Hello My Angel - Sue Brown Page 0,67
except at Josh.
“I don’t care what puppy-dog look you give me, I don’t wanna talk about it,” Gil said eventually.
Josh knew Gil was feeling betrayed. After his twin brother’s betrayal, this was the last thing Gil needed. “You don’t have to. You’re my friend and I’m checking on you.”
“Liar!” But Gil’s tone was lighter. “You always stick your nose in where it’s not wanted.”
“It’s my job.”
He jumped as Gil drove his fist into a wall, but he stayed where he was. Gil was hurting. He needed a friend.
“I knew!” Gil spat out. “I knew there was something wrong about Max. He was too…convenient.”
Josh remembered his own misgivings about the young man. “We don’t know why he did it.”
“He was Mullins’s spook. He’s been spying on us when I…we needed a friend.”
Josh noticed the slip, but he said, “He’s only collected the information since Mullins died. He had no one to give it to.”
“He still spied on us.”
“As we did on the agency,” Josh pointed out. “You know Stephen was feeding us information.”
Gil rubbed his head. “That’s not the point.”
No, it wasn’t the point. It wasn’t the point at all. Gil had started to open up to Max and once more his trust had been betrayed. Josh wondered if Gil would ever trust anyone again.
“Come here, big guy.”
Josh hauled Gil into his arms despite his protests. Gil bitched but he let Josh hug him for a moment before he stood back, his eyes suspiciously red.
“We need to talk to him,” Gil said.
Josh nodded and held the door out for Gil. He found everyone else in the conference room, Max on one side of the table, flanked by Rick and Dave and Cal on the other side, glaring at him. Josh sighed. This wasn’t going to be awkward at all.
He stuck his hands on his hips. “I’m not torturing anyone without coffee.”
Max shrunk back as though he really was going to be tortured. Rick snorted and Cal rolled his eyes.
“I’m making drinks for everyone, just this time, and then Max is gonna talk.”
“I’ll help,” Max said.
“You stay where you are,” Gil barked and Max blanched.
Josh didn’t scold Gil. His friendly offer of drinks was masking a furious wave of anger he was ready to unleash on Max. Just for once they needed a fucking break rather than more bad news. He needed to get himself under control while he made the drinks.
In the kitchenette, he banged the mugs down and stomped around. He cursed under his breath when the door opened behind him.
“Almost done.”
Josh felt arms around him and Cal turned him around and pressed his head against his shoulder.
“I’m okay,” Josh mumbled.
“You’re not. None of us are, but I don’t think he had time to do much damage. Let’s hear him out.” Cal stroked Josh’s hair.
Josh pressed his face into Cal’s neck, inhaling the scents of shower gel and laundry detergent. “He could be lying.”
“If he is and I find out, I’m throwing him to the dogs.”
“You mean Gil, Rick and Dave.”
Cal rumbled his agreement. Josh said nothing. He approved of the plan.
Josh placed a mug in front of everyone except Max and a can of Pepsi Max in front of him. He sat down next to Cal, still wearing his friendly face.
“Now it’s time for you to talk. I suggest you tell the truth.”
Max nodded frantically.
“You were recruited to spy on us?” Cal said.
Max nodded again.
“Start from the beginning.”
Any trace of sympathy Josh had for the kid had gone. He’d faced Chyna Moles with a gun. Now, he faced a mole.
Max licked his lips. “Mullins said to keep an eye on you.”
“No,” Josh said. “Start at the beginning.”
Max furrowed his brows. “I don’t understand.”
“You called Cal with information. Were you recruited before then?”
“Yes. I found out who Chyna Moles really was. I went to my line of command which was Mullins.”
“Huh. What did he do with the information?”
“I don’t know.”
“You were told not to lie,” Gil snarled.
Max shrunk down. “He called Graham Herring.”
So the government knew they had a traitor in their midst and no one reached out to Cal or him.
“How long?” Josh demanded.
“How long what?” Max asked, obviously confused.
“How long between telling Mullins and calling Cal?”
“A week. He told me he would deal with it, but I realized you didn’t know. I made the decision to call you, but you didn’t return my call.”
A week? Seven days? So many people could have been saved. Sir Gideon, Chopper.
Fuck! On the one hand he wanted to throttle Max for holding