Page 16 of Trust No One

She hadn’t given Simon Kingsley’s name, but she’d bet he was scouring information, trying to figure out who she was investigating. Once she and Dev and Simon put their information together, she’d figure out a plan to proceed.

The question she most wanted to ask Livingston was who else she could talk to in the CIA without alerting Kingsley to her interest. The more input they had, the more solid the case against Kingsley.

Dev glanced over at her, and she felt his gaze drop to her computer. She wanted to slam it shut, but if he was going to be involved in this op, he needed to know what she had planned. As soon as he looked away, she drew a deep breath. Turned her head to look at him. “Any other ideas?”

He shrugged. “Good place to start. But we need to hear what Simon has to say before we make a plan.”

“This isn’t a final plan. It’s stream of consciousness about how we could proceed. I’m assuming Livingston is suspicious that someone is betraying the agency. Otherwise, why would he agree to meet with us?”

“Maybe he’s working with Kingsley. Maybe this meeting is a trap,” Dev said.

Mel stared at Dev, reluctant to reveal her fears. But it would be foolish to hide them from Dev. He was in just as much danger as she was.

“I’ve thought of that,” she finally said. “Even though all Simon’s financials are clean as a whistle, even though we both know him, it’s possible he’s working with Kingsley. Or at least knows what he’s been doing and hasn’t made any moves to stop him.”

“If that’s true, why would he agree to meet with us?” Dev asked.

“To get us out of the compound and into Washington,” Mel shot back. “Where he or Kingsley or Larrimore could take us out.”

Dev frowned for a moment, then shook his head. “If he wanted to kill us, easier to do it in Helena. Wait for us in town. We’re not on alert when we go to Helena. We’re not worried about an ambush. The Trail’s End is where everyone from the compound hangs out. Wouldn’t take much digging to figure that out. We’re comfortable walking into the parking lot after dark. It’d be a piece of cake for someone to be waiting in the car next to mine or yours. Open the door, shoot us, then take off.”

“That’s plausible, but he’d probably prefer to take care of business on his own turf,” Mel retorted. “Where he’s in familiar territory and we’re not.”

“So what’s your plan once we get to DC?” Dev asked, shifting in his seat so he could study her.

“We scope out the hotels and motels. Look for one with lots of exits. Places we couldn’t get trapped. Check in, then I’ll call Simon. Set up a meeting. We’ll get to the meeting place early. Make sure nothing seems off. Make sure no one’s watching us.” She nudged Dev in the side. “I’m sure you haven’t lost all those finely honed instincts from when you were in the field. We sit near an exit. Yada, yada, yada. You know the drill.”

“Yeah, I do,” he said. He held her gaze steadily. “You think your instincts are sharp enough to handle this? You were never in the field. You were a desk jockey.”

He made those two words sound like a personal failing, and her hackles rose. “I had the same training as you did,” Mel retorted. “Even though I never used it, I know what’s involved. Know how to handle myself. And we’ll both be armed.”

“I don’t think Simon would betray us,” Dev said.

“Your mistake,” Mel said. “I always assume the worst. Especially if my life’s at stake.”

“My life has been in Simon’s hands. Many times,” Dev said. “We handled a lot of ops together.”

“That was a long time ago,” Mel said. “People change.”

“So you’re going into this suspicious of Simon. Right?”

“I don’t trust anyone, Dev. You must know that by now.”

“Not even me?”

How could she trust Dev when he’d crushed her heart? Mel clenched her hands into fists, then shoved them beneath her thighs. “I trust that you’ll have my back on this op,” she finally said. “I trust that you’re not going to try to kill me.”

He stared hard at her. Put his mouth to her ear. “I’d protect you with my life, Mel. I would die before I let someone hurt you. You have to know that.”

She shrugged one shoulder. “Yeah, I always thought that.”

He reared back in his seat. “But you don’t anymore?”

“I trust you physically, Dev. I know you’d never hurt me. I know you’d protect me. Beyond that?” She shrugged. “Not so much. I can’t expose the core of who I am to you.”

She turned to look out the window, but his stare burned into her back. Finally he sighed. “I guess that’s fair. And I’m damn sorry about that.”

“You can’t help who you are,” she said. “So let’s just agree that I know you’ll keep me safe.”

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