A Raging Storm by Richard Castle Read Free Book Online

you didn’t put your cards on the table. You didn’t treat me like a professional. You hid information from me.”
    “You’re right,” Storm said. “I did hide information from you.”
    “At least you’re honest about that,” she said. “My point is: How are we supposed to work together if I can’t trust you? I don’t know for certain if you are being honest with me right now.”
    “I understand,” he replied, “but I work with people all of the time who are not telling me the truth and are hiding things from me. I’ve even worked with people who wanted to kill me.”
    “I can understand that,” she deadpanned.
    “But you find a way to get around all of that and accomplish the mission.”
    “How? Especially if you don’t follow the rules?”
    “I don’t trust rules. But I do trust my instincts and what they tell me about the people working with me. Rules can get you killed.”
    “So can breaking them.”
    “Agent Showers, have you ever had a one-night stand?” he asked.
    She let out a sigh. “I’m trying to have an adult conversation.”
    “Perhaps it’s not the best analogy, but hear me out. If you meet someone in a bar and you end up in the sack, you have certain expectations, maybe even certain demands, but you don’t fall in love with that person and you don’t share your most intimate secrets with them, even though you are doing something very intimate. You don’t necessarily trust them either. You just do your job and move on. The same is true at work.” He smiled, clearly happy with that explanation.
    “You’re making my head spin with your logic. Is that what a one-night stand is to you?” she asked, raising a brow. “A job? And then you move on?”
    Without waiting for him to answer, she said, “I guess that’s one of the differences between us and why I work at the FBI and you work for Jedidiah Jones.”
    “Now my head is spinning,” he said, mimicking her.
    “When I was in college, a CIA recruiter came to see me. He told me that people who worked for the Agency were not obligated to follow U.S. laws when they traveled overseas. He bragged that a CIA employee could lie, cheat, steal, break into apartments, and even kill. The rules don’t apply. That’s what he said. That’s the sort of folks he wanted working for him. People who think they are above the law. People like you.”
    “He was just being honest with you,” Storm said. “As my mother used to say, ‘You got to crack a few eggs to make an omelet.’” He finished his beer and waved to the waitress.
    “I’m not a person whose moral code ends when I cross the U.S. border,” she said. “Oh, another thing. I don’t do one-night stands. So don’t get your hopes—or anything else—up during our trip.”
    “Around you,” he replied, “I’m always fully hopeful.”
    “I’m going to the ladies’ room,” she said. “I’ll see you on the plane.”
    “Don’t get confused and go into the wrong potty,” he said, smirking.
    “I only do that when I have to rescue you,” she replied, leaving.
    He noticed that she’d not left a tip.
    “Lady friend troubles?” the waitress asked, returning to his table.
    “She’s a bit high-strung.”
    “Too skinny, too.” The waitress bent over when she served him another beer, giving Storm an eyeful. “This one’s on the house. My name’s Eve. You know, the girl who ate that nasty apple. Why don’t you stop in again when you get back from wherever you’re flying off to.” She walked away slowly, making sure that he got a good view.
    The gate agent announced over the intercom that it was time to board the Heathrow flight. First class ticket holders hurried forward. Business class was next.
    Storm checked his first class ticket. But he did not move. He had no interest in boarding early. If he did, all the passengers that came after him would see his face as they slowly made their way down the aisle, finding their seats and storing their luggage. Storm wanted