Page 76 of Trust No One

“Yes?” she asked.

“This is Caroline Livingston. Diana Redfield said you’d asked her to have us call you.”

Mel let out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “Caroline. Thanks so much for calling. How are you and Simon doing?”

“We’re fine. We’re at the FBI house, but they’ve asked us not to tell anyone where we are.”

“I’d never ask you that,” Mel reassured her. “We just wanted to know you were safe. And ask how Simon’s doing.”

Mel heard Caroline’s sigh through the phone. “He’s… okay. Still in a lot of pain from the broken ribs. He didn’t have a concussion, but he still has a headache. His wrist is feeling better, though.”

“Thank goodness for that,” Mel said, trying to keep her voice light. “Do you have books? A television? Are you able to keep busy?”

“I have my Kindle,” Caroline said. “I haven’t had time to read for a while, so I’m buried in ebooks. Simon is streaming movies and binging on TV series on his phone, so he’s good, too. But they won’t let us outside. That’s the hardest part. I like to walk every day, and it’s boring to walk up and down the stairs and around the house.”

She sighed. “I’m sure I sound ungrateful, but I’m truly not. Both of us are very thankful you went to the FBI and were able to get us protected. But it’s boring not having any work to do. And frustrating not to be able to participate in the search for your target Kingsley.”

“Caroline, we want you as far away as possible from that snake,” Mel said as she paced. “Please don’t give him a second thought. Dev and I are hoping he’s in custody before long. Once he and anyone associated with him are locked up, you and Simon can resume your normal lives.”

“We want to make sure you and Dev are safe, too,” Caroline said. “Please don’t take any foolish risks.”

“We’re being very careful because we know no one will be safe until he’s in prison,” Mel said. “But I’m not going to keep you. Say hello to Simon for us, and we’ll keep you updated on our attempts to bring Kingsley to justice. Stay safe.”

“Thanks for checking on us, Mel.”

“Any time,” Mel murmured as she disconnected the call.

She took a deep breath as she flopped onto the couch. Simon and Caroline were safe. Now she and Dev and Gideon could concentrate on getting Kingsley locked up.

Dev rapped on the door between their rooms, and she called, “Come on in.”

He opened the door and studied her as she slumped on the couch. “Did I hear you talking to Caroline?”

“Yeah. She and Simon are fine. Bored more than anything, based on what she was saying. But they’re safe.”

“Thank God,” Dev said, dropping onto the couch beside her. “Frees up more brain space to worry about Kingsley.”

“Yeah,” she said with a tiny laugh. “Exactly who I want in my head.”

He shifted and turned to face her. “You know we’ve done about all we can do,” he said. “We’ve told the FBI director what’s going on. Same with the CIA director.”

“And that bastard might be working with Kingsley,” Mel said, gritting her teeth.

“Diana Redfield didn’t seem to think that was the case,” Dev said. “And I got a positive vibe from her. Like she was on the level.”

Mel lifted one shoulder. “Yeah, I trust her too. But as far as I’m concerned, Bradford Allen is still under suspicion.”

“Come on, babe. Why would the CIA director risk everything for a little money?”

“I think it’s more thana littlemoney,” she said.

“Even if it’s a fortune, why would he risk it?” Dev said. “He has to know he’d end up in a hellhole somewhere. The kind of place I hope Kingsley’ll be once he’s arrested. I’m guessing Allen makes a lot of money. Enough that he doesn’t have to commit crimes to get more.”

“Who knows what motivates people?” Mel said. “Look at Kingsley. He’s got millions and millions of dollars. Why not just disappear and enjoy his money? He’s got more than he could spend in two or three lifetimes.”

“But it’s not always about the money,” Dev said, swiveling to face her. “It’s about power. And Kingsley has the power right now. He’s putting one over on everyone in the CIA. He thinks he’s the smartest guy in the Company. He probably laughs at them every night as he counts his money.”

“That’s a completely depressing thought,” Mel said, standing up and shaking her head. “There must be a way to take him down.”

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