Maddie walked into her apartment with a raging headache and a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach that hadn’t gone from the moment she’d seen that photo.
They’d sent recovery crews, ambulances, the full works. Two agents were dead, one would likely never walk again and the rest were critically injured. And for what? To taunt her, to simply prove a point?
Brandon had a fresh team going through the intel, trying to see something they’d missed, something they might have fucked up on and then after a particularly painful post-op briefing he sent everyone home which if anything Maddie was relieved about because she wanted some space, some thinking time and she wanted more than anything to get away from Cole because he hadn’t stopped looking at her.
But she knew he was going to show up. Soon. Any minute he would storm through that door and she’d have to face him again, face his interrogation and peel away another layer of herself, give away another secret, only this one she didn’t want to share, she didn’t want to divulge and she knew she would have to fully fight him over it.
The guards were back outside her door. Cole and Brandon had both insisted on it and for once she didn’t argue. She didn’t think they’d really be much use if someone truly wanted to get to her but it wasn’t like they’d be a hindrance either.
The door opened and she groaned wishing he had taken longer, wishing he had given her the space for just once.
She turned to face him but it wasn’t him, it was Kelsey.
“What are you doing here?” She looked at her and she looked awful, her eyes were blotchy, her face was red, even her clothes didn’t look like her usual glamorous attire.
“Can I crash for a few days?” Kelsey asked.
“Why what’s happened?” Maddie said concerned.
“I fucked up Maddie. I fucked up big time.” Kelsey stated.
Maddie rolled her eyes, here we go again, she thought and then she wondered if it was safe for Kelsey to be there, with everything going on with the Omega Project, wouldn’t it be better if Kelsey hauled up in some fancy hotel suite and just got room service for a week or two.
And internally she groaned a little too because if she let Kelsey stay she’d have no peace, no thinking space, not even a tidy space because Kelsey would take over everything, eating all her food, leaving her crap everywhere, playing music all day and all night and generally creating havoc right at the one time when Maddie wanted silence more than ever.
“You can stay but there’s some heavy shit going down with work at the moment.” Maddie replied realising that if they were going to do something they would have done it by now, they played this hand to torment her, to wind her up, this was their attack, their new move, they’d already done it.
“Thanks sis, you’re truly the best.” Kelsey said but her voice still sounded deflated.
Maddie gave her a small smile. “Make yourself at home Kels.”
“I always do.” She replied and Maddie snorted because she knew it was true and even if she hadn’t of said it nothing would have stopped her.
She got her phone and messaged Cole to let him know Kelsey was there and would be staying. He’d probably think it was a lie, it was damn convenient timing she thought, but then he could always show and she’d be proven right she realised. The decision was now in his hands, if he came or if he didn’t.
She then got in the shower and tried, god how she tried to shut her thoughts off.