Page 114 of Misdirection

Olive shifted her gaze to Jason again. She was so glad he was here and okay.

“I thought something had happened to you,” she told Jason quietly. “I tried to call. When you didn’t answer . . .”

His eyes narrowed. “Let’s just say that halfway through our conversation, Adriana realized I was onto her. An FBI agent caught me on my way into the building and told me he was aware of what was going on. I assume that was your doing?”

She nodded.

“I asked him to wait outside of the room, and he did. When I left, I confirmed his suspicions that Adriana was a Russian operative trying to steal classified US technology. He said they’d been working the case, and she’d just recently come onto their radar. He arrested her.”

Relief swept through her. “That’s the first good news I’ve heard all day.”

“She deserves everything coming for her.”

A stampede of footsteps clattered down the hallway.

Backup was here, Olive realized.

Maybe this was finally all over.

But if that was true, why didn’t Olive feel more at peace?

As the police and paramedics again flooded the SCI corridor, Olive stood back to give them space to work. Jason mingled with the detective and an FBI agent who’d shown up on scene.

No one could know who she was still, so she needed to blend in.

A bandage had been placed on her arm, and she held an ice pack to her cheek. She would take some Tylenol later to help with the pain. For now, she could deal with it.

Sonny was still alive. He’d been taken away handcuffed to a stretcher.

Alex had been found in another room on the corridor. He was sore but okay.

Sonny’s and Jason’s guns had been taken as evidence.

The situation could have turned out much differently.

Olive wanted to feel happy. Satisfied. But she didn’t.

Jason excused himself from the men he spoke with and paced back over toward her. “You sure you’re okay?”

His voice sounded so soft and tender that something melted just a little inside her.

“I’m fine.”

He studied her face a moment. “Then why do you look like you’re still not convinced this is over?”

She shrugged, the action taking entirely too much energy. “I don’t know. Something about this situation doesn’t fit, and I’m not sure what.”

“Any theories?” Jason stared at her as he waited for her reply.

“No idea. But I do find it curious that Duncan still hasn’t called me back. I thought he’d be down here right away, just like he was when I found Beau.”

“That does seem strange. He would normally be the first one to show up given the stakes of everything.”

The two of them exchanged a look.

Then as if acting in tandem, they slipped out of the corridor.

No one was watching. Maybe they should tell the police and get them to go upstairs to Duncan’s office also. But first, Olive needed to see if her theory was accurate.

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