Page 8 of Dichotomy

“SDS has safe houses everywhere,” Alexander said, his tone bored as if he found this line of questioning annoying. “We stayed in one and ran SDS operations from there until Citadel could be dealt with.”

“We’re going to need the address of that safe house,” Agent Holden said, his eyes gleaming.

“No,” Alexander said flatly. “We need to protect operational security, and that includes not compromising the addresses of our safe houses.” It was precisely the answer we had talked about giving, but Agent Holden didn’t seem to be deterred.

“We’re the feds,” Agent Holden said. “We can protect the address.”

“He said no, and legally, we aren’t required to disclose that without a warrant,” Julie broke in, her tone firm. She had told us before the meeting that she wasn’t going to speak unless it was something that she didn’t think we needed to answer. She agreed she needed to be there but also agreed that if she controlled the meeting, it would look like we had something to hide.

Dominic lifted his hand when Agent Holden went to argue. “That’s fine. We don’t need it. Just one last question.” He turned to me, kicking his smile up a notch. If I were a lesser woman, I would be sighing, but I knew better. Still, I visibly relaxed, giving him the reaction he wanted.

“Have you heard of an organization called the Archers?”

I kept my muscles relaxed. I could deny it, but that wasn’t very realistic with SDS being in the security business. The best bet was the truth. “I have heard of them.” I nodded.

“Does SDS work with them?”

“Are you asking if SDS works with a vigilante organization?” Marcus scoffed. “Everything SDS is involved in is above board.” Even though I knew he was acting, a spike of pain shot through my chest at his dismissive words.

Dominic regarded Marcus for a moment, then nodded. “Okay. Thank you all for your time.”

He stood, and everyone else followed suit. “If you think of anything else, please don’t hesitate to contact me.” He held out a business card to me, and our fingers brushed as I took it from him.

“I will,” I promised. I had no intention of keeping that promise, but he didn’t need to know that. His warm brown eyes assessed me for a moment longer, then he nodded.

“Why are the feds involved anyway?” Sebastian asked conversationally as he walked them out. “Isn’t this a local police case?”

“It’s a big case with a lot of players,” Dominic said as they followed him out. “We’re here to make sure the right people get put away.” He glanced back at me, and my stomach dropped. It seemed like he knew something was up. I didn’t get the same bad vibes from Dominic as I got from Agent Holden, but Agent Dominic Hayes was no slouch. And I didn’t think he was going to let it go once he was suspicious. He may be more trouble for us than Agent Holden’s shitty attitude.

CHAPTER 5

EVELYN

Isighed, leaning back in my chair. My brain was still spinning from the meeting with the FIA agents earlier, and the pounding in my head had only gotten worse. I rubbed my temples, trying to will the pain away, but no luck. I leaned forward, finishing a report for Izzy and Grace. Sebastian had worked with Liam to set up the Archers secure messaging app on my computer, so I could more easily communicate with my team while I was at work. No more ducking into hallways or bathrooms when I needed to check in with my team. It was strange to be doing this type of work at my desk out in the open, but I was grateful to Sebastian for setting it up.

I hit send, sighing as I rubbed my temples. Izzy and Grace were probably right. I needed to limit my involvement in the Archers while the feds were in town. Or at least my physical involvement in the missions. Agent Dominic Hayes seemed like the type to leave no stone unturned, or at least that was my read on his past case files that Liam had found. I was likely going to be under some kind of surveillance, and I couldn’t afford to draw any more attention to the Archers. Especially not while we were still trying to clean up the Citadel mess and figure out all this Kingfisher business.

I glanced down at my watch. Fuck, how was it 5 p.m. already? The day had been nonstop, but there was still a mountain of work sitting on the corner of my desk. That was probably going to be the theme of the week.

Marcus walked up. He looked nervous, rubbing the back of his neck, and I frowned. Had something else happened already?

“What is it? What’s wrong?” I asked him.

He hesitated for a moment. “The feds aren’t going to let this go. They’re going to place you under some sort of surveillance.”

I nodded, shrugging. “I figured as much. I’ll pull back from the Archers.”

He nodded. “That’s the right move. But I was actually thinking about the manor. If you don’t want them figuring out where the manor house is, you can’t stay there anymore.”

I sat back in my chair heavily. To be honest, I hadn’t even thought about that. The last several weeks with the guys staying there, I had stopped thinking of it as a safehouse and more like a home. Which I had always intended it to be but had never gotten around to it.

“Fuck, you’re right.” I groaned, rubbing my temples. “I’ll call Danny and see if he can bring my stuff to my apartment.”

Marcus’s lips tightened. I knew he hated my apartment and the area of the city it was in, but it was safe enough for now. Finally, he nodded. “I’ll drive you home. Want to leave in an hour?”

“Sure,” I said, looking at the pile of paperwork on my desk. I would like more than an hour, but maybe I could sort through the stack and make a plan of action for tomorrow.

He smiled, the expression making him infinitely more attractive. Not that the dark, broody look he usually had going for him didn’t make him attractive, but his smile was equally devastating. “Okay. See you in an hour.” He walked away on his phone, fingers flying across the screen.