“My ring?” he asked.

“Gone.”

“Gone?” he repeated, his face growing harder.

She was silent.

“Gone?!” his voice grew louder.

“Jamie…” she warned, “this isn’t important.”

“It’s worth a shitload of money. It’s a fucking heirloom. That’s pretty important. What’d you do with it?”

I hocked it to buy the gun I was going to kill you with. The thought made her smile, which pissed him off thoroughly.

“You fucking whore—what did you do?”

“Oh, you loved me a minute ago and now I’m a whore…hmmm…I’m not sure which I like better.” Her surliness was back.

“MY. RING,” he demanded through clenched teeth.

“My ring and I don’t know where it is. I was so fucking distraught after wearing it for two years after you died that I threw it in the Potomac.” The lie came easily and she knew he believed her.

His eyes widened and he cussed under his breath. “Do you—” his voice broke off. Jamie cleared his throat.

She broke off their eye contact and looked down at her finger, the one that reminded her who had her heart. The tattoo was permanent, not like a ring that could just be taken off. She cringed when she thought of George now; he’d kill her if he knew she was here with Jamie. She’d been honest about working with the FBI and she was going to call him and tell him about this on her way home.

“Do you remember that night our senior year when we drove out to that field with wine and pizza?” A smile played at his lips. “We looked up at the stars all night and drank for hours, naked.”

Stella fought the curve her mouth attempted to make. She did remember that night. He’d charmed the clothes right off her and they’d held hands and looked at the stars until the light began filtering through the clouds, their naked bodies tangled. “Best one night stand,” she barely whispered. It was their old joke about how their relationship started.

“The fucking best,” Jamie agreed and ran his thumb across her cheek.

She cleared her throat, leaning away from his touch and shaking off the memory. “Jamie, I can get you some money. I can’t get you all of it, but some of it,” Stella offered, hoping he would cave in and give her something, anything.

“Fuck,” he gritted his teeth, “I’m in real trouble here.” He was sincere and there was a trace of fear in his eyes.

“What’s going on? What did you do?”

“I ran with the bad guys’ money.”

“Why?”

He rubbed both hands over his face several times. “Because I fucking bombed a federal office and shot the only woman I ever fucking loved, Stella.” His voice was low and full of turmoil.

The thrill of victory spread through her, but she kept her face blank. “So you just ran after you shot me? You didn’t even know if I was dead or alive?”

“I heard the reports as I was driving, but when I left? No, I didn’t know you were alive.” He was unapologetic.

“Well, I can get you some money.” She felt sweat fall from between her breasts where the tape held the microphone in place. “Tell me why you were even there, Jamie.”

“Fine. There were a couple of guys talking about this big job coming in, guns and drugs. I was pulled into it. We’d been in so deep with this family for so long I didn’t even think about it when I shot the guy who threatened to kill one of the brothers. I shot him and then I thought, I need out. I have to get out. How can I get out? It turns out my superior wasn’t following procedure. I had plenty of evidence to support arrests and I found out it hadn’t been given to the higher ups. All the work I’d been doing for four fucking years was for nothing. I almost lost my shit.” His voice was tense, his words rushed.

“Oh, fuck,” she said with empathy.

“I didn’t know what to do, so I went to the Feds. It took three weeks to get away so that no one with the family I was investigating would make me. I made up a story about how my sister was in a car accident and I needed to get to Alabama and see her in the hospital. It gave me the couple of days I needed to get to DC, talk to the ATF and then to the FBI. Then I saw you in that conference room. Fuck, Stella, I didn’t know what the hell to do. When I got back from DC, I went to your hotel. Somehow they figured something was up and when I got back, they tied me to a chair and threatened to kill me. I got out of it, but had to convince them I wasn’t the narc. I thought I could control the bomb to the front of the office and maybe I’d be able to control what they did. It didn’t quite work like I planned and I had to go through with it or I was dead.”

She was silent.

He looked away and took another gulp of his beer.

“So you killed or you would’ve been killed.” Her lip twitched with the beginnings of a smile. This could be interpreted by the FBI to be pointed at the other agents he had killed in the bombing or he would’ve been killed, but she knew how he would react.

“NO! I saw that guy trying to rape you and I reacted. I’m sorry I shot you. I’m sorry I kidnapped you. You’ll never know how sorry I am.”

She was silent.

“You shot me,” she whispered.

He cocked his head in a question at the way she said it.

“So you helped them bomb the office and then shot me?” Stella wasn’t really shocked by anything other than the fact his cover was blown when he’d gone to see her at her hotel, but she needed this to sound genuine for Harris.

Jamie didn’t answer her question. “When can I get my money?”

“It’ll take a few days.” Stella finished the last sip of her wine and pushed the chair out from under her. “I’ll text you when I get it.” She turned and walked toward the door.

“Stella!” Jamie called. “You and Patrick are still friends, huh?”

Stella didn’t look back as she pushed the door open. Walking into the night air, she smiled. Check Fucking Mate.

* * *

She called Agent Harris as she pulled on to G Street.

“Can we get together tomorrow?” she said as soon as he answered.

“Stella…I don’t know what to say.” Agent Harris started. “You got him to admit to everything. How’d you do that?”

“Doubted me, did you?” She smiled in the phone.

“I…”

“No worries, Agent. Just tell me I can go home. I don’t want him trailing me back to you and blowing this whole fucking thing. Tell me you got what you need and you don’t need me anymore. Tell me that you’re going arrest him.”

“I’m going to present this to my higher up tomorrow and I’ll get back with you, but there’s no way they’ll walk away from an ATF agent that killed three other agents and shot you when we have the admission recorded. This is much better than I was expecting.”

“I’m always underestimated. I enjoy that.”

“Stella,” his voice was sincere, “I’m sorry I doubted you.”

She heard people in the background talking excitedly. “Don’t be sorry. Make it count.”

“Will do.” The phone muffled as he directed someone to do something.

“Talk to you tomorrow, Harris.” She disconnected and called George.

“Love?” he answered.

“Hey, babe, you getting ready to watch my interview?”

“Um, Love, why do you sound so…happy?”

“Because I just got Jamie recorded saying he bombed the FBI office and shot me. And kidnapped me. I have single-handedly gotten evidence to put him in jail for multiple life sentences.”

“You did?”

“I fucking did.”

“Wow, you’re amazing. I mean it,” George congratulated. “You okay? He hurt you?”

“Not at all.” Stella wouldn’t go through the details with George, or anyone, for that matter; it was too raw.

“I have to go, I’m eating with Patrick and everybody before we watch the interview, but I wanted to tell you how the meeting with Jamie went.”

“I wish you would’ve told me you were meeting with him,” George chastised, “I had no idea.”

“Better to ask for forgiveness than permission,” she said with a lilt to her voice.

“Love.”

“Love,” she answered and disconnected.

She pulled in front of her old house and got out of the car. The front door opened and Cooper bounded out. Patrick stood in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. He had a green fleece on and black workout pants. Billy walked to the doorway and smiled over Patrick’s shoulder and waved at her. Stella nodded at them with a smile and walked right into Patrick’s open arms, into his embrace. Millie came running from their room, her eyes wide. Cooper stood in between them, his tail alternately hitting her leg and then his.

“You okay?” Patrick almost whispered in her ear.

She separated herself from him and looked at all of her friends. She took a few seconds and thanked God for them. “I’m fucking better than fantastic. Let’s get some alcohol flowing and then I’ll tell y’all all about it before we watch this clusterfuck of an interview.”

Billy high-fived her and pulled her in for a hug. “Steaks are almost done.” He turned and walked toward the grill in the backyard. “I’m so proud of our little liar. I knew you’d do great!” he called over his shoulder.

“I’m brilliant. Everyone just admit it now.” She felt elated. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so…free. She was free.

I’ll be okay. Everything will be okay.

They ate at the kitchen table like old times and she relayed everything that happened, withholding the conversation regarding her romantic history. Turning off and on her memories of that Jamie was difficult, but she believed what she’d said. The Jamie and Stella that were together were dead. Now, they didn’t even like each other.

“How’d you know if you do—do your boobs like that again—if you did that, Agent Harris wouldn’t hear you?” Billy asked, making her push her boobs together again as an example.

“I practiced!” Stella laughed and pushed her boobs together for him two more times. “I told Harris I wanted to make sure I knew what not to do so I wouldn’t get nervous and fuck the whole thing up.”

“Maybe you are brilliant,” Millie agreed, nodding. “And your boobs are hot in that top.”

Stella smiled. “Patrick, it’s now your turn to tell me how brilliant I am,” she coaxed.

“You did good, El.” His voice was quiet, but his eyes gleamed with pride. He was proud she was able to do it; she knew he’d underestimated her, too.

They drank and talked while they waited for the interview to come on. During the opening minutes, all of the tweets, tabloid pictures and headlines flashed through the screen with Diane Sawyer walking in front of a blue screen while she summarized the past five years of Stella’s life in less than two minutes.

Millie giggled. “Damn, girl, you’re famous.”

“More like infamous,” Stella refuted.

“Same difference,” Billy said.

“And so fucking tragic,” Patrick added.

The interview had been cut significantly, but when the part about George came up her phone buzzed with a message from him.

I really do have blue balls right now

I love you too and you will never lose me

Stella smiled and looked up to see Patrick was getting them more beers. “I need one!” she called into the kitchen. She texted George back.

Hopefully I can help you with that this weekend

Patrick came in and put everyone’s beers on the table, but stayed silent, playing on his phone for the rest of the interview. Her phone vibrated in her hand.

You better do more than that this weekend

Birthday sex is all day sex

She laughed and replied.

Whenever and wherever you want

Her phone buzzed again.

Best shit I’ve heard all day, besides what was just broadcast to millions of people

A commercial came on and Billy stretched his arms over his head. “I think knowing you is a liability, El.” He smirked. “You’re not allowed here now that I’ve bought the place.”

“What?!” she yelled. “You bought this house?!” Stella jumped up and hugged Billy. “I didn’t even know you were thinking about it.”

Millie did the same.

“That’s what happens when you’re all wrapped up in your own shit, like trying to get your homicidal former fiancé arrested.” Billy laughed. “You miss shit.”

“A toast!” Millie declared, raising her glass.

“To the best friends an asshole could ever wish for,” Stella said.