Page 53 of Filthy Liar

555-451-1765: You aren’t playing my game. So I’m changing the rules.

19

Melinda

The text messagehas photos attached to it. A lot of them. They’re scans of pages from a file that I recognize, and at the top is a name. My name, my real name, with not very much redacted on each page.

Jason and I both get out of the car at the same time, squaring off. He still has my Glock and I have my Sig. How the fuck did it get to this?

He glares at me. Before he can say anything, Wilson bursts through the door from the stairwell, running toward us at full speed.

“She’s CIA,” Wilson spits.

“Settle down,” I say as calmly as I can muster. “You didn’t need to rush down here. You’re being played. Obviously.”

Wilson doesn’t take his eyes off me, but his tone shifts as he addresses Jason. “You can’t trust her.”

“I don’t,” Jason says evenly, and something in my chest shifts.

Back to feeling hollow, I guess. I swallow hard. It’s fine. I lift my voice to a definitely-not-affected-by-that note. “That makes two of us.”

He laughs humorlessly. “Now is not the time, Melinda.”

“So we’re back to given names again?”

“I don’t know.” He circles around so he’s standing beside Wilson, and that hollow feeling gapes wider. In his hand is a weapon I just gave him, like a fucking fool. “Tell me who you are.”

“Youknowwho I am. I’m a journalist. I write as Melinda Gray. That’s not a lie.”

Wilson’s lips are so tense, they’re white. “You aren’t from Chicago.”

I hesitate.

Jason swears under his breath.

“No,” I whisper. “I’m not.”

“Where are you from?”

“What on earth does it matter?”

“Why are you back in D.C.?”

“I’ve already told you.” I glance at the Glock. “Can you put that away?”

“Or what?”

I give them a level look. “If you think I’m CIA, you can answer that one for yourselves. Do you really want this to end in a shootout beneath your offices?”

Jason swears again.

Slow footsteps approach.

“She’s armed,” Jason calls out.

Cole grunts. “So are we.”

I pivot just enough to include him in my arc. “Oh great, now it’s a party. I mean, we can do this, but we’re doing it without the threat of someone losing an eye. Got it?” I glare at Cole first, betting that Jason is the less likely to shoot me.Sure hope so. “Gun down.”

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