Page 52 of Exposé

She stepped aside, allowing me to pass. "Promise me you won't be mad?"

I quirked a brow as I sat, placing my cup down. "When you start a conversation off like that, you're expecting the worst outcome. So come out with it. What did you do?"

Aria glanced toward Whitney's office with the slightest eye movement, then back to me. "I'm going freelance."

"Yeah, okay." I snorted.

The smile fell from Aria's face as her brows pulled down, her lips pressed together. "I'm serious, Ava. I miss dipping into myown stories without the constraints of a beat. It's time for me to dive into those long-form pieces I've been itching to write."

"Did something happen with Whitney?" I leaned forward and grabbed her hands. "This is completely out of the blue."

She shook her head. "Whitney is… Whitney. She's unhappy but supportive—wishes me the best." She laughed. "Of course she had to throw in the 'you won't find a better place to work than here' shtick."

"But I don't understand…" I frowned, shaking my head. "Why now?"

Aria shrugged. "I've watched what you've had to go through in order to write this piece. We shouldn't need permission to sink our teeth into whatever calls us."

"What does Henry say about this?"

Her head dipped down, and she stared at her toes.

Oh no.

"We aren't on the best of terms right now—"

"Aria. What do you mean? Why have you been hiding this?"

Her gaze snapped back up, and her hands left mine. "I haven't been. It's just been chaotic with you tracking down your story and me finishing up mine." She puffed out a breath of air and swiped her hair over her shoulder. "I mean,you'vethought of going freelance. We've talked about it before."

"I know, but this seems so sudden."

"I've got another week. I can help you in any way you want. Whitney has me covering Obituaries while Monica is out on sick leave. Plus, I'm not doing anything significant until I set up my office at home."

"But it's already set up." I frowned.

"I'm expanding my desk, adding a few more screens and a place to rest without bothering Henry on late nights."

"Okay, back to you, not on the best of terms…what's that about?"

Aria tucked her hand into the pocket of her red trousers and gave a slight head shake. "We disagree on what’s a priority, is all." She swiped her other hand in between us. "But enough about that. Tell me where you’re at."

I bit into my lip and tilted my head towards my computer screen. "I'm currently looking into raves on the dark web."

"What for?"

"Well, my lead told me that…" I sat upright, swiping my gaze across the office floor, then ducked back into my cubicle. "He told me that the government supplies drugs to dealers."

She let out a sharp, sarcastic breath.

"My thoughts exactly." I held up my finger, my voice a mere whisper. "Except, the people writing on the forums said they saw one of their dealers talking to a guy who was 'clearly a G-Man'."

"G-Man?” She shook her head. “God, these kids, and their slang."

I smiled and turned back to my computer, my mouse moving over the highlighted text. "See here. They said he was short with a military-style haircut, and he stood with his hands around his waist area like the Secret Service does behind the President."

"That could be literally anyone."

"Well, yes. But I wouldn't have thought anything of it if my source hadn't said something about them being around the scenes." I sighed.

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