Page 9 of Misdirection

Then Olive remembered a conversation she’d long forgotten, a conversation she’d once had with Jason. They’d been watching TV together when he’d told her he wanted to live in a big city for a while. His favorite TV show back then had beenChicago PD. He said life in the hustle and bustle of a thriving city sounded exciting, even if he only got to experience it for a short while.

Olive’s prior relationship with Jason could blow her whole assignment. At this point in the game, no one else could take her place either. They were out of time. Whispers in the intelligence community indicated the deal was supposed to happen on Friday—in only three days.

A ripple of anxiety swept through Olive, the feeling not one she was accustomed to. The feeling only intensified when the detective wandered away thirty minutes later, leaving her alone—and wide open for anyone else to talk to her.

Jason swooped in, something clearly on his mind. He leaned close and whispered, “I’ve been waiting for years to ask this. So was it a boy or a girl?”

Her lungs froze. “Excuse me?”

His gaze narrowed. “The baby. Was it a boy or a girl?”

Olive blinked, unable to hide her confusion. “What in the world are you talking about?”

Did he think her mom had another baby after they moved? It was the only thing that made sense.

He leaned close enough that Olive could feel his breath on her cheek and ear.

Her pulse quickened at his familiar, not yet forgotten nearness.

“Don’t pretend like you don’t know,” he said in a harsh whisper. “I may have been naive back in high school, but not anymore. You knowexactlywhat baby I’m talking about.”

Before he could say anything else, Duncan called Jason over.

Jason glanced at her again, his voice still hard and accusatory. “We’re going to finish this conversation. Soon.”

Then he walked away with Duncan.

As soon as no one was watching, Olive grabbed her phone and texted Tevin again.

We have an even bigger problem.

CHAPTER 3

Olive wasn’t going to gain any information from this scene. Now she needed to make herself scarce before any more trouble arose.

If she were honest with herself, running into Jason had left her shaken. His working at Conglomerate would be a problem. A big problem. So was the dead guy she’d found.

She paced toward Detective Angelos. At a break in the conversation, she asked, “Am I free to go?”

“Yes.” He gave her a curt nod. “We’ll be in contact if we need any more information.”

“Perfect.”

She headed toward the door, ready to make a getaway. But just as she reached for the knob, a hand came down on her shoulder. Without looking, she knew exactly who it was.

She slowly turned toward Jason, unsure what he might say this time.

“The two of us need to talk,” he told her. “At the coffeehouse downstairs. Six o’clock.”

She loved the way he didn’t frame it as a request. No, it was a command.

Which didn’t at all sound like the Jason she’d known as a teenager. He’d been confident but kind, especially to her. He was the type who could be tough on the football field but tender when it mattered—like the time they’d found an injured dog on the side of the road, and he’d cleared his schedule to help the creature.

But people changed. Olive certainly had.

She wanted to refuse to obey his command, simply because of his attitude. But maybe she should meet him and clear the air—to just get this over with.

For that reason, she didn’t argue. “I’ll be there.”

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