She studied him, unable to hide her skepticism. “I just want to understand the terms of engagement here. Am I free to move about as I want?”
Monty nodded. “Yes. The safe house is something the DEA was pushing for as well, and as we said, I believe it makes sense, given everything that has happened. However, we reiterate our request that you stay in the greater DC area. You’ll be sent the details on the safe house and can move in tonight.”
Layla wanted to hold her tongue but couldn’t. “When you find out that I was right about this, I want a full exoneration statement placed in my file. Are we clear on that?”
Frank leaned against the table. “If you’re telling the truth, then that shouldn’t be an issue. If, however, the evidence shows otherwise, then the Agency intends to pursue all legal remedies at its disposal.”
She wanted to throttle him, but she fought to keep her cool. Sensing that she was about to blow, Hunter took her arm and guided her out of the room.
They didn’t say much until they had driven off Langley’s campus, but she was about to erupt. “Can you believe that?”
She turned toward him, but he kept his eyes on the road as he responded. “Someone wants you out of the Agency and is willing to go to great lengths to make that happen.”
“How does this tie in to the DEA angle? We need to think about timing. Could this case against me have been created and put in motion after we were outed during the DEA op?”
“I find it difficult to see how they could’ve pulled that off, unless whoever is responsible knew about your DEA activity before your team was actually attacked. For me, the even bigger question is why the Agency is handling it this way.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Think about it, Layla. If those investigators really thought you were cavorting with a well-known terrorist, don’t you think they would’ve locked you up somewhere?”
She rubbed her temples as her head pounded. “You’re wondering why they let me go? I know the answer. They’re watching me now. They want to see if they can catch me in the act. That whole bit about my security detail being released since I’m at a safe house? That was just them trying to make me think I have some freedom of movement, when really, I bet they’re going to be watching me closely.”
“That’s a good point. And I know we’ve been down this road before, but we have to revisit it. Do you think Bryce could have anything to do with this?”
“He seemed sincere when we met, but he’s also a trained liar.”
“How’re his tech skills?”
“Good. I doubt he personally would’ve been able to doctor the photos, but he knows people who could. He has extensive contacts.”
“I’m going to talk to him solo,” Hunter said.
“Do you really think that’s a good idea?”
“Yeah. I’ll get more answers without you there.”
She flopped back into her seat. “Whatever you want to do on that front is fine with me.”
“How’re you holding up?”
She sighed. “I’m all right, I guess. You didn’t actually think for a minute that I could’ve done those things, did you?”
He shook his head. “Of course not. I know you better than that. And even if you were trying to turn an asset, you wouldn’t have gone to his hotel room.”
“I could’ve changed a lot since we were together,” she suggested.
He glanced over at her. “You’re solid to the core, Layla. You can’t be shaken. Especially when it comes to your beliefs.”
If only he knew how much she had gone through since they’d been together. “Thank you for saying that, but there have been a lot of times when I’ve wondered how I was going to make it through. I’ve made some mistakes and gone through some really dark spots. The doubts have piled up.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You? Have doubts? No way. That’s not the Layla I remember.”
“I hurt so badly after what happened with us that I truly wondered if God was there. I asked why He’d chosen to abandon me. What had happened to us? We were both people of faith. I never understood, and now I see I was wrong about all of it.”
He sighed loudly. “The whole God-working-all-things-together-for-good thing doesn’t always pan out, does it?”
“Do you really believe that?” she asked softly.
“Honestly, Layla, I’m not sure what I believe anymore.”
She couldn’t help herself as she placed her hand on his forearm. “God hasn’t left you, Hunter. I promise.”
He shot her a glance. “Can you really make that promise?”
“With every ounce of myself, I believe that. God’s there even when we think we can’t feel Him or hear Him. Sometimes it may just be a whisper in the wind or a beautiful sunrise, and that’s all it takes to remind me that the Lord is so much bigger than us. Than this earth. Than our lives. He is everything and everywhere, while at the same time He cares about each of us.”
He looked over at her before focusing back on the road in front of him. “I do not doubt your conviction for a moment.”
“What do you doubt, then?” she asked.
“God’s ability to care about a man like me.”
“Hunter, you’re a good man,” she responded quickly.
He laughed. “You wouldn’t have said that a few weeks ago, would you?”
She sat silently for a minute. “Actually, I would have. I thought you did something awful and that it never made sense, but that’s different. If you had done it, then it would’ve been a bad mistake, to say the least, but that doesn’t change who you are—and that’s a good man.”
“Then, once again, Layla, you’re a better person than I’ll ever be. And maybe in that is where I find my answer.”
She shook her head. “No, Hunter. God’s grace doesn’t work like that. It’s not a game board where He’s keeping score.”
“I hope you’re right, because I’d be losing big-time right now.”
“We all would
