Page 24 of A Rhapsody of Ravens and Revenge

“In what way?”

“My father invited me to dinner with a couple of contractors from DyniCorp,” she said. “I assumed they were on his most-wanted-bachelor list so I politely declined the invitation.”

Cal coughed, but she saw his smile. “They’ve been a powerhouse in the industry the last five years,” he said. “The company was built slowly, taking on smaller projects that could be done well instead of biting off more than they could chew. Their reputation is solid.”

“That doesn’t mean they don’t need the money. There’s not a lot of people who wouldn’t risk their reputation for a billion-dollar contract. There’s a lot of chaos that ensues when someone as important as a senator gets murdered. Depending on what side of the aisle you’re sitting on, the blame game will target whoever the opposite side is trying to vilify. The chances of the true responsible party taking the fall for this is slim. It bothers me there’s a connection with my father. Maybe that’s how they’ve been keeping tabs.”

“It’s a good hunch to follow,” he said. “I’m in the process of building a secondary program to infiltrate their financials. Whoever they’ve got on cybersecurity is top notch. I haven’t been able to uncover who that is as of yet.”

“Which bothers you,” she said. “There’s something else that bothers you too. I can tell.”

“I don’t like not knowing who I’m up against,” he said. “That’s the first issue. The second is that Dynamis Security holds a large percentage of shares in DyniCorp. Atticus is going to be pissed if they’re the culprit. That means they’ll have played all of us like a masterful game of chess. And I don’t particularly like being anyone’s pawn.”

Something struck her and she hesitated, wondering if she should voice her thoughts aloud.

“What is it?” he asked.

“I think we’d be naïve not to consider that Atticus could be as involved in this as anyone. He’s got the perfect setup and the perfect cover. He could have easily hired Taber and left the crumb trail to each of the victims. These targets are important men with high-level security. They’re not easy to kill. But two of them are dead. And what better way for Taber to reach me than for Atticus to have us right where he wants us both.”

“I don’t know whether I should be impressed or pissed,” he said.

“Let’s go with impressed,” she said. “I’ve seen far too little of that from you in my lifetime.” Her smile was thin and impertinent.

He snorted out a laugh and leaned back in the chair so it stood on two legs. “You’re thinking like an agent. That’s good. Those instincts will keep you safe. But you don’t know Atticus like I do. There are a few people I trust in this world, who I’d lay everything down for and do a job without question. He’s one of those people. Atticus is the most solid guy I know. He doesn’t flinch, and he doesn’t compromise his principles. Not ever.”

“Is my father one of those few?” she asked.

Cal opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated. At one point in his life he would have said yes. But Robert played the government’s game. And that didn’t always mean that it was the right game.

Evangeline blew out a breath. “Well that’s good to know.”

“It would depend on the circumstance,” he said. “But he’s your father. I don’t believe he’d ever intentionally put you in harm’s way without a fail-safe.”

“So you’re my fail-safe?” she asked.

“Among other things,” he said. “I’d never put your life at risk, Evie. You’ve got to trust me on that one. Keeping you alive is the most important job I have, even more than finding out who’s behind this. If it came to the point where I had to choose your safety or bring down a company that could potentially ruin my career and what Atticus Cameron has built, guess which I’d choose?”

She went perfectly still, her hands clenching into fists at her sides. She wanted to believe him. Wanted to think that she was that important to him—that he’d risk everything for her safety. Promises of that magnitude were easily broken when push came to shove. Her father had always told her to look out for herself first, because no one else ever would. She had to assume he’d given the same advice to Cal.

“I’m still gathering information at this point,” he said. “I’m breaking down the walls at Langley. That won’t take as long as breaching the security at Boulder and DyniCorp.”

“Sad isn’t it?” she asked.

“It doesn’t pay to work for the government,” Cal said. “I should know. They were lucky to have me, though I didn’t exactly have a choice at the time. It’s all gone to hell since I left.”

“You could still be out on your own,” she said. “There’s a lot of money on the private side of things.”

“Atticus pays me a fortune,” he said. “No one is hacking into the systems at Dynamis. Besides, I never have to wear a suit or sit in front of congressional committees. It’s in my contract. As far as I’m concerned it’s my dream job. And I never would have been a government stooge if I hadn’t been indebted to your father. I didn’t actually think he was going to let me retire. A lifetime of indentured servitude with mediocre equipment and no vision.”

“Something is better than nothing,” she said. “I should know.”

“Life is what you make it, Evie. The last ten years are what you created. There was still life going on around you even though you chose a different path. You got your kicks in the dark, sipping from an eyedropper when you could have found your courage and fortitude and used your gifts. But you chose to pout for the last ten years and go stale. That’s on you. Not on me. But if it makes you feel better to blame me then have at it.”

She blew out a breath. What was the point in bringing up the past? “It was a long time ago,” she said. “Let’s just forget it.”

“Fine,” Cal said. “We know that Senator Biddle met with Deputy Director Frank Reed the morning of his death in Reed’s office. All of those meetings are monitored and recorded. I’m trying to get access to the video.”

Cal rubbed his eyes and then ran a hand through his hair. “I could use the help, Evie. This would go a lot faster if we were each working on it.”

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