Page 77 of Shadow Operative

But those guys didn’t seem to be going after any of those things. So what would they want from Nia?

Then there was a third scenario. The one that Nia had just suggested.

The one Gage didn’t want to believe.

What if Nia had had some type of mental break, and shehaddone this? Gage didn’t see her as that type. But people in high-pressure situations could do things they didn’t normally do.

If Nia had killed Rob, why? To keep the app for herself? Because she didn’t want to pull out of their deal?

And now maybe these men wanted that information?

No . . . that didn’t make sense. There was nothing special about Rob’s app. It helped promote relaxation. Gage couldn’t see where that had anything to do with this.

Yet Rob had discovered something urgent enough for him to ask Gage to come. What could that have been?

His thoughts continued to swirl.

“You want me to leave?” Nia asked.

Her voice pulled him from his thoughts.

Gage stared at her face. Her dark, rich eyes. The slightfrown on her full lips. The way her curls had seemed to lose some of their luster and bounce.

He swallowed hard before saying, “No, I don’t want you to leave.”

“I wouldn’t blame you if you did.”

“We’re going to figure this out,” he assured her. “We’re only just starting.”

“I have no recollection of what I was doing twenty-four hours ago. But according to the video footage, I was in Rob’s apartment with him. Sometime in there, he died, and we’ve found no evidence that anyone else was there.”

Her words echoed in his mind.

Now more than ever, they needed to figure out what had happened.

And he still had other questions . . . maybe less important questions.

But he still wanted answers.

He turned to her, hoping the subject change might be good for both of them.

Then he asked, “What’s your past with Mario?”

Nia swallowed hard at Gage’s question.

She knew it was coming. Gage was a perceptive guy. No doubt he’d picked up on the bad vibes between her and Mario.

“We dated,” Nia started.

Gage’s eyes widened, but he said nothing, just waited for her to continue.

“It didn’t end well,” she told him. “He wasn’t the person I thought he was.”

“What do you mean?” Gage asked.

She glanced at her hands, wishing sometimes that she could erase the memories. But they were a part of her. Her relationship with Mario was something she simply needed to learn from. It was the only way to put a positive spin on the situation.

“The two of us met at a benefit for a children’s hospital about a year and a half ago,” she said. “He was charming and made me laugh. When he asked me out, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. Our first few dates went really well. I thought maybe we had a future together.”

---