Page 56 of Up in Smoke
“Oh, fuck no,” Bowen growled, his hands curling into fists.
For the next hour, the group listened to a campaign staff meeting. From the sounds and explanations filtering through Sera’s wire, it was obvious some kind of PowerPoint presentation was taking place. Even Connor had to admit that Stark was an engaging speaker. He drew laughs from his audience even as he rallied them to work harder for his “noble” cause. It was enough to make Connor sick. Hell, there was suspicion he’d murdered Tucker May to silence the man. He didn’t want Sera, whose friendship he valued, to be anywhere near the sleazy asshole, either. When the meeting wrapped up, everyone in the van sat forward to see what would happen next. If Sera could get close enough to Stark, she’d been instructed to slip a listening and tracking device in his designer leather satchel. That task was what had Bowen ready to jump out of his skin. If Sera got caught, they would need to get her out immediately.
Stark’s voice came through distorted for a moment, then clear as a bell, calling Sera by her cover name. “Uh, Trish. Trish, right?” The sounds of chairs rolling back and a door opening, signaling the end of the meeting. “Can I have a word with you?”
The barest of hesitations. “Sure. Something I can help you with?”
“Oh, please. You’re doing enough. My assistant tells me you’ve brought in a record number of cold-call donations this week. How did you manage that? You’re so…new.”
Austin made a gagging sound. “The man is sorely lacking in anything resembling game.”
“Shut up,” Bowen bit off, yanking on the ends of his hair.
Sera spoke this time, sounding innocently pleased. “Oh, I was just friendly, I guess. My father always said the best way to make a sale is to listen first.”
“Wise words,” Stark murmured. “Listen, I’d love to take you out to lunch. Just to say thank-you.”
Bowen lunged for the van door.
“Driscol,” Derek said sharply. “You go in there and blow her cover, you don’t just screw her over, you screw us all. Stay put and let her do her fucking job.”
Bowen ground his head against the metal door once before denting it with a blow from his fist. “If something happens to her, I will burn this city down.” He turned a look on Derek. “How do you know he hasn’t already made her? She could be in danger.”
“Because I know,” Derek returned coldly, initiating a standoff. “Don’t question me.”
Sera hadn’t spoken in a few seconds, probably all too aware of how her husband was reacting to the offer of lunch. “Oh. Could we plan for another day? I’m…well, I’m seeing someone and I’m supposed to meet them for lunch today.”
Until Erin slipped from his arms, Connor hadn’t realized how quiet she’d been. She watched Bowen with concern, but there was something else happening behind her eyes. Plans taking shape, her sharp brain working overtime. She gave him a meaningful look and placed a finger over her lips to silence his questions before slipping out the front door of the van. Every instinct in his body demanded he go after her, but he knew what her look had meant. He recognized it too well.Trust me.
A third voice filled the van. Stark’s assistant. She reminded him about a phone call he had that afternoon with the state education chairman before clicking back out of the room. Stark cleared his throat into the silence. “Another day is fine, I guess. Although my schedule is very tight. I was so looking forward to—”
“Honey? Did you forget our lunch date?”
Connor jolted in his seat as Erin’s voice joined the conversation between Sera and Stark. Four pairs of eyes swung toward him, obviously noting for the first time that Erin was no longer in the van.
Austin and Polly both burst out laughing. He and Bowen exchanged a speculative glance.
Derek pinched the bridge of his nose and cursed. “What the hell, Bannon?”
Fuck if he knew. But he would support Erin. She’d proven herself to be a valuable member of this group and he’d damn well have her back if she’d made a call that would help Sera. Even if it went against basic orders not to be seen while they were undercover. He hated the fact that she might have just thrown herself into a dangerous situation, but he felt marginally better knowing Sera, a damn good police officer, was there with her.
“This…is who you’re meeting for lunch?” Stark’s voice. There was no mistaking the blatant heat in his tone. He sounded almost gleeful. “When you said you were seeing someone, I assumed—”
“I’d be a man?” Erin was closer to Sera and her wire now. “We get that a lot.”
Polly slow-clapped. “Well played, O’Dea. You aresogetting that recorder planted today, Captain. Can we saydistracted?”
Derek started to reply, but was cut off by the unmistakable sound of a kiss. Erin and Sera had kissed? Connor and Bowen exchanged a distinctly uncomfortable look.
Austin let out a hoot. “This shit is finally getting interesting.”
“Shut up,” Connor and Bowen shouted at the Brit.
“Lunch sounds great,” Erin said with a smile in her voice, silencing the van once more. “Where are you taking us, Mr. Treasurer?”
All right, so she wasn’t completely cured. That kiss with Sera had stung like a son of a bitch, but she’d managed to disguise her shock as arousal, which had probably worked in their favor. To be perfectly honest, she kind of liked knowing Connor was the only person it didn’t hurt to touch, to kiss, to allow access to her body. The wickedly sexual side of her he’d woken, this side of her that liked being dominated, wanted to give him that honor. For a man like him it would be the ultimate high, knowing his woman could stand only his touch. Maybe it was wrong or fucked up that she’d found a way to be happy about her affliction, but it made her feel secure somehow. She didn’thaveto be cured completely. There was no pressure. She could still be Erin, but she’d been given an extraordinary gift to go along with all her screwy qualities. Connor. His hands, mouth…heart.
Right now, she needed to focus on the task at hand, though. That day at the courthouse, when she’d witnessed the wedding between Bowen and Sera, she’d fallen in love with them both. Not in the way she loved Connor. Nowhere close to that consuming or life-changing. But she couldn’t discount the feeling that these two new people in her life had given her hope, possibly even helped her heal. They’d proven that being dealt a shitty hand didn’t prevent you from folding and finding a new game. They had all done it, but Bowen and Sera had found their pot of gold at the end of a shit rainbow. No way could she sit by and let Sera go into something on her own. Let Bowen go insane with worry. These people had the unfortunate luck of being her friends now, which meant she would go to the wall for them.
