“What is it?” He hoped it wasn’t something he had done. He felt like he was walking on eggshells because he didn’t want to upset her. If only she knew just how tangled their past really was, but he’d vowed he wouldn’t go there. Nothing good could come from revisiting the past. He’d made a decision, and he had to live with it every single day.
“I realized something tonight that could add another dimension to my problem,” she finally said.
As if things weren’t already complicated enough. “All right. I’m listening.”
“There was a situation at the Agency last year. I reported some inappropriate behavior by one of my colleagues. He was pocketing cash from an asset and misreporting. I went to the IG about his conduct. He got fired. It’s possible he’s the one who got me investigated.”
“But if he’s on the outside, how did he make that happen?”
“He still has a lot of friends there who wouldn’t think twice about helping him out. Even if it meant planting evidence or even just innuendo about me to stir up trouble.”
Hunter jotted down some notes. “I need a name.”
“Bryce Wixom.”
“I’ll check him out.”
She looked down at her coffee and didn’t make eye contact with him.
“There’s more to this story, isn’t there?”
“Isn’t there always?” she asked.
“Best to just put it all on the table.”
“Bryce and I were close friends. He took my reporting him as a stinging betrayal, but I never thought he’d actually do anything to hurt me or mess with my career. Maybe I was wrong.”
This was starting to make more sense. “When you say close, how close exactly?”
“We were friends. Bryce definitely wanted more, but I tried to keep the lines clear. He could be persistent, to say the least.”
Hunter hated this guy already. “So you ratted out this guy who had feelings for you. Sounds like perfect motive to me.”
“I don’t like the ratted out characterization. I was doing what was right. Following protocol. He was the one breaking the rules, and I had a responsibility to report him even if he was my friend.”
It was always like Layla to take the high ground and do the right thing. It was one of the many things he admired about her. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have said it like that, but in Bryce’s mind, I’m sure that’s how he saw it, and we’re looking at this from his point of view right now to determine the risks.”
She hung her head. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t bite your head off when you’re just trying to help. I’m really on edge right now.”
His heart hurt as he watched her try to process everything. “It’s going to be okay. Do you have any idea what Bryce is doing now?”
“No. He cut off all communication with me, and I didn’t take the time to seek him out. He made his position clear, and we couldn’t see eye to eye.”
Hunter started typing on his laptop, and within a few seconds he had a hit on Bryce. “Looks like he’s gone private sector, working at a DC consulting firm.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. Bryce was well connected politically and comes from an influential family inside the Beltway.” She leaned back in her chair. “I’m just wondering why he would spend the time and energy to concoct claims against me to cause an IG investigation.”
“It’s possible he didn’t, but I’d feel a lot better if we could say one way or the other. We should pay him a visit in the morning.”
Layla’s dark eyes widened. “We? Are you serious?”
“Yeah, it will be better if we’re both there. You know him, and I don’t. It will help with being able to read his reactions. I also made some progress on the background checks of your DEA support team while you were out.”
“And?”
“So far everyone is turning up clean.”
“I’m not surprised.”
“You always did see the good in people.”
“You say that as if it’s a bad thing.”
He shook his head. “No. It’s a good quality, but sometimes it can get you killed.”
Layla muttered something under her breath.
“I’m not trying to push your buttons,” he said. “I’m really not.”
“You always knew how.”
“Really? Is that how you remember our relationship?”
“No. What I remember is you cheating on me and breaking my heart.”
Talk about the truth hurting. “I can’t go back and change the past.”
She lifted her hand. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. There’s zero reason to dredge up the past. We’re both professionals and have jobs to do.”
“You have every right to be upset. If we need to get everything out on the table, you just tell me.”
Her dark eyes held so much pain, and it hurt him to think that he was the cause of it. He’d made decisions that had forever changed both of their lives. At the time, he’d acted based on his emotions. But now, years later, he wondered if he had made a terrible mistake.
“No,” she said. “There’s no point. We’ve both moved on.”
“If you change your mind, let me know.” He had a sinking feeling this conversation was far from being over.
CHAPTER
SEVEN
The next morning, Layla found out Hunter’s style was to waste no time as they walked up to the swanky DC consulting firm.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” she asked.
“Better a sneak attack.”
“But we might not even get past his assistant.”
“Yes, we will.”
“Do you know something I don’t?” she asked.
“Just watch and follow my lead.”
She held back a laugh. Hunter had always been a leader. They’d butted heads over that before, like a million other things. But last night when they’d been talking, so many memories—good and bad—had washed over her.
Hunter knew her, the real her, more than any other man ever had. Since dating him, she’d only let one other person in, and it hadn’t ended well. But she didn’t want to think about that right now.
She still couldn’t fathom what had caused Hunter to cheat on her. He was a
