Page 31 of Breaking the Rules
“Just fine,” she said with a smile as phony as Brad’s wife’s breasts. “Maybe a little shaken up, to be honest,” she ventured.
Brad joined her at the railing overlooking a portion of deep canyon. “I can certainly understand. That assignment went to hell in a handbag, didn’t it?”
“I got shot if that’s what you mean by handbag. Who were those guys?” she asked.
Brad gave a careless shrug of his shoulder, but his eyes were sharp and focused. “I have no idea.”
Liar, Waverly thought.
“They just came out of nowhere,” Waverly said, adding a quiver to her voice.
“Why weren’t you in the house?”
The question caught her off guard, but she rolled with it. “Petra wanted to show me the fire ring down by the lake,” she said.
“So Dante was alone in the house?”
Waverly chose her words carefully. She didn’t want Brad to know that Dante had been suspicious of the assignment and had gone snooping. “He had some calls to make. He was going to meet us down by the lake when he was done. There was some security and staff in the house, I think. Petra’s bodyguards came with us.”
Brad jingled the keys in his pants pocket. “I see.”
“Do you know where Dante is? I’d really like to talk to him. You know, make sure he’s okay.”
“You haven’t heard from him?” Brad asked, pursing his lips.
Waverly shook her head. “I tried calling him immediately after the shooting, but he never answered, so I followed protocol and arranged an extraction.”
Brad nodded briskly. “So no texts or calls or emails from Wrede?”
“No. Why? Is he… he’s still alive, isn’t he?”
“He’s fine,” Brad said with confidence. “We sent him away, too, until everything calms down. Except he followed orders and didn’t come back early,” he said sternly.
Waverly did her best to look chagrined. “I couldn’t stay away any longer,” she protested. “I needed to know what happened, and you weren’t offering any answers.”
Brad’s friendly façade fell away. “It’s not my job to give you answers. It’s my job to give you orders and your job to follow them. You could have jeopardized a lot of plans coming back the way you did. With Xavier Saint, might I add.”
Waverly felt the pepper spray with her fingers through her jacket.
“That was my father’s fault. I didn’t ask him to—”
“You need to get rid of him,” Brad snapped. “If Mommy and Daddy are worried about their little princess’s safety, tell them the studio will be happy to arrange security for you. But get rid of Saint. I don’t need him coming around stirring up even more trouble.”
“I’ll get rid of him,” she promised.
“Good, because more than just your job is riding on this. If Stepanov’s father finds out that you were in his house on assignment, if he even suspects for a moment that you were there as anything but a friend to his daughter, your days are numbered. He’s not a good man, Waverly. Keep that in mind next time I give you an order and you feel like you know better.”
“What do you want with Petra? Or is it Grigory you’re after?” Waverly questioned.
Brad turned on her. “You listen to me. Your job is to do your assignments, nothing more. I don’t pay you to second guess me or try to wrap your brain around the complex worlds of politics and business. You smile pretty and collect the information we need. Don’t try to play hero and save heiress’s lives or track down assets.”
“I do a lot more for you than just smile pretty,” she reminded him coolly.
“Don’t overinflate your worth. You’re replaceable, and so is Wrede.”
“Where’s Dante?” Waverly snapped.
“I’m surprised that you don’t know.” Brad’s phone signaled in his pocket. “Now, what I need for you to do is lay low until you hear from me again. Stick to the story and keep your mouth shut or don’t be surprised if men with guns show up on your doorstep.”
