Page 16 of No Reason to Trust

What the hell was wrong with her? She knew better than to get involved with a fellow agent -- even though she wasn’t an FBI agent any longer. But they were working together on this, and any personal connections could be disastrous. So as she unpacked her suitcase, she shoved Jake out of her head and thought only about what she was going to say to Diana tonight.

* * *

After several uncomfortable hours in Jake’s apartment, while they struggled to find topics of conversation that were neutral and unrelated to their cases, they left the apartment and climbed into Livvy’s car. After she entered Diana Redfield’s address into her navigation system, she glanced over at Jake as they pulled out of his parking lot. “You’re not going to kick up a fuss about me driving?” she asked

He swiveled to face her, frowning. “Why would I? It’s your rental car. I figure anyone who can handle a Harley can drive a Chevy.”

She glanced at him, then looked back at the road. “It doesn’t damage your masculinity to ride in a car driven by a woman?”

He looked at her with a puzzled expression, as if wondering what planet she was from. “Hell, no,” he said. “Your car, you drive. And it made perfect sense to take your car, since it’s a rental and unidentifiable as belonging to either of us.”

Wow. She hadn’t expected that from the ultra-masculine Jake Dunbar. “Apparently you have hidden depths,” she murmured. She kept her eyes on the road, although she looked into the rear-view mirror frequently.

Jake draped his arm over the back of his seat and swiveled to face her. “I think what you meant to say is that you’re shocked I’m not a sexist pig asshole.”

An unexpected laugh erupted from her throat. “Yeah, I guess that sums it up.”

“I’m the oldest of five kids. The rest of them are girls. I learned really early not to underestimate my sisters. Not to pretend l was right because I was the boy.” His mouth curled into a grin, and she liked that smile on Jake. The one that said he was proud of his sisters. “My sisters are all awesome, and I don’t say that because they’re my sisters. They’re brilliant, accomplished women.”

“Good to know that about you,” Livvy murmured. “I’ll look forward to meeting them some time.”

He shot another glance at her. “Unlikely,” he said. “They’re spread all over the country.”

“My loss,” she said with a shrug.

Jake glanced at his side-view mirror. She’d seen him doing that regularly. “Watching for a tail?” she asked.

“Yeah. Don’t see anything yet. No cars sticking close behind us. No one hanging back but keeping a couple cars between us. Once we turn off this main highway, it’ll be easier to spot a tail.”

Ten minutes later, he said, “We’re getting closer to Redfield’s house. I’ve been watching the map, and I think we should turn left soon. That’ll take us into her neighborhood, but it won’t immediately scream that we’re going to the Director’s house. And if anyone’s hanging back, it’ll force them into the open.”

“Good plan,” Livvy said, slowing down and signaling a turn.

She drove into a subdivision with largish houses on generous lots. The yards were well-maintained, the lawns mowed, and the plantings at the front of the houses both elegant and decorative.

Two blocks in, there were no cars behind them, so she made a right turn. She took a roundabout route to Redfield’s house, confident that they hadn’t been followed.

She parked around the corner from Redfield’s street, several houses down from the corner. When they slid out of the car, Livvy tucked her arm into Jake’s elbow, letting him hold the bottle of wine they’d picked up close to his apartment. Anyone watching would think they were a couple going to a dinner party.

Diana’s house was a white Colonial with black shutters. The plantings in the front yard were colorful flowers, but everything was low to the ground. So no one could hide behind bushes, Livvy realized. Smart. She’d bet the plantings in the backyard were the same -- low and open, leaving no hiding places.

Jake rang the doorbell, and moments later, Diana Redfield opened it. She was a tall, slender woman, probably in her late thirties or early forties, with short blond hair and green eyes.

“Welcome,” she said with a smile, as if they were actual friends coming over for dinner. “Come on in.”

They stepped into the house, which was decorated with what appeared to be antiques and furnished in a way that complemented the colonial exterior. Jake handed Redfield the bottle of wine. “In case someone was watching. To make it look like we were merely dinner guests.”

Redfield smiled. “Good thinking.” She waved them into the dining room, which had three place settings. “Pizza should arrive shortly. One veggie and one pepperoni. Have a seat while I open this bottle of wine.”

She disappeared into what looked like a kitchen, and Jake and Livvy took seats on one side of the table.

A few minutes later, Redfield returned with three wine glasses and the opened bottle of wine. She set the glasses in front of each place setting, then slid into a seat on the other side of the table.

“Before we say anything, you need to know that my house is swept daily. So you can be sure no one’s listening in to our conversation. Please speak freely.” She glanced from Livvy to Jake. “And please don’t sugarcoat anything. I want to know what you think is going on, and I don’t want you to hide any truths from me to protect me.” She slashed air quotes around the ‘protect me’.

Livvy glanced at Jake, and he gave her a short, tiny nod. As if saying, ‘Perfect’.

“Which of you wants to start?” Redfield said.

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