the fact that he said, “I trust you.” Two days ago he was chiding me because I asked to borrow one of his cars—I’m not responsible enough to drive them.
“What?” he asks. “I can be reasonable. As I said, I know the company. They’re the best in the business. Now, tell me what you know about Vance.”
I scratch the back of my neck and go to my small office where I have a copy of his file. Instead of handing it to Henry, I give it to Vance.
“The guys you work with aren’t particular about the cases they take,” I state, staring at him. “Who scores the jobs?”
He grins. “Classified.”
“Vance, this is serious,” I say. “Do you have any idea who you worked for?”
He opens the folder and starts scanning the documents inside. He frowns and shakes his head. “This is wrong.”
“I didn’t make up that shit,” I argue, pointing at the folder. “You can read the report. What did you use to do for them?”
“Once they secured the contract, I’d gather the necessary information to do the job. I scouted the places, created a plan, and made sure it was executed properly.”
He was the brains. How are they handling the new contracts without having him in charge?
“You planned the missions, but you didn’t know who you were helping.”
He nods, cringing as he continues reading the file.
“Are you a hockey player, Mills?” Pierce questions.
He nods and looks at me. “So, this is the shit you couldn’t tell me.”
“Yeah.”
Vance stands up, fans the folder, and says, “This is bullshit. I’m going to prove you wrong.”
He storms out of my place.
“Do you think he’s going to leave?” Henry stares at the empty space, scared.
I nod because if it was me, I would be figuring out a way to reach my people and demand an explanation.
“Should we stop him?”
“On it,” I say, texting the guys. They can intercept him if he tries to leave.
Since I used The Organization’s server and used my team’s chat, Grace responds.
Grace: What happened?
Beac: I’ll tell you when you’re back.
Mane: They caught him.
Fucking, Mane. Does he have to disclose everything all the time?
Grace: Who caught who?
Fisher: Vance has a recording from the security room—of the two of you. I didn’t know you like it so dirty, Lady G.
Grace: Fuck off, Fish.
Fisher: It’s okay, everyone has a sex tape. It’s the rite of passage to celebredom.
Grace: That’s not even a word.
Fisher: Just imagine your future. #Gracon
Grace: What happened, Beac?
Beac: I got into a fight with Vance. He genuinely didn’t know what he was doing while working for his pals.
Lang: I knew he wasn’t dirty. So why are we watching the town exits and your house?
Beac: He doesn’t believe that what we gathered from his team is true. He might want to leave the state in order to get some answers.
Grace: Do you need me to head back?
San: We’re all in position.
Beac: G, stay in Portland. You might be the one stopping him there if he gets through all of us.
Lang: Don’t break his nose.
Grace: I’ll try not to, but I can’t promise anything.
“Everything okay?” Henry asks.
I nod.
“Do you think I should follow Vance?” Mills asks.
“Vance has a lot to deal with. Give him time.”
“Anything else we should know?” Pierce asks.
I shake my head. “Everything is under control.”
“Who knew Mr. Chaos would have everything under control?” Henry says. “I said it once, and I’ll say it again: This place is like the twilight zone.”
“You never said that, but whatever, Henry.” Mills rolls his eyes.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Beacon
A couple of hours later, Vance finally comes out of his room.
“Can I have a word with you?” he asks, tilting his head toward the door.
I grab my jacket and nod. We head to the fire pit. While I’m turning on the fire so we don’t freeze our asses, he asks, “Why didn’t you tell me you were part of this H-I-B group?”
“I was going to do it, but decided to wait until we recruited you. You said no and with all that crap they found on your guys…” I shake my head. “I couldn’t risk it.”
He runs a hand through his hair. “What am I supposed to do with that? I believed that what we were doing was helping people. I did a lot of good deeds during the time I spent with them.”
“How do you know they were good?”
“Because I was the one who would come up with the assignments. Those were called pro bono missions. I funded them—and paid the salaries of the guys