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“I can understand you feeling that way now, but you never know what might change in the future.”
Natalie laughed, a short, unpleasant sound. “Commander Brighton called me and offered me a deal. They report me dead from a gunshot wound, and I get into witness protection—a fresh start, with a new identity in a new place. Sounds perfect, right?”
It did sound pretty good. Hayley might be tempted by that kind of offer, especially now that her job at the FBI was essentially over. Except it would mean leaving Scotty, and she wasn’t ready to give him up. From Natalie’s melancholy expression, though, leaving her current life behind wasn’t something she embraced wholeheartedly either. “Why are you sad?” she asked. “This could be your way out of whatever you’re tangled up in.”
“Yeah, but it’s a start without Nick.” Natalie blinked away tears and stared at the ceiling. “Not that I have the option of having a startwithNick, of course. Whether I stay or go, my life with him is over. I should be thankful for the chance to begin again, I suppose. But it’s so hard, you know?”
“Yeah.”
Natalie sniffed. “All Brighton asked for in exchange is the letter Nick gave me right before he died.”
“A letter?” Hayley’s instincts went on high alert. Once an agent, always an agent. “What kind of letter?”
“A note Nick gave me, about a week before he left on his final mission. It didn’t say anything important, not that I could see. There must be something valuable in it, though. Otherwise, why would all these people be after it?”
“Good question. Do you have it with you?”
“No. I’m not a fool.” Natalie gave her a disgusted look. “And I’m not giving it to the Navy, either. Just like I didn’t give them those files. The letterandthe files are hidden.”
Hayley’s ears perked up at the mention of the files. “So you’re turning down the deal, then?”
“No. Nick was a romantic guy. He wrote me all sorts of letters.” She gave Hayley a little grin. “I’ll slip them one of those, instead, while I keep my prize under lock and key.”
“Won’t they know the difference?”
“Yes, but not until I’m long gone.” Natalie winked. “I like you, Agent Stevens. You remind me a lot of myself.”
“I do?”
“Yep. Smart, snarky, good in a crisis. Not to mention that you’ve fallen for a sexy SEAL.”
Hayley sighed, trying to suppress her smile and failing miserably. “We do have a lot in common, huh.”
“More than you know.”
“Say, I’ve been meaning to ask you. Who did you train with? From what I saw at the row house, you’ve got some serious skills.”
“No one local. And that was a long time ago. I’m strictly on my own these days.”
A knock sounded, interrupting their conversation, and Assistant Director Michael Carson, head of the FBI Cyber Division and Michelle’s supervisor, peeked his head around the door. “Hello, Agent Stevens. I was told you were here. I wondered if I might have a moment of your time.”
Eyes wide, Hayley swallowed hard and forced a smile. “Yes, sir. Of course. Give me just a moment.”
He nodded and left, the door creaking shut behind him.
This was Hayley’s last chance to get answers, so she turned back to the woman on the bed and let them fly. “Natalie, is there anything you can tell me about Michael Becks? About the files you were hiding in that e-reader? Anything that might help Nick’s team clear their names and find out the truth about what happened to him?”
“I—I wish I could, but I can’t.” What little color had stained the woman’s cheeks drained away, and her eyes darted about the room, wild and scared. “Please don’t ask me to say anything. I wasn’t kidding before. These people are animals. They’ll kill me without a second thought.” Tears welled in her cheeks. “They killed my Nick. I wish they would’ve killed me too.”
“Don’t say that.” Hayley took Natalie’s trembling hand in hers and sighed as the monitors around her beeped urgently. Before long, the medical techs and nurses would be in here to find out what was upsetting their patient. “Calm down. I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do. But eventually, you’ll have to tell someone. You know that, right?”
“I know.” Natalie sniffled. “Just not today, okay? Let me get somewhere new, somewhere safe first.”
“Okay.”
A nurse knocked on the door and came in to check Natalie’s vital signs.
“Well, I guess I better go.” Hayley let go of Natalie’s hand after giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Good luck in your new life.”
