The one thing that gave her confidence was her faith. This wasn’t up to her. God was in control, and she had to keep reminding herself of that. As those thoughts fluttered through her head, she replayed the discussion she’d had with Hunter and wondered how he could have had such a faith blowout. Yes, she’d had her struggles, too, but it had never resulted in the complete breakage Hunter seemed to be going through. If there was anything she could do to help, she planned on doing it. Especially now that she knew the full truth, something she was still trying to wrap her head around.
When she heard the voices of the security detail talking to Hunter, she set her notepad on the coffee table and looked up as he walked into the living room.
“Hey, glad you’re back,” she said.
Hunter took a seat beside her on the sofa. “How’re you doing?”
“I’m fine.” She picked up the notebook and held it in front of him. “I’ve been making a list of everyone I could think of who might be a possible suspect for framing me and starting the IG investigation.”
Hunter took the notebook and ran his finger down the page. “Not a very long list, Layla. Are you sure this is everyone?”
She nodded. “Yeah, and it was difficult for me to come up with even these people.”
“Don’t beat yourself up over it. But keep an open mind. Especially about people you think might be your friends. Those are the ones you really have to worry about.”
“How did it go with Mason?”
“All right. There’s heat on Zane, but in my opinion that’s the wrong play here.”
Layla didn’t think there was any way Zane was guilty. “I agree.”
“The DEA isn’t convinced Keith Hammond was working with the cartel. There’s new chatter that the cartel took out one of the top CIA spies in Honduras.”
Layla’s worst fears were coming true. “I put a target on his back.” She paused, letting that thought sink in. “I hate to think that my phone call got him killed, but it seems like that’s precisely what happened.”
“I’m sorry for what happened, but you can’t take the blame. The cartel pulled the trigger. We have to find out who the real mole is and get them to flip and give us critical intel on Diego. That could be a game changer.”
Layla could only hope and pray that was possible. She didn’t know how long she could live like this. “If I’m being honest, it’s not just the cartel that’s bothering me, although obviously that’s a concern. This whole mess with the Agency has really torn me up. Feeling like I can’t trust anyone. Always looking over my shoulder. It’s exactly the reason I don’t want to be a field officer. I’m not cut out for such subterfuge. I love reading and analyzing and connecting the dots, but lying and presenting a false front and always being on the lookout for danger—that’s just not me.”
He took her hand. “You’re a fighter, Layla. Much stronger than most people I know. While you might never want to be a field agent, you’re more skilled than you want to believe. The Agency knows that. Think of all the testing you had to go through before they actually hired you. They know your strengths and weaknesses.”
“They know everything, but that’s what scares me. They know all of this, and yet they still keep pushing me down this other path. So what am I missing?”
“You underestimate yourself. While you might not want to do these things, you have the capacity to, and that’s all the CIA cares about.”
“That’s why I’m worried that they’re going to use this investigation to get the result they want. And the last thing I want to do right now is go back in the field. I feel like everything in my life right now is a field op. Just look at this.” She lifted her hands, gesturing around them. “I’m in a safe house with a full-time security detail. I can’t even go back to my own condo. We’ve been threatened in so many ways, and I don’t see an end in sight. The only way to stop the threat to my life is a takedown of the cartel once and for all. And that’s much easier said than done.”
“Yeah, it’s a tough order, but the good thing is that the entire DEA has a vested interest in bringing down the cartel. I can tell you from my conversations with Mason that it’s all hands on deck over there. This isn’t just about your team. I believe that when it’s all said and done, they’re going to be able to take down Diego. Once he’s gone, the threat against the team’s life is gone.”
“Now who’s the optimist? But you do have a point. I wish there was more I could do to help, but this isn’t my specialty area.”
“Well, thankfully it doesn’t have to be, because the whole DEA is on top of it. What about Scarlett? Could she help us with your internal investigation?”
“She has a lot of connections, but unfortunately her hands are tied on the IG stuff. That’s completely internal at the Agency, and the IG’s office is walled off from everything else. Scarlett thinks I’m far too naïve and that I could make a good case officer if I just got over myself. She’s much more hard-nosed than I’ll ever be, but she’s good for me. She balances me out.” Layla paused for a second. “Kinda like you do.” As the words came out of her
