Page 31 of Misdirection

But she really wanted to talk to Tevin.

Plus, talking to him would distract her from her other thoughts . . . thoughts about her father.

About how her whole life may have been a lie.

And thoughts about how she was now all alone in the world.

Forty minutes later, Tevin showed up at her door, dressed like a delivery man. He came with a paper bag laden with Chinese food and wore a shirt proclaiming Café China on the lapel.

“I have a delivery for a Ms. Whiten.”

Olive glanced up and down the hallway. Saw that no one was watching. Then she nodded for him to come inside. She locked the door behind them.

“I’m so glad you brought food,” she murmured as she took the bag from him. “I’m actually starving.”

She spread the food on the coffee table. Then she and Tevin sat on the floor and used their chopsticks to eat their moo goo gai pan and General Tso’s chicken. They’d eaten together enough that Tevin knew exactly what she liked.

He’d probably created a spreadsheet to keep track of it. The thought made her smile.

She wished she could pour everything out to him. That she could tell him about her childhood. About her dad and what Tom had told her tonight about him.

About how her dad had never actually worked for the FBI.

But it was better if she kept those things private. Sharing any type of information had never proven to be fruitful in her life. The truth was that secrets could be used as a weapon. She already had enough enemies without giving anyone ammunition to use against her in moments of desperation.

Tevin’s phone rang, and he glanced at the screen. “It’s my mom. One minute.”

Olive smiled as he slipped away to answer, his voice instantly warming.

As she chewed on a mouthful of fried rice, she wondered what it would be like to have someone to talk to, someone she could share her troubles with. But vulnerability had never been her strong suit. In fact, she’d found that vulnerability made her weak.

It was better if she kept up the walls she’d so carefully built around her. Better if she simply accepted that she was meant to be a lone wolf.

Life was certainly less complicated that way.

Tevin returned and picked up his chopsticks. “She was just calling to check in.”

“That’s nice.”

“So, what’s going on?”

Olive started by telling him about Duncan’s visit.

“He doesn’t seem like the type to visit people out of mere goodwill,” Tevin murmured. “It’s not one of the qualities about him I wrote on my spreadsheet.”

“He’s more like the type to visit others when it benefits him?” Olive raised an eyebrow.

“Exactly.”

She knew, however, that people in extraordinary circumstances did sometimes act out of character. She needed to keep that in mind as well. His visit didn’t mean he was guilty.

“I also have an update,” Tevin told her. “I was able to log into the CCTV archive through Conglomerate’s internal network and retrieve a better copy of the security video, one I could analyze more thoroughly.”

Olive sat up straighter. “And?”

“Just as I suspected, the footage was altered. Whoever edited the video was good. Very good. Not as good as me, of course.” He grinned.

“Of course!”

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