An Act of Persuasion(10)

“Yeah, I’m working. Listen...”

“Where?” He wanted to know. Suddenly he was furious with her all over again for leaving what had been a high-paying, intellectually challenging job with tremendous benefits.

Benefits like helping you up from a chair you were too weak to get out of on your own and cleaning up after you each time you got sick. Great benefits. But don’t forget the sex you used her for. There was that.

She shook her head. “I wasn’t going to tell you, but that was stupid. You’re going to find out anyway. I’m actually working with someone you know. You worked with him while you were with the CIA. He said you were together for a time in Afghanistan.”

Ben hadn’t worked with anyone during those days. He did his job, he ordered people to do theirs.

“Mark Sharpe.”

The name felt like a punch to the chest as the facts quickly bombarded him. Sharpe was out of the game. Sharpe was somewhere in the Philadelphia area and Sharpe had Anna. This was unacceptable.

“You’re working for him. Doing what?”

“Basically, I’m helping him set up his new business. He’s left the government and settled here. He’s opened a private investigation firm specializing mostly in cold cases others won’t take.”

“And it’s a coincidence he hired you.”

She gave him a look as if to suggest that was a silly statement. Which it was. “No, it’s not a coincidence. He knew I worked for you, knew I had left my job and approached me directly to work for him.”

Of course he had. Sharpe had always considered Ben a rival. Younger, more ambitious maybe, Sharpe had targeted Ben as the man to beat on his way up the government ladder. He’d shown up in Afghanistan while Ben was serving as section chief and announced to anyone listening that Ben was just keeping his job warm. Backing up his ego, Sharpe had quickly made a name for himself by taking chances no one else would. Ben considered him a talent, but also reckless.

If he’d left the CIA, it was because he’d either taken one too many chances and Uncle Sam had given him the boot, or maybe without having his rival on hand to actively pursue, he’d simply gotten bored with the game. Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter.

Anna was under his control, albeit in a limited way, and that was unacceptable.

“You need to quit.”

She snorted. “Not going to happen.”

“You don’t know him like I do. He can be dangerous.”

“And you can’t be? Look, I figured Mark out in five seconds. He’s an information junky just like you. It’s what makes it so easy to work with him. After six years with you, I’m pro in handling his type.”

Ben didn’t want Anna to handle anything of Sharpe’s.

“He’s not safe. He takes unnecessary risks—”

“Maybe back then. But all he does now is dig up old information. It’s a decent job and it’s cool.”

“Cool,” Ben sneered. “You sound like a child.”

“Not so much anymore. Look, I didn’t come out here to fight with you.”

“I didn’t, either.” This conversation wasn’t going how he planned it. He’d assumed she would offer an apology for leaving. He’d planned to be graciously forgiving as he offered her the job again. Once she came back, then he would feel as though things were finally returning to normal.

He was going to apologize to her, too. For that night. For what he did. And yes, for how he treated her after it happened. He’d shut her down. He’d hid his treatment decision from her which angered her so much she left. Or was it because he brushed off the sex between them like it didn’t mean anything? He wasn’t sure. It didn’t matter.

None of it had been her fault and he supposed she’d been right to be angry that he hadn’t even considered her feelings with regard to his treatment. But he had never thought she would be so angry as to walk away. Not once had he even considered Anna would leave him.

“I came to this party because I knew you would be here and we need to talk.”

Ben smiled. “That’s funny. I held this party because I knew you would come and I, too, think we need to talk.”

“Don’t tell Madeleine her party is a sham.”

“Who do you think gave me the idea?”

Anna nodded. “She thinks she’s helping me by getting us in the same room together.”