Page 162 of Skin In the Game (The BlackWater)

Maddie walked into the dingy looking pub and glanced around. She couldn’t see Burke anywhere, just a few stragglers who all looked like they had spent most of the day lurking in the pub. Burke was usually bang on time, just like her, but this time he was clearly running late.

She frowned, wondering what was keeping him before walking up to the bar and grabbing a couple of bottles of beer.

Sitting down at the nearest table, she sipped her drink glancing at the screen, waiting for him to show while absentmindedly flicking through her phone at the same time, trying to distract herself from the whole Cole thing because every time she thought about it, it made her head hurt. She didn’t love him, she knew that but she’d loved what they’d had, and now it was over, ruined, because of her. Because of her past and how fucked up she was.

She smiled, looking up as Burke walked in, burying the emotion inside her and frowned at how flustered he looked.

“You took your time.” She teased.

“Sorry tube was a nightmare.” He said as she passed him his bottle. The tube hadn’t been busy for her, she thought and they’d have used the same line from Central but she didn’t think anything more of it. He was here now wasn’t he?

“You okay?” She asked him and he frowned slightly before nodding.

“Yeah just the wife, you know how she is.” He smirked. “So how you been Maddie, haven’t seen you in bloody ages.” He said after taking a long swig.

“Yeah sorry things got really complicated at work.”

“How complicated?” He asked glancing at her hands and seeing the fingers still strapped up.

“I can’t really say but let’s just say it’s not going to ease off anytime soon.” She said.

“Still working that same case?” He asked.

“Yeah.” She said.

“You any closer to solving it?”

“It’s hard to say.” Maddie replied. She knew she was evading his questions but what else could she do? She couldn’t give him details could she?

“I thought you guys were better than that.”

“Better than what?” She asked.

“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I just expected BlackWater to solve things quicker, to be more on it than the rest of us.”

She laughed. “You make it sound like we’re super human or something. Besides you know how it is, cases take as long as they take.”

He shrugged like he wasn’t convinced.

“So I heard a rumour…” Burke began before taking another long swig for dramatic effect.

“What?”

“That you and Cole Black are a thing…” He said smirking and she felt her jaw drop. It wasn’t that she’d been keeping it secret, hell it felt like the entirety of BlackWater knew about it but still she didn’t realise it had gotten out that people outside of work knew.

“Who told you that?” She replied.

“So it’s true then?”

“Not exactly.” Maddie said. “We were kind of but it’s complicated.”

“Is that your answer to everything?”

She laughed rolling her eyes.

“I thought you hated the man.” He said looking at her like he was trying to suss her out or something

“I did.”

“Yet you slept with him?”

“Like I said it’s complicated.” Maddie said not wanting to go into it and especially not with the look on Burke’s face.

“So what is it you wanted to ask me then?” He said after taking another long swig of his beer.

“About the Anderson case, that document you gave me. It doesn’t match with what we have.” Maddie said.

“What do you mean?” Burke asked with a frown.

“I mean your info about the secondary account isn’t the same as ours so I guess I wanted to find out where you got it from. If there was anything else in the file at all?” Maddie said.

“Maybe. I don’t remember it. Do you have it on you?”

“Yeah.” Maddie replied pulling it out from her pocket. She’d reasoned there was no need to worry about showing it to him because he’d given it to her in the first place and besides he wasn’t being told what the other intel was, just that it didn’t match.

Burke picked the paper up and started scanning it.

“I’m just gonna pop to the ladies.” Maddie said getting up and giving him the opportunity to read without her staring at him or making him feel like he was being interrogated.

She headed down past the bar and into the restroom. As she washed her hands her phone started buzzing. Sighing she quickly dried them against her jeans frowning at the name.

“Hey Becky, what’s up?” She asked as she walked back out and headed for the quiet space by the emergency exit.

“Where are you right now?” Becky said sounding more than a little on edge.

“Why what’s up?” Maddie asked.

“Maddie just tell me where you are.” Becky said.

“Down the Wagon and Horses. I told you, I was going to speak to Burke about that intel, about why the Homewell file didn’t match with ours.” Maddie replied.

“Maddie you need to get out of there right now.” Becky stated.

“Why? What’s….” Someone snatched the phone out of her hand and she spun around coming face to face with Burke. He hung up and pocketed her phone in his trousers.

“What the hell Burke?” She snapped.

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