“You smell good,” she whispered.
“Thanks.”
If things weren’t awkward before they were off the hook now.
When her lips brushed his neck, he took a step back, breaking the contact.
“You’re not shy, are you, Egan?” The tip of her tongue slipped out to smooth over bright red lips.
“No, ma’am. I better get going.” Her laughter followed him to the door. He left the library and didn’t slow his pace until he came to the security wing where the team was already dispersing.
“Did I mis something?” he asked as he approached Banner.
“Took you long enough, bro,” Banner said with a chuckle. “We always touch base in the evening. Just a quick debrief. Mrs. Langley arrived unexpected.”
“Yeah, I met her.” Egan rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“You did?” Banner’s expression changed some. Curiosity maybe?
“We had a brief meeting in the library. She seems…interesting.”
Banner laughed and folded his brawny arms over his chest. “Watch yourself. She likes new blood.”
“I’m not interested.”
“That even makes her more fascinated with you.” Banner dropped his arms and adjusted his tie.
“So she and Langley both have side hobbies?”
“That’s a good word for it.” Something changed in his expression. He glanced around the empty room. “Man, trust me. She’s not one you want to get up and personal with.”
“Really, buddy. You don’t have to warn me.” Egan exhaled. “I steer clear of messy and ShyAnne Langley emits trouble like that stinky perfume she wears.”
Banner nodded. “See you in the morning, my friend.”
Banner left for the security housing and Egan headed outside, finding a quiet spot where he could speak to his daughter. Every night that she wasn’t with him they talked before she went to bed. He’d pressed the button and the phone rang, but he hung up. A silhouette crossed the grass and entered the garden. Egan blinked several times to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. He could hear the familiar clanking of ShyAnne’s bracelets, even catching a whiff of her perfume. The moonlight reflected off her shiny dress.
From his hidden spot he watched her stumble through a row of sunflowers then pansies. When she tripped, she cursed and stopped to remover her heels. She swiveled to look through the darkness as if she felt she was being watched, but Egan sat in a safe place in the shadows. With a sigh, she continued her path.
Egan didn’t like sticking his nose where it didn’t belong, but being that he was here to observe things, he wondered where she was heading…or rather who she was meeting. She didn’t seem like the type to take a late evening stroll through the back yard.
Quietly, he left the cornerstone and shoved his phone back into his jacket pocket. Following at a safe distance, he watched her slip through the shadows. Then he realized she was staying hidden from the cameras. She ascended the steps to the pool where no cameras were installed.
His phone vibrated, echoing through the quiet. Shit!
He hurried to silence the sound, but not before ShyAnne stopped and jetted a glance through the dark. “Hello? Is someone there?”
Egan had slipped behind the hedges.
“I’m here,” came a male’s lowered voice.
“I thought I heard something,” ShyAnne said.
Egan heard her giggle then and the loud clank of her heels as she must have dropped them onto the concrete. Egan scooted a few inches to look around the tree. It didn’t take a genius to figure out it wasn’t her slender husband. This guy had a large frame, someone like Banner who was built as big as a house. When the couple dipped in behind the bushes, heading in the direction of the security quarters, Egan turned around and retraced his steps. Could she be having an affair with Banner? Would he put everything at risk to shag ShyAnne Langley? Egan sure hoped he wouldn’t. No tumble was worth the shit show it could cause.
Shrugging off the event, he grabbed his phone and checked the screen. He had a missed call from Finley.
~~~~~
Peter Langley stared at the stack of pictures on his desk then brought his chin up, meeting the exasperated gaze of Stark.
“Sir?”
“What, Stark? Why do you have pictures of my wife fucking someone?”
“She’s destroying your chances of winning the election, sir.” He tapped his shoe on the floor.
Peter neatly gathered the pictures and placed them in the top drawer of his desk. “I’m not exactly innocent.”
“But at least you keep your transgressions hidden. She’s blatantly flaunting her affairs, not caring who sees, or thinking of the possibility that if anyone got ahold of this they would use it as leverage. Just as that pathetic excuse of head of security did to you. I hope he gets hit by a truck before he gets to spend a dime of that bribe money he swindled out of you.”
Peter didn’t like being reminded that Drake had betrayed him. He hadn’t had a choice but to pay him a half million in cash to shut him up. What Stark didn’t know, Drake didn’t give a damn that Shy was sleeping with every Tom, Dick and Harry. He suddenly grew a conscious when he learned that Peter had made a deal with the Renegades. In exchange for them helping him get elected by calling in a few favors, he’d see that some of their indiscretions would be ignored. Peter
