“I would never hold that against you, and I promise I didn’t give Mason any indication that you were weak—just the opposite. You’re strong, Cass, and a great agent.”
She sighed. “Okay. I’ll do it, but only because I don’t want a mandatory order in my files.”
He smiled. “Good. Let’s get out of here and call it a night.”
Layla looked at Hunter as they walked toward the door of the trendy Georgetown hotspot. “Nick will be hanging out at the bar. Please keep your distance. I need to do this alone. If he thinks I’ve brought someone with me, it will be a completely different conversation, and I’m not sure I’m going to get a second shot at this.”
“Absolutely. But if there’s any problem, I’ll be there in a second.”
“There won’t be. I can handle Nick.” Or at least that was the message she wanted to convey to Hunter. She didn’t want him to think Nick was in control.
“If he’s not here, we can wait and see if he shows.”
She looked down at her watch. “Let’s hope he hasn’t changed his routine too much. Let me go in first. Give me a minute before you follow.”
“Roger that.” He looked around, surveying their surroundings.
Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and walked into the restaurant. This Georgetown hangout was known for its power-player lunches and after-work happy hours with the movers and shakers in town. Nick always got the best tables for dinner, and he basically had his own seat at the bar.
When she’d dated Nick, they’d come here often. She still hated a lot of the decisions she’d made where he was concerned, but she’d tried her best to give those regrets to God and move forward.
When she spotted him at the corner of the bar in his usual seat, a wave of memories started to overtake her—some good and some bad. But right now she was on a mission. There was no time for regrets and recriminations.
As Nick’s eyes met hers, they widened.
“Anyone sitting here?” she asked.
He motioned for her to sit down.
“Thanks.”
“You tracked me down outside of work, so something must be on your mind. Wanna have a drink?”
The bartender stood in front of her. “Club soda with lime, please.” She turned her attention back to Nick.
“I’m guessing this isn’t a social visit.” He lifted his glass to his lips.
“It’s not.” She moved in closer to keep her voice down. “Are you read into the IG’s investigation of me?”
He arched an eyebrow. “You realize it’s probably inappropriate for us to even be having this conversation.”
“Now you’re going to worry about what’s appropriate or not?” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself.
He set down his drink. “Fair enough. Yes, I actually just got briefed today.”
“It’s all lies, and I need your help.” The words gushed out quicker than she had intended.
Nick sighed. “I know things didn’t end great between us. I was a big jerk, but I care about you, Layla.”
“You wouldn’t have done this to me.” She truly felt that in her gut and had decided to take this approach and see how he responded instead of accusing him outright.
“Never. I’m not the enemy here. I want to see you succeed.” He touched her arm gently before moving back. “And I think you know that, or you wouldn’t have come to me.”
“Actually, Bryce suggested you might be behind the whole thing.”
Nick rolled his eyes. “We both know that’s crazy. You fully understand what my job is like and what my aspirations are. I opened up more to you than I have to anyone. I couldn’t handle a scandal like that. Can you imagine? ‘Top-ranking CIA official sets up his ex’? Talk about a career killer.”
She knew Nick wanted to be the CIA director one day.
He looked directly into her eyes. “Have I ever lied to you?”
She thought carefully. “No. Actually, you haven’t.” He’d said a lot of things to her—some not very nice during the breakup—but he had always been open with her.
“In our line of work, there are a lot of lies and deceptions, but I’ve always been honest with you.”
She had to ask him something else. “Were you the one behind the plan to get me into the field? Riley going to Hunter back during my recruitment—was that all you?”
He shook his head. “No. That was all Riley. He was instantly fascinated with you and your background and was going to stop at nothing to make sure you got into the Agency and ultimately into the field. I agreed with his assessment and was on board with everything, but he was the driving force.”
She wasn’t sure if that made her feel better or worse.
“Did Hunter tell you?” Nick asked.
“Yes, but only recently. I believed a lie for all those years. And you knew it too and didn’t say anything to me about it when I confided in you.” That stung. It really did.
“It wasn’t my place. Riley had sworn me to secrecy years ago, and I keep my word. But Riley isn’t your enemy either. If you’re looking that way, you’re barking up the wrong tree. Riley would put it on the line for you, and if he wasn’t out of the country right now on assignment, he’d probably be in the IG’s office, trying to help you even though he shouldn’t be.”
She decided to take another path. “Then, who do you think my enemy could be?”
He inched closer to her. “Have you considered that someone on the outside is pulling the strings here, maybe using internal contacts to make it happen but driving the process externally?”
She had considered that. “It’s an option on the table. I’m sure they briefed you on those crazy pictures of me. You know I would never do that.”
Nick nodded. “I do. But, Layla, given my position, I’m not supposed to interfere with an independent IG investigation.”
“Even if you know they’re wrong? Even if you risk losing
