Page 48 of Exposé

"A source?"

"Yes. Then I received a letter on my doorstep with your name on it, along with my apartment door broken in."

His brows raised, the whites of his eyes visible all around, his mouth hanging open. "I don't want anything to do with it."

"Why? Why do you look so—"

"Listen, there are bigger things at play here. Things you aren't ready to handle. Not evenIcould handle it." He glanced at Becca as she filled a needle. "You're already ontheirradar, and you don't even know it."

Kane bent over the bed and bared a small patch of skin on his hip. She rubbed the alcohol swab over the skin, waved it dry, and then stuck the needle in his rump. He grunted and inched away from her touch.

"On who's radar?"

He let out a dry, humorless laugh. "The ones in charge of distributing NZene through every rave, underground scene, and bad neighborhood."

"Wrap it up. You've got maybe two minutes." Becca grabbed his medication as he pulled up his pants and sat back on the bed.

"So what entity is doing it?"

"Not what, but who…" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Have you noticed anyone following you around, things missing, a weird buzzing noise in your phone?"

I frowned and shook my head. "Nothing out of the ordinary besides my doorknob hanging off the door…" I paused, rummaging around in my memories. “I did get these weird phone calls a few days ago. Someone put my phone number on a hookup site.”

“Petty shit. Any enemy could have done that.” He shook his head with irritation. “Is there anyone new in your life? Someone who's made contact with you?"

I chewed on my inner lip, my brows furrowing as each new face popped into my head.

Nate?

But he didn't make contact with me. I ran into him.

"No. Not that I recall. What does that have to do with drug dealers?"

He snorted. "Go to a rave and ask the dealers who their bosses are."

Leaning into the doorjamb, I let out a short, dry chuckle. "No drug dealer is going to reveal that information."

"Fair. Then buy a sample. Have it tested. You'll see remarkable similarities."

"Similarities to what?"

Kane sighed. "Every government peddled drug."

I laughed and then slapped a hand over my mouth. "You want me to believe the government is behind all of this?"

"As if that's so far-fetched. Don't you know about Freeway Ricky Ross and the CIA?"

I shook my head.

"What about the Iran-Contra Affair or, more recently, Operation Fast and Furious?"

"No."

He shrugged with an incredulous glance. "Look, I don't know why your source named me. I can't…won't help you."

"Why?"

"Look at my case. You're way over your head here."

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