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But what's been haunting me is the memory of emerald eyes blazing with betrayal—yet softened by vulnerability. And the conviction in Alessa's voice as she insisted someone in the Bureau set her up. Her icy composure cracking just enough to reveal hints of the passions roiling beneath that elegant exterior.
And she's right. I can't picture Alessa de Luca, nor any of her well-trained Ruby Realm staff, leaving a brick of coke and a bag full of bills just lying around to be found. Not when they cleared out the entire casino in less than a night.
Kidnapping me was a rare misstep, born out of her humiliation, I assume. But she didn't kill me.
She wanted to—I could see it. I could see the fury in her, directed solely at me.
But she didn't kill me.
"Earth to Natalie?"
Evelyn Chang's voice snaps me back to the present. I lift my gaze from the inky depths of my coffee to meet her knowing look as she slides into the booth opposite me. We're having lunch, on my request, and I'm hoping to ask her a few questions about the investigation—since I have no official access to information anymore, not until I come off my period of paid leave.
"You were really somewhere else," she remarks. "How are you doing? We miss you."
We? She does, maybe. Bell is still mad at me, and I'm dodging Kris Hays and Sam Wright still. I offer an apologetic smile. "I'm okay. Just...processing everything. It's been a long couple of weeks."
The understatement of the year. And somewhere in this tangled mess, I've lost my grip on what's real and what's illusion. Nothing is as black and white as it seemed before Alessa de Luca exploded into my life.
Evelyn studies me, her perceptive gaze seeing far more than I want to reveal. She's always had that knack for reading between the lines. It's part of what makes her one of the Bureau's top technical analysts.
Finally she asks gently, "Have you thought more about protective custody? I know Wright is worried about you."
I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Maybe Wright means well, but his recent behavior has set my teeth on edge. I give my standard, crisp reply. "I don't need a babysitter."
Evelyn shakes her head in surrender, a wry smile playing about her lips. "Hey, just looking out for you. We all want you safe while this...situation with Alessa de Luca shakes out."
My fingers tighten reflexively around the coffee mug at the mention of Alessa's name. Just hearing it ignites a riot of turbulent emotions I'm nowhere near ready to confront. Evelyn's dark eyes are still fixed on me, and I struggle not to squirm under her scrutiny.
"I know you're worried, but I'll be fine." I try to infuse confidence into my voice. "I can take care of myself. I'm FBI, after all."
Evelyn sighs, picking up the diner menu. "I believe you. But it doesn't hurt to be careful. This could get…tricky."
I freeze with my coffee halfway to my lips. This is my opportunity. "What do you mean?" I ask, trying not to sound too eager.
She shakes her head. "Forget it. I shouldn't have—"
"Evelyn." Setting down my mug, I choose my words with care. "I admit, I've had some concerns myself. About the way the operation was conducted. About the charges, given that the illegal gambling can't be proven." I study Evelyn closely. "I've had some concerns about the evidence."
"How do you—"
"Wright told me," I lie baldly. "A kilo of coke and a few hundred k in a bag. That's all they had? Doesn't seem to me like there's enough for a conviction."
Evelyn lifts one shoulder in a graceful shrug, but her body language betrays her unease. "I can't say for certain. But something feels off. We both know how these operations can get messy."
Messy. That's a way of putting it. I finish my coffee to buy time gathering my turbulent thoughts, and Evelyn orders her lunch. Am I allowing my conflicted feelings for Alessa to breed doubts about the legitimacy of the case? Or is there true misconduct—corruption—lurking beneath the surface?
I need to find out the truth. I owe it to myself, and my oath as an agent, to be certain we have solid evidence before I aid in destroying a woman's life.
No matter how I might feel about that woman.
"Lay it out for me, will you?" I ask, as Evelyn takes a breath in her story about what she did on the weekend. "The case against Alessa de Luca."
Evelyn gives me a torn look. "Nat, I'm not going to do that. Certainly not here, in the middle of a diner."
I go on, determined. "I'm worried, Evelyn. I'm hearing rumors. Rumors that the judge will throw it out, that she'll walk. In that case…" I sigh, try to look scared. "In that case, I reallymightneed protective custody."
Evelyn drops her head. "Nat, come on. Don't guilt me like that."
