Sherlock
Holmes statue—I have to keep up my rep after all—but skip the
long line for the museum at 221B Baker St. I hop on a train back to
Westminster Abbey, and walk to Buckingham Palace.

I smile as I walk past
the gates. I’ve been inside more than once, only never through the
front door. I usually helicopter in, or go through one of the not so
secret tunnels that connect it to other parts of the city. Seeing it
from out here is
different
.
That’s the only word for it. Even walking down the street that’s
closed to traffic was surreal. I’m a tourist today. No one
recognizes me, and for the first time in a long time, I can just
blend in and look. I can experience what all of the people around me
are experiencing without trying to solve a problem. It’s freeing,
even while I know I’m not free. At least not while my shadows are
still behind me.

I don’t rush back to
my hotel after my sightseeing. After a day of anonymity, I’m not
looking forward to putting myself on display again. I know I have to,
especially after what Matt told the world while I was sleeping last
night. He said he’s divorcing me because of my behavior, and if
everyone is going to believe that I don’t care, I need to continue
that behavior.

In between my
sightseeing, I also did some shopping so I have the perfect dress for
tonight. It’s a short black mini dress covered by a sheer layer
that goes to my ankles. There are some colorful modern flowers on it,
but it’s really not covering much. I leave my hair down, my ring
from Matt on, and add some strappy heels to finish it all off. Time
to find some boys.

I take a cab to the
club I’ve picked, and since I’m not incognito anymore, I walk
right past the lines. Inside, I decide on the third of the four
floors just because I can. It’s packed, but I have a drink in my
hand in less than a minute thanks to the boy who gets my first kiss
of the night. I throw back the shot of vodka, and move on. The dance
floor is crowded, but I gyrate my way into it anyway. I dance and
kiss for a couple of hours, stopping to get drinks from the bar from
time to time. I’m offered drinks on the dance floor, but I’m not
going to take a drink I haven’t seen get made, even if I am
supposed to be a party girl now.

I spin around, making
myself seem a little unsteady on my feet, and run smack into Wayne.
He’s the bandmate of Stella’s boyfriend, Kace, and a pretty good
guy underneath all of his swagger. I throw my arms around him, and
move in for a kiss. He pulls back before I can make contact.

“What’s going on,
Reina? This isn’t you.”

“It is now, Wayne. My
loving husband is divorcing me, or haven’t you heard?”

“I’ve heard. And
again I’ll say it, this isn’t you.”

“You don’t know
me,” I say, turning away from him.

“I know you well
enough,” he whispers in my ear, pulling me back against him.
“Whatever’s going on, I’m in.”

I make myself sway, and
he catches me, pulling me up into his arms. I knew he would. He’s
going to play along. I close my eyes slowly, and then we’re moving.
I hear the photographers outside the club, but I keep my eyes closed
as Wayne cusses them out. He sets me into the backseat of a private
car, and then we’re moving.

I feign sleep through
our entire drive. I trust Wayne, but I don’t know who’s driving
us. I hear us pass through some private gates, and then I’m being
carried inside before being placed on a couch.

“You can open your
eyes now.”

“Thank you,” I tell
him.

“What the bloody hell
is going on?” Jenysis says as she walks into the room. She’s the
cousin of Darcy’s fiancé, Prince Brayden of Cyndryann.

“Reina needed help.”

“You needed to be
saved from table dancing and snogging?” she asks me.

“Honestly, yes.”

“Well then, good on
you for once Wayne. Why’d you bring her here, though?”

“I’m always good,
Jeny. And I thought you might want to help her, too. You love her
secret spy stuff.”

“Are you two together
now?”

“No,” Jenysis says
at the same time Wayne says “kind of.”

“Okay, then. I do
have something you might be able to help me with,” I tell her.

“Sure. I do think
what you do is wicked fab.”

“We’ll have more to
talk about later, but for now, I need to get into a ball that’s
being held tomorrow night.”

“Oh. I have a date,
so I can’t take you, but I bet my friend, Calum would.”

“Date? Who the fuck
do you have a date with?” Wayne asks her.

“None of your
business.”

“Seriously? What
about last night?”

“What about it? You
went on the pull tonight, and you’re getting all shirty with me?”

“I wasn’t looking
for a fuck. You had that stuffy dinner, so I just went out for a
couple of drinks. I didn’t even look at anyone else.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh. Why do I
even bother?”

“I’m sorry to
interrupt your lovers quarrel, but I need to know more about this
Calum.”

“I’m out. Have fun
on your date.”

Wayne storms out while
Jenysis looks like she might cry. “I went a little barmy, didn’t
I?”

“You’re preaching
to the choir, sweetie. That’s been me for years.”

“I’m really gutted
over you and Matt.”

“Don’t be. I trust
you, so I’ll tell you this—not everything is as it seems. Now,
about Calum.”

“Oh yeah, sorry. He’s
a bloke I went to school with. He’s positively minted, and every
Posh girl in London is trying to land him. I told him I’d try and
find him someone who wouldn’t think a date was a marriage
proposal.”

“I’m so that date.”

“Let me give him a
ring, and then we’ll talk more about what’s going on.”

“Deal.”

Matt

I’ve attended more
balls than I can count, and at most of them, Reina and I have arrived
separately. We’ve never been in the midst of a very public war
while having other dates, or well, ever. Our fights have been behind
closed doors, or only in front of our friends. Although I’ve hurt
her in many ways over the years, I would’ve never humiliated her in
public if it wasn’t a matter of life and death. Hers, as well as
the lives of the other women in my family. The only thing making this
bearable is that she knows I didn’t mean it. And I know she knows
because of what she’s wearing, along with her damn red dress. The
ring I gave her is on her finger, and that’s all that matters, or
it should be anyway.