Chapter Ten
Natasha was in the conference room alternating between watching video feeds and combing through data. Reyes thought she looked tired. Reyes figured he was partly to blame for that.
Reyes took a deep breath and he and Mac walked in. Natasha glanced up and gave him the death glare. Clearly his standing with her hadn't improved overnight. She still thought he was a total tool.
Natasha's gaze then moved to Mac and her face lit up and she smiled. Reyes thought it felt a little like a punch in the gut.
Natasha held out her hands to Mac.
"Oh, he's a little standoffish" Reyes voice trailed off as Mac trotted over and stuck his fury nose right in Natasha's hand.
She laughed and started scratching his ears and petting him with long strokes down his back. "You are such a beautiful boy" She said.
Mac's tongue was lolling out and his big body was vibrating with excitement. Reyes could relate. He thought it was probably a little pathetic that he was jealous of a dog.
Mac sat down next to Natasha. It was clear he had a new favorite human. Reyes figured he'd just rename him Judas, although he really couldn't blame Mac. If Natasha looked at him like that, he'd probably follow her anywhere too. Her laugh had been genuine and he really hoped one day he could make her laugh that way.
"Are you here to work pretty boy?"
"Yes, ma'am" Reyes said and picked up a stack of papers and started shuffling through it.
After a couple of hours, Natasha put down her stack of papers with a frustrated whack on the table.
"Here's what I don't understand. We know from the financial transactions that Starvos is the most likely local supplier of girls to Vlad, yet surveillance on his location has turned up nothing. In fact, it's not even a good location for trafficking. We are missing something." Natasha blew out a breath.
She was frustrated and being in a room with the pretty boy wasn't helping. She was afraid he would notice that she kept stealing glances at him. And god help her, she kept having flashbacks to the night in the hotel. The sound of his voice whispering in her ear telling her all the things he was going to do to her. The way he moved, the feel of his body. His scent. She was pretty sure she might have actually moaned out loud at one point. A delicious shiver went through her. She was so screwed and she knew it, and not just in the obvious way.
Reyes figured she was more venting than actually talking to him, but he would take it. She hadn't looked at him or said a word to him in the last two hours. He was starting to wonder if the penalty box was his permanent home.
"Look Tasha, Mac needs to go out. Let's take him out for a quick walk and get a decent cup of coffee. It will give us new perspective, and we can talk. We need to talk."
Natasha's heart did a little stutter when he called her Tasha. She didn't know why but she really liked it. But Reyes was a mistake and she needed to stay away from him. He obviously suspected something about Ranger and he was nothing if not devoted to Stephanie. There was no doubt whose side he would be on.
"No."
Reyes looked at her for a moment. "Yes."
She glared at him. If she wanted to have a staring contest then so be it, but he had an ace up his sleeve.
"Fine" he threw her word back at her. "We can have the conversation right here. But you and I both know this entire building is wired for sight and sound. But hey, if you don't care who hears it that is OK by me, but we are having this conversation."
She kept glaring at him like she was weighing whether or not it would just be easier to go with him or bludgeon him with the stapler.
"Please." Reyes said and smiled his most charming smile at her.
"Fine." Natasha gritted out through clenched teeth.
Reyes winced a little. See there was that fine word again. He figured he was finally getting wise about the fine word. It seemed to him when a woman said fine, whatever it was most decidedly was not fine. Fine was like an early warning system that you still had time to abort whatever spectacularly stupid thing you were about to do. Good thing common sense and good judgement weren't among his better qualities.
Natasha got up and motioned him towards the door. Reyes was playing hardball. It kind of turned her on, and wasn't that just all kinds of pathetic.
Reyes stood up and snapped the leash on Mac. He would have liked to have claimed victory, but he figured he was probably totally paying for it later.
Reyes and Natasha walked Mac to McPherson Square so he would have a little green space. It was a pretty day and a pleasant but silent walk.
Reyes had been rehearsing things to say on the way. He knew he probably had one shot at an apology, and his hands felt a little clammy. He'd never been good at knowing what to say. He sucked at funerals and he especially sucked at dealing with pissed off women. Which was really surprising given the number of times he seemed to encounter them. You would think he would have learned. He'd certainly had plenty of practice.
He motioned for them to take a seat on a bench. He half expected her to refuse but she didn't. Natasha sat down and looked at him expectantly.
"I was a jackass, and I'm sorry." Reyes figured that was the best place to start. "I should not have said what I did. Mostly because it definitely isn't true."
Natasha just looked at him. Her expression was neutral and unreadable.
"I was mad." Reyes continued. Natasha just kept looking at him.
"I thought we had a connection." Great, now he just sounded like some new age tree hugger. Maybe he should have just asked her star sign.
Natasha's expression never changed. Ok, so maybe the term chat wasn't the right term. Chat implied they would talk. Reyes was pretty sure this was a monologue, and he didn't seem to be getting anywhere.
"I saw you with Ranger at the FDR. You lied to me about knowing him. That hurt." Natasha's eyebrows went up, and Reyes thought lie might have been the wrong word to have used in the middle of an apology.
Well, now at least Natasha knew who had been watching her and Ranger. Pretty boy was skilled she'd give him that. Neither she nor Ranger had spotted him. And he thought they had a connection? That made her feel warm and tingly. Focus she thought, the key phrase was he saw you and Ranger not he thinks you have a connection.
"So, you think if someone talks to another person, they know them?" It was a stupid deflection but she needed to buy some time.
Reyes, thought about that a minute. "Yeah."
"So, if I talk to the guy at the supermarket, I know him?" Natasha was doubling down on stupid. They both knew it wasn't the same thing.
Reyes sighed. "No, Tasha I don't think it the same thing. But you went to the FDR to meet Ranger and you two looked pretty cozy. I may say some of the stupidest shit on the planet, but I know what I saw."
Now she had insulted Reyes. She wanted to tell him the truth more than anything. Put all the cards on the table and see where it took them. She wanted to tell him she thought they had a connection too. How crazy was that? But pretty boy was Stephanie's friend. He wasn't Carlos' friend and he sure as hell wasn't hers. She'd do well to remember that. No doubt anything she said right now would go right back to Stephanie, and she and Carlos hadn't even talked.
So instead of telling Reyes she thought there was something between them and she was sorry she had hurt him, she just said "I'm not here to make trouble for Ranger or Stephanie. I can promise you that. I'm only here for Vlad."
Ranger needed to be the one to tell Stephanie. And Ranger needed to be the one to decide what to tell Stephanie. It wasn't her place and it sure as hell wasn't pretty boy's place.
"But you do know Ranger?" Reyes pressed.
Natasha looked at him. She could drown in those eyes. He was such a mass of swirling contradictions. On one hand, he was a very skilled operator. He was smart, observant, and lethal. On the other, he was funny, warm, and clearly loyal to his friends. He also threw some damn sharp elbows when he felt hurt and disrespected. Against all good judgement her mouth popped open and words fell out that she should have never spoken.
"Ranger and I grew up in the same neighborhood and hung out in the same circles, but I haven't seen him in over a decade."
Reyes was a little stunned she'd said anything. OK, so she and Ranger grew up in the same neighborhood. Why all the cloak and dagger stuff?
"But there is more to it than that." It was a statement not a question. Clearly there had to be or the two of them wouldn't be sneaking around and meeting, and she wouldn't have been so evasive. Being childhood pals didn't rise to the level of a cold war secret.
Natasha got up. "If you want to know anything else you need to go talk to Ranger."
Reyes held up his hand to her. "OK, I get it. It is none of my business." Natasha didn't reply.
"You know what I want? I want to get to know you. Like go on a date get to know you. I like you." There Reyes had said it. He figured some variation of fine was coming, and he steeled his spine for the rejection.
Confusion and suspicion of all things swirled through her eyes. She looked like she wanted to say something, but then Reyes saw her look beyond him. He knew she was no longer looking at him because she didn't have that pinched, closed off, you're an asshole look on her face anymore.
He saw a huge grin of delight spread across her face and she took off across the park at a jog.
Reyes watched her progress. She ran right up to some tall guy with dark hair and literally jumped into his arms. He was giving her a bear hug. Her feet were off the ground.
The mystery guy put her down, and Reyes saw his hand settle possessively on her hip. What the hell? Did Tasha have a boyfriend? Even worse, was she married? Reyes had never even considered that. He guessed he should have. Just because she'd taken him to her room and they'd had crazy sex half the night didn't mean she wasn't in a relationship. Reyes suddenly didn't feel too good.
Tasha and the man were talking. Both had big grins on their face. It was pretty clear he had been forgotten. "I'll just head back to the office now." He said to no one in particular as he grabbed Mac's leash and headed back to RangeMan.
Well, that hadn't gone the way he had planned. Of course, really what did he think was going to happen? He'd said he wanted to get to know her, and her response had literally been to run off and jump in the arms of another man. That had to be a record, even for Reyes.
Maybe Tasha was right. Whatever was going on it was Ranger's place to tell Steph. Despite how tragic Reyes might have thought it was, Ranger was Steph's husband after all. Steph had gotten on the Ranger train with eyes wide open. She'd married the fool even after he'd let her think he was dead. Ranger was clearly a guy with a lot of secrets. And, he was clearly a guy that was good at keeping them.
Not that Reyes knew jack about women, but he definitely couldn't figure Tasha out at all. She clearly had secrets too, but she was a hundred percent focused on Vlad. That much he knew to be true. She was working herself into exhaustion trying to make sure the operation to take out Vlad was a success. Whatever was going on with Ranger seemed secondary.
Natasha looked back to the bench. Shit, she'd left Reyes just sitting there and now he was gone. She'd just been so shocked to see Nikko she wasn't thinking. She hadn't seen Nikko in months and then suddenly he just materialized out of nowhere. She'd missed him so much and they had so much to talk about.
She might actually have to apologize to Reyes. Running off and leaving him sitting on the bench was rude. Especially since he was trying to apologize. And, he said he liked her. That had been a total whiplash moment, but then maybe he had just been playing her. Trying to soften her up so she would confess her soul. Sadly, it had worked. She'd been trained to withstand torture, but couldn't manage to withstand those beautiful brown eyes and a little flattery. She'd folded like a cheap suit and spilled her guts about Ranger. That was probably going to bite her in the ass. She was pathetic.
What he had said had been incredibly cruel, but she had to admit she understood it a little. They'd had this amazing night and this crazy connection, and then she'd stood there in the locker room and flat out lied to him about knowing Ranger. To an outside observer, the meeting with Ranger probably did look far more intimate than it really was, and she had lied. Great, now she was making excuses for him being an asshole. She should be mad she thought. But her anger towards Reyes was rapidly evaporating, and being replaced with something far more dangerous. She was starting to really like him.
True, things were beyond complicated with Ranger. She'd be the first to admit that. There was a decade of baggage between them. She'd hoped they would have a chance to work things out, but time was not on their side. Reyes had seen them and Natasha was pretty sure Stephanie thought there was something weird going on. Technically she guessed Stephanie was right.
Natasha really wanted to blame Ranger for this mess. He was the one with the new wife after all. A new wife he had kept in the dark, but now suddenly had grown a conscience and wanted to spill his guts to at the worst possible moment.
On the other hand, Natasha should have just started the paperwork years ago after she went to Trenton, and they wouldn't be in this mess. If she was honest, she hadn't been sure what she wanted. It all felt so final, so she'd used the excuse that she didn't want to draw unwanted attention. Then other things had happened and she just didn't think it was a priority. Or more accurately, she just didn't want to think about it at all.
It wasn't until Ranger had gone to Italy that Natasha realized he wanted to be totally free and clear of her in every sense of the word. Since then, she'd started the ball rolling, but what she had planned took time. Ironically, half the problem had been the lack of electronic records, but things should be wrapped up in a few more days. Once that was done and they had Vlad's location, what Ranger told Stephanie or didn't tell her wouldn't be Natasha's problem. That would be between the two of them.
Whether Ranger had fully come to grips with it or not, Natasha knew her relationship with Ranger was over. She knew he had a lot of guilt, and she hoped he didn't confuse that for something more. It wouldn't have mattered now anyway. Ranger was never leaving Stephanie, especially with babies in the mix. Whatever he did or didn't feel for her or whatever he thought he felt for her didn't matter. Sometimes life was just full of shitty conflicts, and that was just the way it was.
She should have just told Reyes it was none of his business, and to talk to Ranger from the start, but she had been arrogant. It never dawned on her that pretty boy was the one watching. She'd underestimated him. He was so charming that she forgot he was a predator. She'd since pulled his file. She knew he was a decorated SEAL and his work at Kincaid was impressive.
Reyes got back to the RangeMan building and saw Manny dropping off Roman. They had been surveilling one of Starvos' properties. Roman looked tired.
"Any luck?" Reyes asked?
Roman shook his head no.
Reyes looked up the street and saw Tasha and the man walking towards the RangeMan building. The man had his arm around her shoulders and she had her arm around his waist. They were chatting away.
Wasn't that cozy Reyes thought. He inclined his head to Tasha and the man.
"Who is tall, dark and broody?" Reyes asked Roman.
"That's Nikko." Roman replied and headed in the building.
Reyes rolled his eyes so far back in his head he thought he might flip over. "That's Nikko, oh well that explains everything." He said to the empty sidewalk. He turned to follow Roman in.
"And who is Nikko? Is he involved with Tasha?" Reyes asked Roman as they got on the elevator.
Roman stared at Reyes for a couple of beats. "Nikko is NNS Global."
Reyes stared at him for a minute absorbing what he said. So NNS Global actually existed and Nikko was most likely an assassin. Well, boy howdy didn't Tasha have interesting taste in men. Reyes couldn't help but be a little freaked.
"Is he involved with Tasha?" Reyes wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer, because a guy like Nikko could really fuck you up. He should really do a better job of getting to know his dates in the future. Maybe a new checklist. You know like, what's your name? Are you married or in a relationship? Is that relationship with a contract killer? You know, maybe start with the little things and work up from there.
Roman finally spoke. "You know Reyes, I like you and I should really tell you to steer clear of Natasha, but she's good people. I like her too. She and Nikko are tight, but as far as I know it's not romantic. Just be sure about what you are doing with Natasha because if you hurt her, you will answer to Nikko. And, trust me you don't want Nikko as an enemy."
Reyes nodded. He really didn't know what to say. That was the longest conversation he'd ever had with Roman. "Thanks man."
Reyes thought that might have been good advice to have before he slept with her, insulted her, and called her a liar. He'd had a banner forty-eight hours that was for sure. But hey, at least Roman liked him. That was something, right?
Reyes went into the conference room and started looking at the data one more time. The elevators opened and he saw Tasha and Nikko walk in. He was struck by the easy fluid grace with which they both moved. Their movements were synchronized.
Ranger greeted them at the elevators. He saw Tasha move like lightening to stand between Nikko and Ranger, like she was afraid they were going to start punching each other. That was all kinds of interesting. Did Nikko and Ranger know each other? It sure looked that way. Reyes was beginning to feel like he and Steph were the only two people that weren't part of the secret club.
Nikko reached out and rubbed his hands up and down her shoulders and whispered something in her ear. She turned to face him and nodded. Tasha and Nikko headed to the conference room and Ranger headed off to his office. Reyes pretended to be fully engrossed in the data. He wasn't even looking at the numbers on the page. It was probably pure dumb luck the thing wasn't upside down.
Reyes was about to meet Nikko.