Broken hearts & Coup d'etats - THE SPECTER SERIES [book three]

Chapter TWENTY SIX

Ellerie Devereux

You pace back and forth across your office floor.. You left Ford and Paxton in the garage to unpack the tactical equipment from the SUV, too furious with Hunter you had needed a minute to collect your thoughts..

Crossing to the bookshelf you lift a small sliver picture frame and inspect the photo inside.. A picture of you and Mikki, happy, back in DC, laughing while posed making ridiculously inappropriate gestures in front of the famously "phallic" monument..

Charles had taken the cheeky picture, and Mikki had framed it as a gift for you to take when you moved back to the city..

A heaviness weights your heart in your chest when you look down at her sweet, smiling face.. A new determination to find your friend stirs within you as you begin to play over Charles Everett's ramblings in your mind..

Somebody has Mikki?..

He thinks your working with "them"..

Who is them?..

And something else he kept saying that sticks in your mind... "I gave you everything"..

What does that mean?

You're almost certain Elijah is involved somehow, but you feel like the most important pieces are still missing..

What's worse the person who could give you some god damned answers, just vanished, again..

A sharp rap on the door has your whirling around with a start, the frame slipping from your fingers, glass shettering across the floor at your feet.. Groaning as you bend to pick up the pieces you call out, irritation thick in your tone.. "Ughh.. What?!"

The door swings open and Paxton enters, his shoulders back, spine straight and expression stony.. You stand, dropping the collected pieces of the broken frame on your desk with a huff.. "Ellerie.. I know you don't approve of my actions. I can accept that.."

You scoff, folding your arms against your chest defensively.. You had been almost too angry to speak to him the entire drive back to the city.. Afraid of what you might say, especially in front of Ford, you had decided it was best to keep quiet.. "Hunter, If this is your way of apologising, you're doing a pretty shitty job.."

He takes a step closer, and you have to tilt your head upwards to see his brow furrowing as he shakes his head.. "I am not apologising.. Not for my decision, anyway.. Though, I regret any pain it may have caused you.."

You stare at him in disbelief.. Is he fucking serious?

You're not sure whether to laugh or scream..

Why does this always happen to you?... And why don't you see it coming?.. Jackson tried to warn you about exactly this, and that only pisses you off more! "You know Hunter.. My entire career I've had to work twice as hard, be twice as clever and more adaptable than you could even imagine.. I've been surrounded by men who's only real desire is to control everything.. Who doubted me at every turn.. When I first came to Spectre, I thought with a woman like Iris Santiago in charge that you guys would be better, but no.."

Every doubt you have bubbles to the surface, threatening to escape in the form of tears.. You blink them back refusing to cry.. To be that girl who "can't handle it" like so many people have expected you to be.. "But you didn't even consider that.. Did you?.. .. Never mind that I had the situation under control tonight, that I could have disarmed Charles myself if had wanted to, or that I've been working in the feild as long as any of you, and still.." You choke up a little..

Taking a deep breath, Turning away and averting your eyes in an effort to keep it together, you focus on the broken glass on the floor.. "God damn it.. What would it take for you to actually respect me? Merde, qu'est-ce que je dois faire.."