“So this is what? A test of him now?” Kaden asked. “Or of me?”
“Perhaps of both of you.”
Kaden let out a breath through his nose. “And if I say no? It’s illegal. I’d never be able to work as a journalist again. I might be fined. Might even go to prison.”
“You’re free to refuse. I can’t force you to do it.”
“What about Joe?”
Alistair’s eyes sharpened slightly. “What about him?”
“If I agree… Does it involve him?”
“It doesn’t have to, assuming I could be sure you’d not tell him what I’d asked you to do. But you would tell him. In view of that, we might as well make use of him. We could supply him with a camera and he could be your photographer.” Alistair paused as if he was thinking about that. “It might give you more opportunity to place the device if you had the distraction of a photographer with you.”
Kaden’s head was spinning. “One minute you don’t trust Joe, the next you want him to commit a crime with me.”
“How would he feel about that?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Which proves my point. What do you really know about him?”
More than I could ever tell you.Kaden was even surer of that now. Opening his mouth to Alistair would result in Joe being taken away and Kaden would never see him again. Maybe Kaden would be locked up too. He looked down at Elsie, scratched behind her ear and she whined with pleasure. His mind raced, trying to piece everything together, to consider the risk.What happens if we’re caught?
“Who’s the target?”
“Before that, I want to know what you’re not telling me about Joe. And you sign the OSA.”
Alistair studied him for a long moment. Kaden had thought Alistair was so open and now he had no idea what he was thinking.
“And if I say I don’t want to do it?”
“Then nothing happens,” Alistair said. “You stay here as long as you need. You continue writing. Life goes on.”
Kaden blinked. “That’s it?” His pulse thudded in his ears.
“No, not quite. If you refuse,” Alistair continued, his voice calm, “I learn something about you. About your limits. About where your loyalties lie. I wouldn’t ask if this wasn’t important. Joe’s asylum request will find itself fast-tracked if you say yes.”
Really?
“If you say no, then Joe might find himself under further scrutiny and his departure might happen sooner rather than later. I’m not happy about the fact that we can’t verify his story. The only good thing about that is the target won’t be able to either.”
Kaden exhaled. “Now you’re blackmailing me into doing it? I liked you!”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
Fucking hell. And you’re not fucking sorry!
“The newspaper will make the approach,” Alistair said. “It adds legitimacy. You gain access to his office or home and place the device somewhere inconspicuous. It’s small and sticky. We can tell you the sort of spot to put it. There’ll be no connection between you and it. You walk away, write your piece and it appears in the paper. You’ll be clean.”
The word felt anything but. “And if I’m caught?”
“Denial. Claim someone else must have done it.”
“If I was seen doing it?”
“Don’t get caught.”
