Tension (27 page)

“About the story?” George asked, alarmed at her surprise.

“No, they caught one?” she asked. “When? Why wasn’t I told?”

“This afternoon.” George followed her into the kitchen and was pulling out cheese and tortillas for quesadillas when he felt her arms go around him.

“Um, what’s with the new ink?” Stella said into his back, which was adorned with a new tattoo.

“You’re full of fucking questions.” George smirked.

“Well, shit, I go to sleep for a few minutes and all hell breaks loose.” Stella walked over to where she’d thrown her bag down and turned on her phone. “I guess one of these messages will tell me who they apprehended. You gonna make me go through these now or do you want to tell me?”

“The one who assaulted you.” His voice was calm. “They found him in Alabama in a trailer park. Larry Holmes, 43, convicted criminal and known associate of the group that was involved in the undercover operation.”

“Okay, well that’s something. He’s the one we actually have evidence to convict. So that’s good.”

“Agent Harris called me looking for you, he said they’re trying to get him to flip and get the names of the other two.”

Stella’s stomach clenched. “Well...”

“I know you want this guy to rot for attacking you like that, but they really want the guy that shot you, El. That’s who they’re looking for.”

She traced the heart on his shoulder blade with her index finger and then the new rings symbolizing infinity that now circled through it. Stella leaned into George’s back to kiss it. “When did you get this?”

“A couple weeks ago.”

“I love it.”

“Oh, yeah. Why’s that?”

“Because it means you’ll forgive me, because you love me.”

“You’ve known I’ve loved you for awhile. Why does this make a difference?”

“Now it’s permanent.”

“Nothing’s permanent. You know that better than anyone, El.”

“This is permanent,” she said as she traced his tattoo. “And this.” She put his hand on her scars.

“Look, you’re right. I love you so much it’s crazy. I don’t like feeling stupid or blindsided with all this media shit. People look at me with pity now. Pity, El. Everyone thinks you’re fucking a football player and left me or that you’re just stringing me along. It’s starting to get on my fucking nerves. I’m not sure how much longer I can deal with it.” He slammed a cabinet shut.

Stella turned him around so he was facing her.

“I can’t look at you without seeing him touching you.”

Her eyes went wide. “I’m sorry, George. I never wanted you to see that video. EVER. I don’t think I could handle seeing you and another person having sex, but I didn’t want you to be blindsided if it got out. What did you want me to do?”

Silence.

“Ever since I woke up, dealing with the media has seemed to take up most of my time and I’m not even doing a good job with it. I sent you that video as soon as I got it. I called to tell you I was meeting with Jesse’s attorney. After we left his office, we grabbed something to eat. The paparazzi got wind of us being there. When we left he put his arm around me to lead me to the car. That’s it, George. That’s it.” She was pleading, begging him to believe her.

“You sure?” His thumb ran down her cheek and jaw.

“I swear, George. You’re it for me. I just want you to trust me.” Stella looked him directly in the eyes.

“I want to...” George looked down, breaking the eye contact. “It’s so hard with the media speculating about everything and then there are pictures of y’all together. I look like a schmuck.”

“I think you look awesome.” She kissed him; he ignored her. She kissed his chest and then pulled his boxers down. “I’ve missed you,” she murmured, making her way down his body.

Stella filled George in on what the attorney said and the plan that was in place. The video would hopefully never be sold. George had lots of questions about who had a copy of the video.

“Honestly, George, the only person I thought had it was Jamie. I was obviously wrong about him on so many different levels. He could’ve given it to any of his friends.” She shook her head in disgust. “I was young and stupid.”

“Why would he do that?” George rubbed his hand over his newly cropped hair.

“I’m not sure. I know whoever sent it to me is shopping it around for big bucks.” She closed her eyes, letting out a sigh. “I’m mean, why be a lawyer when I could make money in the porn industry?”

He pulled her to him. “I’m sorry this is fucking up your entire life.”

“Just tell me it’s not fucking us up. I can deal with the rest, just not us.” She knew the pictures of her and Jesse had put doubts in George’s mind. She hoped her visit would repair any damage that’d been done.

“I’m trying, El,” he whispered into her hair. “So, they’re pretty much assuming that Jamie, or Jack, is one of the three guys that attacked the office.”

Her eyebrows raised and she pushed back so that she could see his eyes. “Since when?”

“Since they got the guy this afternoon and the fact the ATF won’t tell the FBI if they’ve had any contact with Jack. The FBI thinks ATF is covering up something. I mean, some of that is expected, but eight months is outside of protocol. Patrick confirmed the ATF is circling the wagons and trying to protect Jack.”

This was new information to Stella. She knew that Jamie contacted the ATF through Patrick; they must be keeping everything close to the vest.

“You’ve talked to Patrick?” She started chopping onions and mushrooms to put in the quesadillas. She wondered why Patrick hadn’t told George about Jamie’s allegation against her, that she’d blown his cover. It also struck her funny that George called him Jack. Stella turned to look at George to see if he was hiding anything from her. He looked as honest as ever. The realization hit her that George had been honest with her since their agreement; she was the one that hadn’t held up her end of the bargain.

“Yep. He cares about you. He’s torn up about all this. Thinks it’s his fault.”

“I’m trying to get past it.”

“I think you owe it to him to listen to his side of the story.”

“I’ve already heard his side. And I don’t owe him SHIT, George.” She slapped the tortillas in the pan. “Why are we arguing about this?”

“Okay!” He held his hands up in surrender. “You talk to Millie?”

“Every once in awhile. I called her yesterday to let her know that Greg will be handling the PR side of things now. She was relieved. It’d been consuming her life, too. I may go see her while I’m here. Can you get off any time today or tomorrow? I’m leaving in two days.”

“Oh, I wondered if you were staying. I didn’t see your car.” George looked out of the window into the night.

“I’ve got some things I need to do before I come back,” Stella said as she concentrated on her cooking.
This was so hard
. A voice kept telling her to tell him everything.

“What things?” he asked.

Finding and killing Jamie.
“Family obligations. I already told my Mom I would be around for some things. So...”

“When are you coming home?” he asked, taking a bite of the quesadilla Stella had put on his plate.

“A week, I think. Stan said they keep putting off my re-entry meeting, but I still have to be here for the evaluation on the 30th. I have a feeling I may not be able to go back, for several reasons.”

“You don’t think you would be taken seriously as the ‘FBI Beauty’?”

She grimaced at the term. “What do you think?”

“What are you thinking?”

“While I was in Atlanta, I got an offer from a firm in the District. One of the partners called and said I would be a huge draw for clients wanting to work with me because of my high profile and my dealings with the media. She said folks in political trouble would eat it up. You think she’d still think that when my sex tape comes out?” Stella took a bite of her quesadilla while she walked over and sat on the bar stool.

“Let’s hope your new attorney doesn’t let that happen.”

Jesse watched Stella punch the red bag with disinterest. He looked around the side at her. “Come on! You’re not even trying.”

Punching the bag even harder, she grunted then walked away. She’d been at this sort of training every day for the last three weeks straight, minus the three days in DC. “I need a break.”

“A break?” Jesse walked over to where she sat on the mat. “You just had a break.”

“My entire body hurts. You forget I almost died a few months ago.”

“No, actually, I haven’t forgotten that, Stella.” He put his arm around her shoulders. “That’s why we’re doing all this, right?”

“Yes,” she answered. “I need a break, though.”

“How about a massage?” Jesse stood and pulled his phone out of his pants. He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

“Um...” Stella examined her gloved hands.

“Hey, Macy, it’s Jesse. I need two massages, please.” He listened for a minute. “Sure, fifteen minutes.”

Stella started taking the tape off her hands. Chuckling to herself, she checked her phone. George had texted her.

witness hasn’t given anyone up

She replied.

Interesting

She sent a text to Patrick

Where is he

“Let’s go. We can go in the back at Natural Body Spa in Alpharetta. Could you imagine the media madness if we’re spotted going in a spa together?”

“Good grief, no. George would have no trouble kicking me out.”

“Would that be so bad?”

They walked into his garage and both got into his silver Range Rover. “This car is so pretentious,” Stella commented as the entire SUV lowered so that stepping in was easier. “And yes, it would be bad. I love George. More importantly, George loves me. My fucked-up-all-over-the-TV-broken-ass.”

Her phone beeped; Patrick responded.

Getting close to ur ass

B careful

Stella stared at the text. He was here. She needed to be ready.

Got it

“I like George. I support George as opposed to Patrick, but I’m not convinced you do love him. You can’t be yourself around him.” He turned left out of his neighborhood and headed toward the spa. He pushed a button on the SUV. “I’m warming your butt up. And you’re welcome.” He laughed.

Stella looked at Jesse and took him in. “You’re wrong on this one, J. I do love him. I’m trying to make myself into someone he can accept, someone he wouldn’t be appalled to be with. He loved me when no one else would, when I was at my darkest. He made me a better person. George is one of the best people I know.”

“Well, that may be the case, but if you can’t be yourself around him, I wonder if love is enough.”

“I do, too,” she whispered. Her feelings about most things were complicated, but with George it was simple. She loved him and that was all she knew; all she
needed
to know. Not knowing how long they would stay together was hard, but she was pretty sure it would end before she wanted it to.

“Okay then,” Jesse pulled into the strip mall and then down behind the mall itself and turned his car off behind the spa. “Here we go. We can always do a couples massage if you want.”

Stella swatted at Jesse’s arm. “You’re relentless.”

“About most things.” He smiled and opened the door.

A beautiful, young African American woman met them at the door. “Mr. McIntyre, we have set up two rooms for you. Follow me.”

The massage helped calm her nerves and eased some of the tension she felt in her shoulders; she was much more relaxed when she got home. Her parents were out and she was on the Internet looking for jobs in DC when her phone rang. Although she sort of had an offer, she wanted to look around to see what type of salary she could expect. It was Millie.

“Hello?” She knew Millie was at work, so it must be important to be a call and not a text. She heard a sob. “Millie? Are you okay?”

“Turn the TV to CSPAN…or probably CNN by this point,” Millie choked into the phone.

Shit.
What now?
“What’s going on, Mil?”

“Well, I was late for a caucus meeting today at the Capitol and I was running to speak with one of the Senators before they closed the doors.” She hiccupped.