Page 80 of Trust No One

Simon wouldn’t run from Caroline when she was in trouble. Gideon wouldn’t run from Alex, either. Dev had watched several of their agents fall in love. None of them had fought it, at least not for long.

So why was he being so stubborn about needing someone?

Because nothing good happened when you relied on a partner. He’d learned that the hard way from watching his parents.

But he’d relied on his teammates when he was a SEAL. When he was in the CIA’s SpecOps group, as well.

Yeah, he had. But that was all business. Risks versus rewards on ops. Go forward or hold back. Enter from the left or the right.

It wasn’t emotional stuff. Wasn’t aboutfeelings.

There was nothing touchy-feely about either the SEALs or the SpecOps group.

Huh. Maybe he needed different reactions in his personal life than he did in his professional one. Different coping strategies. He couldn’t treat Mel like he’d treated his SEAL and SpecOps teammates.

No wonder she’d locked him out of her life.

His arms loosened around Mel, and she eased away from him. Didn’t look at him, as if she figured he was regretting his moment of softness. Regretting the comfort he’d given her.

He wanted to snatch her back. Tell her he didn’t regret a thing. But he wasn’t about to lay himself bare in front of Gideon.

No, what he needed to say to Mel was something he’d do in private. When there was no possibility of interruptions.

Instead of thinking about Mel, he forced himself to focus on their job. Their reason for being in Washington. Drawing a deep breath, he looked from Gideon to Mel. Back to Gideon. “So what’s next? Do we meet Kingsley at the park? Or wait for him in the parking garage?”

Mel’s gaze swung to Gideon. “Parking garage,” he said immediately.

She nodded, and so did Dev.

“Good,” Dev said. “We’ve got a plan for dealing with Kingsley tomorrow. It’s not perfect, but it’s the best we can come up with. Gideon’s right. If Kingsley gets a whiff of someone on his heels, he’ll take off and next time we won’t see him coming. Don’t want to risk that. Don’t want to watch my back for the rest of my life.”

“Okay, then,” Mel said. “We’ll lay low tonight. Order some food from UberEats and stay in our rooms until we leave for the parking garage at the butt crack of dawn tomorrow.”

* * *

By 6:30 the following morning, they were parked on the lowest level of the parking garage across from Kingsley’s office. She had a cup of tea, and Dev and Gideon both had coffees. No one said much. They were all watching for a silver Toyota sedan, or possibly a white Oldsmobile, ready to duck onto the floor if either of those cars appeared.

“What if he has a different car?” Dev asked. “We won’t see him coming, so we’ll be on display as he drives into the garage.”

“Gideon, you switch with me,” Mel said. “Two men sitting in the front seat of a car? He’s not going to figure it’s us.” She pulled her knit hat over her head and stuffed her hair beneath the fabric. “I’ll get on the floor, and we should be good.”

She and Gideon switched seats, and they all settled into place again.

When the clock turned over to eight a.m., Mel got twitchy. “I figured he’d be here early today,” she said, leaning between the headrests into the front seat. “Where the hell is he?”

“I see a white car coming,” Dev said. “Get down.”

She slid to the floor, keeping her face down. She heard a car bump over the speed bump near the entrance, then the hum of the engine as it rolled past their car.

It turned onto the ramp to go up to the next level, and Dev said, “Holy shit. That arrogant ass is still driving Larrimore’s white Olds. I can’t believe someone hasn’t reported it missing.”

“Maybe he’s planning on leaving it at the parking area at the park,” Mel said. “That’s the kind of arrogant, in-your-face thing Kingsley would do.”

“Yeah.” Dev glanced in the mirror. “Everyone down. He’s walking down the ramp.”

They all slid onto the floor, and Mel listened to the echo of shoes on the concrete floor. She held her breath as the steps got closer, then faded away. When she couldn’t hear the footsteps any longer, she cautiously raised her head.

Kingsley was walking across the street toward his building, carrying a briefcase. It swung by his side, as if empty. He didn’t look back at the parking garage. Didn’t move more quickly. So far, so good. At least he wasn’t running for his office.

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