Loving My SECRET (Corrigan & Co. Book 10) (7 page)

The entire plane ride
was spent in the conference area of the plane. We analyzed every
satellite photo and map Ainsley presented to us, and went over the
plan more times than I can count. It’s all necessary, because there
can be no mistakes on this mission. There will, of course, be
surprises, and things no one can plan for, but human error is not an
option.

The Society women are
the best in the world and us guys are pretty damn close to their
level as well. No one will even consider an option where we don’t
get Reina out of there alive. I’m praying that she’s more than
just alive; although if she’s damaged, I’ll help her heal in any
way that I can. Just like Aiden does for Ellie.

As we de-plane at the
airfield in the closest town to her village that has an airport, I
look around and try to see what she saw all those years ago when she
came here to get on a Corrigan or Griffin jet. I don’t know the
details of her rescue, because rescuing her again has been everyone’s
priority, but I want to know. When this is all over, I need to know
everything that went down. A part of me feels like I deserve to know,
that Reina should’ve told me long ago. But then the rest of me
realizes that I never did anything to earn her trust, even when we
really together for those two weeks before I was sent to the desert.

“Matt? We have to
move,” Nate says, breaking me from my thoughts.

“Yeah. Sorry, I’m
coming.”

We get our passports
stamped without a problem, and are walking through the airport when a
conversation distracts me. Or rather the ring the man having the
conversation is holding distracts me. It’s Reina’s engagement
ring, and my feet are moving before my mouth even opens. I grab the
guy and lift him off his feet.

“Where did you get
that ring?” I ask him in Spanish. I learned the language years ago,
when I was holding out hope for Reina and I. I wanted to honor her
family and her heritage.

“She gave it to me.”

“She?”

“Reina. Reina gave it
to me in exchange for helping her.”

“Matt,” Jake says,
running up next to me. “Put the guy down. People are staring, and
we don’t need the police onto us.

“He has Reina’s
ring. He says she gave it to him,” I say, dropping him back to the
floor and putting my arm around him. I smile to the crowd that was
watching us before addressing them. “We’re old friends. Just
playing around.” I nudge my “buddy” and he smiles and nods,
too.

When we get outside, we
see that almost everyone else has left already. Stella is standing
next to an SUV, tapping her foot and glaring at me. When she sees I
have a new friend, she drops the glare. “Who’s he?”

“Someone who says
Reina gave him her engagement ring in exchange for helping her.”

“Let’s get better
acquainted, and then you can help
us
,”
she tells him with a smile before I toss him in the backseat.

“Please. You have to
let me go. I can’t go back to the village,” he begs as the car
rolls away from the curb.

“Why can’t you go
back?” I ask.

“They know someone
helped Reina get inside the convent. One of the men saw her there,
and they are planning to flush her out tonight. The man in charge
will not take her himself on holy ground, but he has already done
something to show her he is willing to send others in.”

“What did he do?”

“I do not know. There
were men in the village, spreading the information. Hoping to get one
of us to confess to helping her. I do not want to die.”

“You took her in
through the tunnel, didn’t you?”

“Yes. How do you know
of it?”

“We have our ways.
How many men are in the village?”

“Around fifty.”

“And there are
another twenty or so around the convent?”

He shakes his head.
“More now. Maybe forty.” He sighs, and then gives us more
information. Information we already have, but I’m glad he’s
telling us because it means we can maybe trust him. “He’s staying
at a farm outside of the village. The people there keep to
themselves, and I think he has owned it all along. I’m sure he has
more men there as well.”

“We know.”

“Can I go now? I
really want to be as far away from here as possible. I know Reina
won’t want to tell them, but if he tortures her…”

“She won’t tell. No
matter what is done to her. I can guarantee that,” Stella says.

“The man behind this
all is a dead man already. He just doesn’t know it yet. If he
touches my wife, I’ll just make it more painful for him. As for
you, I need that ring back. I will give you money to get wherever
you’re going, but I can’t let you have that ring.”

“I understand. I
tried to give it back to her, but she wouldn’t take it. She said,
well, that she had no sentimental attachment to it,” he tells me as
he hands it over.

“I’m not blaming
you,” I tell him, pulling out one of my bundles of cash from my bag
and tossing it to him. “I just need it back.”

We let him out at the
next street and then make our way to the house Ainsley bought us
under a dummy corporation. When I said that money talks, I meant it.
She had the papers signed and the keys delivered to a guy here in a
matter of hours. Between money, and the Society connections, there’s
not much that these women can’t do. I’m counting on all of that
to save Reina.

Once we get inside the
house, Ainsley, Tegan, and Isa break us all into groups based on
skill set and what they’ve determined for the mission. My friends
are all split into other groups, while mine includes Jade and Isa.
I’m anxious to get moving and wish they could just fill us all in
during the drive. We’re two hours from the village and that’s too
far for my liking. I know they want to make sure we’re extra
prepared, and a Society mission normally has at least one week of
prep time, but I’m itching to move.

When the women’s arms
all light up with a distress signal, the talking stops, and we’re
all running for the door. The local teams don’t know what they
signal means, but the rest of us do. Reina took something with her
when she left, and now she’s put out a call for help. She knew we’d
come looking—or at least she knew the women would come—and she is
trying to save herself, even if in the back of my mind, I thought she
wanted to die.

Reina,

Today was one of
the hardest days of my life. Top five for sure. Walking into the
Foundation and seeing you there nearly brought me to my knees. We’ve
avoided each other all these years, but now we can’t anymore. And
God help me, I don’t want to. I know I can’t have you, and seeing
you will be torture, but I have to see you. You looked so gorgeous in
that silk blouse and tight pencil skirt. I can tell that you’re
more toned, and stronger, than you were when we were together, but
your curves still have me wanting to build that shrine. It took
everything I had in me not to run to you, and pull you into my arms.
I saw the pain my presence brought you, and I wanted to do anything
to take it away. Those cheesy lines about absence making the heart
grow fonder? Yeah, they’re all true and more. My heart isn’t just
fond of you, my beautiful queen. It yearns for you, and you alone. I
know that it doesn’t matter what I want. All that matters is that
you’re happy. And you were until you saw me. You were laughing, and
I need you to stay that way. That’s why I made the mean and crude
remarks to you. I can’t have you seeing me as the man you once
loved. If you did, I would be tempted to tell you everything, and
then you’d look at me in disgust. I’d rather have anger from you,
so I’ll push for that. Please know I didn’t mean any of the nasty
things I said today, or those I’ll be saying in the future. I just
need the wall between us to stay in place.

I really do love
you,

Matt

* * *

Almost five years ago…

Things
have finally started getting back to normal with the Foundation and
the Society. When Mitchell Corrigan died last year, it was a huge
blow to Jane. She knew it was coming, but nothing can truly prepare
you for a loss that profound. I’ve essentially been running things
so that she could have a chance to grieve.

In
his will, Mitchell asked that Corrigan & Co. be moved to Las
Vegas. He grew up here, and wanted to help the economy with the extra
jobs he could provide. In Chicago, the Foundation offices were in a
separate building than the company itself, because there was no room
for everything we needed. That’s not the case here. Mitchell had
already hired Ryan Griffin to build this place where everyone would
work together, and although he didn’t know what the sub-floors
would be used for, Ryan did an excellent job. So good that I couldn’t
come up with even one argument as to why we couldn’t all be
together. Being afraid of what would happen when I was finally forced
to see Matt again is not something I can use in this situation.

Avoiding
him wasn’t a problem until recently. Matt was career military until
his grandfather died, and made it impossible for him to stay away
from the business. He couldn’t let his bastard of a father run
Corrigan. For the last year, he’s been in charge of the company—and
landing in every tabloid imaginable for his nighttime activities. I
managed to make excuses for why I couldn’t attend a party or ball
that he’d be at in Chicago, but I don’t know if I can do that
here.. I’m pretty sure Jane knew the real reason I wouldn’t go,
but she never called me on it once.

Audrey
was a different story. She was the one I went to when everything fell
apart. When Matt dumped me like I was a piece of trash. I couldn’t
talk to my mom, and I definitely couldn’t talk to Jane, so it was
Audrey who held me when I needed to cry. She got mad when I refused
to go to events, and told me I was better than that. And it’s
Audrey who has stopped laughing along with Stella and I, to glare
behind my back as we stand in our new lobby.

“
What
are you doing here?” she asks, with the emphasis on “you,” and
just like that I know who I’ll find when I turn around. I make
myself do it anyway.

“
I’m
the head of Corrigan & Co. That makes me responsible for all of
you little girls who do whatever it is you do.”

“
Little
girls? I would love to hear your grandmother talk about us like
that,” Stella says, moving to stand next to me.

Matt
looks her up and down, then smiles. “Gram sure knows how to pick
‘em. I wouldn’t kick you out of my bed, sweetheart.”

“
No?
Well how about I kick your ass, and we can go from there?”

“
Oh,
I’d love to see you try. Can we have some whipped cream, or jello?”

I
hold out an arm to stop Stella from attacking, because that would
make things worse. “Ignore him, Stell. He’s an ass.”

“
I
seem to remember that you liked my ass. You used to dig those sweet
teenage nails into it while I fucked you, and it was hot as hell,
Reina.”

“
I
need you to leave now, Matt,” I say, struggling to hold it together
as he smirks.

“
Oh,
I get it. You’re jealous of the blonde. Don’t worry, even if I’m
not interested, you still look pretty good. I wouldn’t mind giving
you a pity fuck if you needed it so we can clear the air.”

Audrey
has him on the floor with her gun at his throat before he even sees
her coming. “I love Jane, but so help me God, I will kill you if
you mess with her again. Leave Reina alone.”

“
I
was just playing around,” he protests, jumping to his feet with her
still on top of him. He catches her as she falls backwards, and
kisses her cheek.

Audrey
slaps him before I grab her arms and pull her back behind me. I don’t
need anyone to fight this battle for me. It’s been coming for
years, and I’m ready. Well, kind of. Still. It’s my fight and no
one else’s.

“
No.
What you were doing is trying to hurt me again. That’s not going to
happen. I’m not the young girl who fell for the lies you fed her
until you got tired of pretending.”

I
see a flash of something cross his face. Shame? Pain? I don’t know
because it’s gone before I can analyze it. That damn smirk of his
is back, and he’s taking no prisoners. Classic Matthew Corrigan.

“
I’m
sorry if you got addicted to my dick after having a taste. I never
promised you anything besides that, so you have no one to blame but
yourself if your feelings were hurt.”

We
both know that’s a lie, and I see the challenge in his eyes. He’s
daring me to contradict him, and remind him that he promised me
everything. He even said he wanted to marry me when his tour was
over. Now I know he never meant it, but there were promises from him.
All of them broken, just like I was, but they were made nonetheless.

If
I call him out, he’ll know I remember, and that I still care. I’ve
learned to never show weakness with an enemy, and since Matt is the
deadliest of mine, I play along.

“
It
was good sex,” I tell him with a shrug. “I wasn’t addicted. I
enjoyed it, yeah, but that’s it. Ask the guy I was with last night
if he thinks I’m still pining for you.”

Surprise
and then anger flash across his face. “Reina,” he says with a
growl.

“
What?
Am I not supposed to like a good fuck? News flash—I do. Now were
you here for a reason, or just to try and see if I still remembered
you?”

“
You
wanna play it this way, Princess? We’ll play. Just remember, I
always win. Always.”

“
I’m
not a princess!”

“
Well,
you sure as hell aren’t a queen, so I’m going to stick with
‘Princess.’”