Chapter Twenty-Eight
Seb took the seat at the conference table, steadier and more like himself than he’d been a few hours ago. Jenna had to be some kind of miracle worker, because she’d managed to get him back to the Knox and to his own apartment without seeing or talking to anyone. After he’d taken a dozen showers, he’d walked out into the main room to find Jenna and Ace, beer waiting and chatting like they were old friends. Ace had given him an unofficial full checkup without asking any questions or giving him sympathy he didn’t need, ending with a report of good health once he’d had a few days’ rest.
So, now that he was fronting up to Yang, Bren, and a new CI agent who’d stepped into Stanton’s shoes, with Jenna and Alpha at his side, the panic he’d assumed this moment would bring was thankfully absent.
“Lieutenant Rayne, let me be the first to congratulate you,” said the CI agent, Malouf, clasping his hands on the table over the datapad in front of him.
“It’s Sub-Lieutenant Rayne. And if you don’t mind me asking, why I am I being congratulated?” He glanced at Yang, who didn’t appear dour or pissed off, but…pleased and proud? What the hell was going on here?
“You’ve been promoted for services above and beyond those outlined in your post,” Yang answered. “Congratulations, Lieutenant.”
“Promoted?” He couldn’t get his head around it. He’d come in here expecting to get reamed. “I don’t understand.”
“Upon Stanton’s death, his files were automatically sent to me,” Malouf explained, tapping a finger on the datapad. “As is the protocol, so the agent taking over is fully aware of all ongoing missions and contacts the deceased senior agent was running. One of those files had your name on it, detailing your agreement to temporarily work for CI, unbeknownst to your colleagues and superior officers on the Knox, to protect Agent Maxwell and help flush out the CI traitor.”
He snatched a look at Jenna, who had a professionally detached expression on her face, but he knew her well enough to see the calculating glint in her gaze. Somehow she was responsible for this. Hacked Stanton’s file or done something equally crazy to make sure his ass was covered like usual.
“You sacrificed your own safety and risked your position on the squad,” Yang stated, a definite note of respect in his voice. “We know how much the squad and being a pilot means to you, and you risked it all to find the traitors. Maybe a lot of that came down to what happened with Lawler, but there’s no question you put the interest of the ship and its crew, and the safety of Agent Maxwell, above your own well-being.”
The words were definitely going into his ears and hitting his brain, but he just could not assimilate the facts. “But the charges—”
“There are no charges,” Bren answered. “All of your actions were sanctioned by CI. Stanton detailed it in his report.”
“You’re a hero, buddy.” Alpha clapped a hand on his shoulder. “I never would’ve guessed you’d have it in you, the knack for all that subterfuge stuff. But you had us all fooled. We totally thought you’d gone off the rails.”
“Um, thanks?”
Alpha, Bren, and Yang all laughed at his unsophisticated response. Even Agent Malouf smiled. Little did they know just how close to the truth they were. He’d definitely gone off the rails for a minute there. But only he and Jenna would ever know.
The question had to be asked, though. What had Stanton been playing at? And when had he put together this “report” detailing his apparent agreement to work for CI? Had Jenna asked Stanton to take care of it at some stage, or had she simply inserted the reports into his file? The how’s and why’s probably didn’t really matter in the end. Instead of getting punished, he was getting rewarded. They couldn’t have stunned him more if they’d zapped him with a thousand volts of live electricity.
“So now what?” he asked once everyone had finished congratulating him.
“Now, we put this behind us.” Malouf stood. “Agent Maxwell has asked to move on from field work. I’ve found her a position in the onboard intelligence annex. She’ll be our number one analyst and agent coordinator. It’s a huge job, overseeing all the agents, collating the intelligence they collect, and forming one picture with it all, but I believe she’s up to the task.”
Jenna murmured a thanks, and then Malouf bid them all good-bye, leaving the room.
“Well, I can’t say I’m not glad to see the end of that,” Bren said, catching him with a light scolding look. “Seb, I’m pretty sure you owe me one beer for every lie or half-truth you told over the past few weeks.”
The grin he sent her in return was genuinely relieved and happy. “Then you’ll be comatose on the floor in no time.”
“That many lies?” Bren shook her head. “It’s like I don’t even know you anymore.”
“Come on, if it’s as bad as he says it is, we better get to Harley’s and get started.” Alpha shoved him in the shoulder as he stood, but looked across the table. “You coming, sir?”
Yang gave a rare smile. “Hell, yeah. This is one story I don’t plan on missing.”
As he got to his feet, Seb automatically reached for Jenna’s hand, contentment stealing through him as her palm came to rest against his.
“You two can quit it with the sappy love saga now,” Bren muttered as they headed out of the conference room.
Amazingly, his cheeks got warm as he caught Jenna’s amused gaze.
“Uh, that part wasn’t a lie.” He tugged Jenna closer, wrapping an arm around her waist. “Actually, it was probably the only thing that wasn’t fabricated.”
“Oh geez.” Bren rolled her eyes. She’d never exactly been a romantic. “Between you and Alpha, I’ll be too grossed out by all the lovelorn glances and over the top PDA to enjoy my beer.”
“I’ll endeavor to control myself, CAFF,” he said with an almost straight face. Jenna’s hand slid downward to his ass, as she sent him a purely wicked smile. “Or maybe not.”
He came to a halt as the others continued on without them, Alpha wolf-whistling at him before they disappeared around a corner.
“Do you know what I just realized?” He pulled her in closer, settling his hands on her hips.
She shook her head. “I have no idea.”
“I haven’t kissed you properly yet today.” He leaned in closer, blood singing through his veins in a way that left him awakened and revitalized, despite everything they’d been through.
“Well, it’s time you did something about that,” she murmured in return.
“Yes, it is,” he said as he closed the distance between them.