Page 149 of Taste of Addiction

“How did you know Owen was a traitor?” Nic asks me. He is hovering along the edge of the room. “You knew it before I did. He had us all fooled. And you thought Paul was on their side too.”

“I had been taking pictures and audio recordings of all the dates I was on with Mark. Business meetings and solo dates. During some of the meetups, his associates spoke in Spanish and Russian—and maybe even a few more languages. Hard to tell for certain. During the last meeting before Thanksgiving, I sent Claire to spy for me.”

“We were aware of that fiasco,” he responds, a bitterness to his tone.

“Because of Paul. He was at that meeting. He tipped you off about my involvement. Anyway, Claire got more pictures. During my Internet research phase, I discovered something called reverse image search, which led me to a variety of facial recognition software programs. I was in the library at the safe house analyzing the images from my girls’ night at Slay. I plugged the photos into the software to see if any from the web would align. My search results completed, and I discovered some with Bryce and Owen. I saw Bryce with the Swiss Army Knife. It was the same one that was in my hospital bag from the hospital after the car accident that killed James. It was what was triggering some of my memories. So I knew he and Owen were after me during that time in Baker City. I just couldn’t remember at the time of the car accident. Maybe part of me didn’t want to live through it again.”

I swallow and want to stop. The memories are just too much. I went from college student to an unofficial informant basically overnight.

Graham looks like he is going to be sick.

“It’s not your fault,” I promise. “You didn’t know Owen was going to switch sides.”

Graham flinches. “He was never on my side. Fabricated all of his credentials and even had manufactured voice recordings from his recommendations list to fly completely under the radar. His sole purpose coming to Portland and getting hired for my security team was to destroy me. Granted, Dr. Williams was the master pimp, getting these assholes to trust him enough in order to risk their lives for the cause.”

I hate seeing Graham this broken. This isn’t his fault. “I completely misinterpreted Paul’s intentions. All this time I have been following him around and keeping tabs on him, and he wasn’t even a contender,” I say to myself, rubbing my hands into my hair.

I think back to the Halloween party, the cafe training, and the meeting where Claire spied for me. With my stubbornness, I could have sabotaged the entire FBI operation and blown Paul’s cover before it was time or safe. I could have gotten him killed—Nic too.

“So you didn’t know he was FBI, Nic?” I ask.

“I was almost positive he was,” Nic says with a sigh. “As an informant, I’m not privy to a lot of valuable information. It helps to keep the chances of being compromised lower. Plus, some informants end up being traitors. I kept getting pressured to get you out of the operation. Far away from it. I would get tabs on you and how Tanner and his gang knew you were watching them. Now, it’s obvious that those tabs were being done by Paul.”

“Did Mark ever have a clue Paul was on the opposing side?”

“No.”

“So I was quarantined after Thanksgiving to protect his image unknowingly? He knew it was only a matter of time before I would figure it all out,” I conclude.

“Angie, you were putting your life in so much danger that it was impossible for me”—Nic pauses—“or I imagine Paul to do our jobs. Sure, we were working toward the same goal without realizing each other’s roles, but you were way too risky with your life.”

“That is something I can finally agree on.”

“Thankfully this is all over now,” he sighs. “At the rate you were ignoring all your self-preservation signals, I was about to have a heart attack.”

“Mark told me in the tunnel that he never raped Penny. I could tell he was being honest, because he didn’t have any reason to lie, fully believing I was going to die with the truth.”

Both brothers clear their throats as they look at each other, tears welling in their eyes but not escaping. It is like a sense of relief washes over them at this news. I lean up in my bed and open my arms for them both to join me.

“I’m sorry Penny got drugged and is mentally paying for the sins of those bastards, but maybe—just maybe—she can move forward faster now.”

After several seconds, Nic straightens his posture and takes a few steps back. “If I haven’t said it before, I will say it now. Angie, you are the best thing to happen to my brother. And…” He looks off to the side of the room, appearing to be coping with some deeply buried emotions. “I”—his lips pull up into a smile—“you know.”

Graham’s eyes soften, as he tucks me to his side on the bed.

“I feel the same way, Nic,” I say, battling my own unleashed emotions. “I love you too.” I have never seen him this tender before and it just further solidifies the fear we all faced.

Nic heads out of the room, closing the door gently. Graham’s eyes connect with mine as he processes everything. He looks tired, with his worry lines on his forehead more prominent. It is during this lull in conversation that I am able to understand the stress he must have been under while we were constantly working against each other to try to conquer a common goal.

I reach for his hand, giving it a squeeze. “My lying and risking my life days are over.”

Graham sighs and bends down to kiss my lips. “I’m just glad we all made it out of that hellhole alive.”

“When I got a text with you and Collins tied up and gagged, I was so scared. How did you get free?”

“Collins was able to undo the knots in the rope before it was time. We were being guarded by one of Tanner’s minions, so I imagine he was going to release us when he got the call. Collins is a real Boy Scout when it comes to survival. That’s the only reason we were able to get to the tunnels as fast as we did. Thank God we weren’t too late.”

“If something would have…” Tears well in my eyes as I think of the worst case. “I just…”

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