Page 108 of Reveal

A few minutes pass before I feel like I can continue.

“You good?” Noah asks, and I do the only thing I can. I nod.

“As I asked before, what else do you have on the senator?”

I force myself to keep my voice steady in the two seconds I have to respond to his question before he knows I’m lying. “Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“I was bluffing him,” I reassert, and for some reason I stand my ground, uncertain why it is I feel the need to keep the call log I have a secret, but in that split second, I do. The only time I mentioned it as a log to Carter was when we were face-to-face in my driveway, not on my phone, so they couldn’t have heard what was going on. “He didn’t seem fazed by the photos, so I needed something else to hold over his head since the damage he could inflict on me was much greater.”

They both eye me, and I lift my eyebrows and stare back so they buy my lie.

You are lying to the FBI, Vaughn. You have something more on him. Are you out of your goddamn mind?

“Like ruin your life.”

My eyes snap over to Abel, his threat more than loud and clear.

“So if I was bait in a plan that you’re no longer going to implement . . . why am I here, then?”

Abel grins, but there is zero humor in it. “Plan B.”

“Plan B? What’s plan B?” I ask.

“Instead of waiting for him to come to you . . . we’re going to push the envelope, and you’re going to tell him you’re ready to sleep with him.”

I measure my reaction, but I’m more than certain they can see the disgust and rejection in my expression.

“And then what? There’s no way in hell I’m sleeping with him, let alone allowing him to touch me.” I push up out of my seat and start to move about the room. This is all way too real, way too raw, and I know that I’m in a shitload of trouble. “I’m not a prostitute.”

Abel lifts a single eyebrow, and I glare at him.

“No one is asking you to sleep with him,” Noah says.

“Just make sure you get what we need before that part of the program arrives.”

I whip my head over to Abel at his comment, and right now I hate him with every part of my being.

“What exactly is it that you want from him? Don’t you think that would be pertinent for me to know?” Tears of frustration well, and again Abel points for me to sit down. I hate that I have to obey, but I do.

“The senator is selling votes.”

And with those five words, I know that I won’t be able to walk away from this hotel suite unscathed. I know what they are looking into. I know who they are looking at. It’s not like they are going to dust their hands of me.

I take a deep breath. “Selling votes? Isn’t that normal in Washington?” I ask naively. “Lobbyists gift things to senators to persuade their votes?”

“This makes it so much easier that you’re educated on the topic,” Noah says and leans back in his chair. “But this goes a little bit further than that.”

“As in?” I push.

The two of them look at each other as if they are in silent agreement to proceed, and then Abel answers. “There was a large vote a few months back on a bill that dealt with stem cell treatment. It was expected to pass. A yes would push the bill through and allow the research and development of a certain technology by a company called Tecolote R&D.”

I’m more than aware that both men are watching my every reaction to see if there is any flicker of recognition on my part—there is none.

“And not passing the bill would tank the company, I presume? The stocks that were suddenly soaring would plummet? I feel like I’ve heard this story before,” I say sarcastically, wanting them to know I may run an escort service, but I’m far from ignorant of current events. “So what happened? Did the bill not pass? Did someone know this ahead of time and sell their shares on insider information and save themselves from losing their asses?” I look back and forth between the two of them. “Is that what this is all about? Did Carter participate in insider trading?”

“Told you she was smart,” Noah says to Abel, almost as if they have a bet going, before turning back to me. “We looked at that because it would fit the bill, but no, there was no insider trading.”