If I got in trouble for Paris—for Kittleton and Popper, for the others I'd quietly eliminated over the past year—so be it. I'd own it. I'd see how it played out.
A day with Amelia was worth it.
She stopped pacing and turned to face me. "Dominion Hall is behind some very shady dealings," she said. "Overseas money. Coercion. Possibly worse."
I couldn't tell if she was stating facts or fishing.
Probably both.
She smelled the story. She was poking at the edges, testing to see what would bleed.
"What do you know?" she asked.
I met her gaze, steady. "They sent a private plane for me. I met their representative this morning—guy named Charlie. Right before I saw you in the lobby. That's it."
"What's the job?"
I repeated what Charlie had said, word for word. "Utilizing your talents to the fullest."
Her eyes sharpened. She was fast—too fast.
"Why you?" she asked. "Why now?"
This time, I went with half the truth. "My current Army enlistment is almost up. Somehow, Dominion Hall knew."
"Is that normal?"
I shrugged. "Yeah. Guys in my line of work get reputations. Those reputations make it through certain grapevines."
She studied me, weighing my words, looking for the lie I wasn't telling.
Surprisingly, I wanted to tell her everything. About Paris. About Kittleton and Popper bleeding out on a shitty apartment floor. About the others I'd tracked down and eliminated over the past year, off the books, off the grid.
But I didn't. That would be suicide on so many levels. So, I did the next best thing.
"I'll help," I said. "In any way I can."
Her mouth twisted. "Like last time?"
Damn, this woman.
"No," I said firmly. "Not like last time."
I wanted to tell her why I'd done what I'd done. Why I'd cut her off, why I'd disappeared, why I'd let her think I'd betrayed her when the truth was so much more complicated.
But I couldn't.
Not now. Maybe not ever.
It was too close to home. Too raw. Too tangled up in classified operations and decisions I didn't get to make.
She seemed appeased, though. Or at least, less hostile.
I thought maybe she'd come back to bed. I even hinted at it—something about living for today, about not wasting the time we had.
She looked at me coolly. "That time has passed."
The words landed like a punch.
