“And who is that?” Monty asked.
Layla wasn’t sure why they were playing dumb. “He’s the number two in Al-Nidal. Basically, he’s Abu Rihal’s deputy, and Rihal runs the organization from some unknown location in Syria.”
Frank leaned forward. “Do you know Assad?”
She tried not to get too impatient with this line of questioning, but she failed to understand what they were driving at. “No. I’ve studied him intensively, but I don’t know him personally.”
“So on the record today, you’ve never met?” Monty asked.
“No. Don’t you think if I’d met Assad, I would’ve immediately filed a report? That kind of thing isn’t exactly a run-of-the-mill occurrence.”
“We actually agree with you. Let me show you something else.” Frank nodded to Monty, who pulled out another photo.
As she looked at it, her stomach clenched. The photo appeared to be of her and Assad sitting at a coffee shop in Paris. A coffee shop she’d been to last year on her first field assignment. She remembered it very clearly, and she also remembered that she had never encountered Assad there.
“Does that refresh your recollection?” Frank asked.
“Don’t answer that,” Hunter said. “I need a moment to confer with my client.”
A sly smile spread across Frank’s lips. “By all means.”
Layla and Hunter stood and walked over to the corner of the room.
Hunter leaned down. “Talk to me, Layla,” he said in her ear.
She looked up at him. His face was so close to hers, but she didn’t want the IG men to hear their private conversation. “I’ve never met Assad, and I certainly didn’t have coffee with him.”
“Are you sure? Not even as an asset?” he whispered.
“No,” she shot back.
“Then someone has gone through a lot of trouble to make it look like you did. If I had to guess, there’s going to be more evidence tying you and him together.”
“This is crazy. What do you think I should do?” A million thoughts zapped through her brain, but she was having trouble formulating the best course of action.
“We could stop the interview now, but it might make more sense to keep going and see if they’ll show any more of their cards. You just keep telling the truth, and let’s try to get all we can out of them. It’s best to know what we’re up against.”
A wave of nausea threatened her. “This is bad.”
He took her hand and gave it a quick, reassuring squeeze. “We’ll get through it.”
His multiple references to we were the only thing keeping her steady at this point. She really did feel like Hunter was going to stand beside her no matter what happened. Given his act of sacrifice years ago, she had no doubts that he’d go to every length to protect her.
She took a deep breath and walked back over to the table. “I don’t know Assad.”
“But that is you in this picture, right?” Monty asked.
“It looks like me, yes, but I never had coffee with Assad. I was at that coffee shop by myself, conducting surveillance. It was my first field op, so I remember it very well.”
“Okay.” Monty pulled out another picture. This one appeared to be taken from outside of a hotel room window, and she could be seen through the glass, standing with Assad’s arms wrapped around her. She thought she might be ill.
Frank crossed his arms. “Ms. Karam, do you deny having a romantic relationship with Assad that started in Paris of last year?”
Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest. These allegations were almost too much for her to handle. Not only that she was knowingly working with a terrorist but also doing a lot more than that in a hotel room. “I unequivocally deny that.”
Monty leaned forward. “So you didn’t spend the night together in Paris?”
Now she was moving from frustration to outright anger. “Absolutely not. This is insane.”
“Maybe you thought you were working him? Turning him into an asset?” Frank asked. “That would be smart. Is that what happened here? Just tell us if it was. That would help us put together all of your actions. The Agency doesn’t frown upon using whatever it takes to bring in high-value assets. Just tell us what you did. Did you try to turn him?”
“I can’t tell you something that didn’t happen. I never met him, and I most certainly didn’t try to turn him through whatever tactics you’re insinuating.”
“Then how do you explain these pictures?” Frank asked.
She lifted up her hand. “Let’s back up a moment. Who took these photos?”
Frank frowned. “I’m not at liberty to provide information on how we acquired the pictures.”
“They must be fabricated,” she replied quickly.
“Our initial analysis tells us otherwise,” Monty said.
“With the advances in AI technology, these things can be faked, and it’s almost impossible to detect. Yes, it would take someone with access to high-end technology, but I believe this is a setup, and you guys are falling for it.”
“You know we will polygraph you,” Frank said.
“I welcome that.” She paused, thinking about how far she should go. “You two need to consider that if I’m telling the truth, someone went through a whole lot of trouble to frame me. Should I also remind you that I was a target in the restaurant bombing?”
Frank shook his head. “Our best and current intel doesn’t support you being a target. We have a homegrown terrorist taking complete responsibility.”
Isn’t that convenient?
“I think you gentlemen have gotten your questions answered.” Hunter rose from his seat.
Frank stood as well. “Yes, we have what we need for now.” He turned to her. “You’ll be contacted about coming in for that polygraph. And given the totality of the circumstances, we have decided that it is best for you to stay at a CIA safe house.”
She hadn’t been expecting that. “Will I still have the security detail?”
“We don’t think that’s necessary at an Agency safe house. Of course, we’ll keep close tabs on you, and if the situation changes, we’ll adjust
