Page 35 of The Billionaire's Wife

I followed the man’s brief glance toward the corner where a small, bar-height table held a Keurig, a few mugs, and a rack of pods. A water cooler stood beside the table. “Thanks.”

I made my way back to Faith. “Would you like a drink? Coffee?”

She shook her head. “I don’t think caffeine is a good idea right now.”

“Water?”

She shook her head again.

“Okay. Let’s take a seat.” I looked around, then nodded to a set of two chairs next to each other.

Faith sat and folded her hands in her lap.

I sat. I was tempted to get out my phone and check email. I probably didn’t have anything urgent, but it was something to do, since having a conversation with Faith was a nonstarter right now. She was too nervous. Besides, what would we talk about? Did we even have anything in common anymore?

I sighed. How long would Special Agent Orbison keep us sitting here? After the security and check-in process, we’d ended up only being about seven minutes ahead of our appointment time. Obviously, we’d have to wait for at least that long, but would he keep us cooling our heels in the reception area for another fifteen or twenty minutes? Thirty?

It probably depended on how important—or unimportant—he thought this appointment was. Given that it had taken two weeks for him to return my call? I was banking on the latter.

I fought the urge to check the time and let my gaze roam around the reception area. I spotted two cameras, but there were probably more that I didn’t see. No clock. No cheerful waiting room music. No TVs, like in doctor offices. Just silence broken by the clicking of the receptionist’s keyboard and his murmured conversations on the phone.

It felt like it had been an hour when a door finally opened. An older, somewhat portly man, glanced around then spotted us. “Tristan Lee?”

I stood. “That’s me.”

“Special Agent Orbison. Come on back.” He backed up against the door and gestured for me to go through.

I nodded at Faith to go first. I followed her through the door, nearly plowing into her when she stopped abruptly in the hallway.

“Go on to the right. I’m all the way at the end.” Special Agent Orbison’s voice was booming.

It didn’t take long to reach his office. He gestured to the receptionist out front as he ushered us in. “Sorry for the wait.”

“It’s no problem.” A quick glance at this wall showed that we were only five minutes past our appointment start time. Huh.

“Can I get you some coffee? Or we probably have sodas somewhere.” Special Agent Orbison offered a sheepish smile. “I gave up soda last year and made them move it to another fridge and not tell me which one.”

Faith chuckled.

He glanced at her and his smile turned kind. “I could go looking. They know it. I know it. But they’d also rat me out to my wife the first chance they got, and it’s not worth the headache that would cause.”

He moved around his desk and sat. “So. Tell me what brings you here to see me?”

10

FAITH

Iglanced at Tristan. He’d said he’d be taking the reins. At least until we knew how things were going to shape up.

Tristan cleared his throat. “We have information about the Ortega cartel.”

Other than a slight lift of his eyebrows, Special Agent Orbison didn’t react. “Oh?”

“My client,” Tristan made a slight gesture in my direction “was tricked into doing some business for them. Once she realized what she’d done, she refused to do additional work and has had to go into hiding.”

Special Agent Orbison gave a soft snort as his attention shifted to me. “I bet.”

My face heated. I wanted to squirm under his steady scrutiny, but I made myself be still.

---