Page 31 of Filthy Liar

She squares her shoulders. “I’ll talk to him. Let’s start with that. We can document the case at the very least, and making a random connection outside the division is low risk.”

Her logic makes sense. There would be no way it would make any sense for this Deacon person to be lying in wait for Caroline. And marshals have a better network of resources than the Horus Group does, at least on their own.

Jason has access to significant resources through his half-brother, but that relationship is complicated. “I agree,” I tell her quietly. “For what that’s worth.”

She squeezes my hand. “It’s worth everything.”

Two hours later,the cavalry arrives. Deacon Webb has a terrifying presence, a sharp machine of a man, and yet there’s something about him that is soothing and calming, too.

It turns out he and Caroline have a mutual acquaintance in common, a prosecutor in the financial crimes division out in California, and through that short handed code they immediately bond.

“We’ll keep her safe,” he promises me, and I believe him. “Nobody outside of my team will know we have her.”

Wilson works up a digital cover story that has Caroline in the hospital with appendicitis, then she makes a couple of carefully worded phone calls to people on her team. Exhaling after the last one, she puts her phone down on the table. “And if anyone was tracking those, they look like they came from the hospital?”

Wilson nods, then pockets the phone. “I’ll keep it charged and pinging off that repeater until we’ve found who did this to you.”

“Magic,” she says weakly. “Before we go, can I have a minute alone with Melinda?”

They nod and excuse themselves. She glances around the room. It’s almost certainly wired. I pull out my phone and play some dance music at top volume. She leans in, her lips right next to my ear. “If I don’t make it out of this alive, there’s a safe deposit box with your name on it.”

Fear wraps its fist around my throat. We don’t have time to dig into the why of that. We should have compared notes weeks ago, but she swore an oath to work within the law.

Taking a deep breath, I squeeze her tight. “That won’t be necessary. Now go and be safe.”

A shudder racks through her body, and she gets up. She doesn’t walk all the way to the door, though. She stops, her eyes wide. “We’ll get coffee soon, right?”

“A full night of drinks, I promise.”

She gives me a bittersweet smile. “Do you ever think, if maybe we had made a different decision back then…”

Every single day. “You’re going to be okay, Caro. I’m going to get him.”

I’m still waitingin the boardroom when Jason returns—alone.

“She’s off?”

He nods.

I turn back to the bank of dark screens on the wall. “You’ve had a tech upgrade in the last five years.”

“Some things have changed, yeah.”

I ran my fingers under the table, looking for the button to turn the screens on. “And some things have stayed the same.” I frown at the dossier there. It’s my own. “Not funny, Jason.”

“We’re nothing if not thorough.” He walks past the screens and waves at my headshot. “Although we don’t have many details on our newest client’s closest friend…”

“What other dossiers have you pulled for her case?”

“That’s classified.” He sits next to me. Close enough for me to see that he’s got a full day of stubble on his jaw now. Close enough that when he turns his gaze on me, I feel the full weight of his piercing blue eyes. “What do you know that you might want to add to the investigation?”

“Nothing.” My reply is instantaneous and truthful. Iknowvery little. I have my instincts, and loose pieces that almost fit together, but nothing is sure right now.

“You know what I’m going to say. We can’t help clients who keep things from us.”

“I’m not your client,” I say softly.

“You’re her best friend.”

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