Page 71 of How to Play the Player

100%. We talk freely at lunch. When we’re not being listened to.

The discovery of the spyware has shifted everything—not just our investigation, but the landscape between us. I never thought I’d see the day we’d truly be on the same side again.

Though the wound that divided us is far from healing, at least we both understand how it was inflicted. And more importantly, more than likely, by who.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Thursday afternoon

Nathan

Igrip the steering wheel too tightly, the Dallas skyline a blur beyond the windshield. My mind refuses to settle after what we just discovered in Quinn’s office. Spyware. Hidden on her laptop for a damn year. Installed right before the NorthStar leak.

Everything I thought I knew has been turned more upside down than I could’ve ever imagined.

“What about that bar, the Brick?” Quinn says after a long silence. “Would it be quiet at this time of day?”

I nod. “It would. Good idea. And Ian will give us the space we need.”

I change lanes to head toward the bar. Neither of us speaks for the rest of the five-minute drive.

The weight of what I’ve done to her hits me all over again as we walk inside. For an entire year, I’ve shut her out. Blamed her. Said awful things to her.

Ian looks up from behind the bar, surprise crossing his face at seeing us together, but he doesn’t comment. Just nods toward a secluded booth in the back.

“I’ll send someone over,” he calls as we make our way through the near-empty room.

“At least we know no one’s listening here,” she says as we settle into the booth, her face a careful mask. “Bethany always said this place looked like a ‘crappy hole in the wall.’”

Another reason to hate this bitch. I’ll be even happier when she’s behind bars.

“Perfect.” A server approaches a few moments later. After ordering, the weight of the morning’s discovery hangs between us. Quinn finally breaks the silence.

“You’re right, we can’t confirm if Bethany is behind all of this unless we set a trap,” she says, all business. No accusations, no blame. Just forward motion. I can’t remember the last time it was like this, other than before I destroyed our life together over my ego and a false assumption.

I don’t think I even deserve her after everything I’ve done.

I might not. But the least I can do is try to right this terrible wrong. I find myself grateful for her focus. “Agreed. What we found would be admissible in court, but not enough to pin her down with charges.”

“We can’t wait on this, can we?” Quinn sounds like she’s asking this, yet her expression makes me think she already knows the answer.

I shake my head. “Right now, we have her thinking we’re on a wild-goose chase, trying to find the leak. That’s an advantage. But we can’t stay there for long.” I lean in closer, lowering my voice despite the empty tables around us. “We need to do this sooner rather than later. Tonight is probably most ideal. The sooner we stop her, the safer everyone will be.”

Quinn taps her fingers against the table. “I had a feeling you were going to say that. Okay, what’s your plan?”

“Hear me out, but I was thinking we could use you as bait.”

“Bait? How?”

“You two have beef, right?”

“Yeah…” She’s looking at me with uncertainty.

“And from what we’ve figured out, her attacks seem to be only at you. Is that correct?”

“As far as I know. What’s your point?”

“My point is, we give her an opportunity to get close to you again.”

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