Page 57 of Shadow Operative

Maybe.

Nothing felt certain right now.

But Nia prayed she was doing the right thing.

chapter

twenty-five

Gage finally pulledonto a side road, turned around, and backed the car up to a swampy area. He needed to see if anyone else came down this lane.

He’d kept his eyes on the dark road as he traveled, and he hadn’t seen any headlights behind them. Unless these guys were tracking them another way—which Gage didn’t think they were—he and Nia shouldn’t be found.

All around them were miles of wetlands and a few scrubby trees. Their biggest danger should only be an alligator or two.

Being here should give them some time to talk.

Apparently, they had a lot of things to sort out.

Nia thoughthe’dkilled Rob? Why would she think he’d killed his friend?

He was ready to get some answers.

He shifted toward her.

Before any questions left his lips, Nia faced him, fire flashing in her gaze. “Who are you? Anddon’t lie to me.”

“My name is Gage Pearson, just like I told you.”

Her eyes narrowed. “But who are you really?”

“I told you.”

She squinted, not bothering to hide her skepticism. “Who do you work for?”

“A computer company.”

“What kind of computer company?” Agitation rose in her voice.

“Valid question . . .” he murmured. “We do computer security.”

She continued to stare, and Gage gave her a moment to collect her thoughts. The woman was smart, and she didn’t back down. Part of him admired that. The other part wished she would back off. It would make this much simpler.

Finally, Nia licked her lips and shifted. “Listen, I saw you in Rob’s apartment. I was outside the building. I couldn’t see your face very well, but I saw your tattoo. You killed him.”

Wait . . . she’d seen him when he went to Rob’s apartment?

There was a lot he wanted to ask about that.

If Nia had seen him early this morning in Rob’s apartment, no wonder she thought he murdered Rob.

He raised his hands in the air. “I would never have hurt my friend. How in the world did you see me?”

Her jaw hardened. “That’s not important.”

Gage begged to differ.

“The truth is, I went to stay with himlast night,” Gage admitted. “But when I walked into his place, I found him dead already. I didn’t kill him.”

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