Carter strode up and held out a hand. “Kimberly, can I borrow your phone for a second?”
“Sure,” she said, holding it out.
Carter grabbed it and tapped away for a few seconds. “It’s on their homepage,” he said grimly. “Former CIA agent Carter Beck, who is the subject of an FBI manhunt…”
Alice jumped to her feet. “A manhunt now?” she said, speed-reading over Carter’s shoulder. “Police say the couple should both be treated as dangerous and should not be approached. Me, dangerous? Have they spoken to anyone who’s ever met me?”
Kimberly clapped, triumphantly. “‘The couple’! They’ve called you a couple!”
Carter swore. “They’re setting up an expectation that they can bring us in by force.”
“Force,” Alice said. “What kind of force?”
“Someone’s not planning to play this clean. On the other hand,” Carter added in a lighter tone, noting the expression on Alice’s face, “they also say your book isfast becoming this summer’s blockbuster!”
Malik grabbed Alice’s arm. “Alice, you gotta stay and sort this out. We’ll call this investigator. She seemed reasonable. Tell her you’ll come quietly.”
Kimberly pushed up to standing, using the arm of the sofa. “No, we won’t! Alice, go! You’re giving me something to live for, so to speak.”
“Kimberly, would you stop? This is not a joke. None of this is funny. Alice, don’t listen to her—it’s the drugs talking.”
“It is not!” Kimberly said. “Not all of it.”
Carter looked at Alice. “Time we got out of here,” he said, before turning to Malik. “Give us a few minutes before you call it in, okay?”
“You seriously want us to call the FBI?” Kimberly said.
“I don’t want you guys getting charged as accessories.”
“Carter can go,” Malik said. “I don’t want him anywhere near my family. But Alice, you need to stay.”
Alice held up her hands, placatingly. “Malik, I promise I’ll hand myself in, just as soon as we find out what’s on that flash drive.”
“And what if they shoot you on sight?”
“I won’t let that happen,” Carter said, quiet and sure.
“Oh right, because you’re some kind of bullet-repelling superhero. Look,” Malik added, relenting, “at least give me a number where I can reach you if … if I need to?”
“If I start dying for real, he means,” Kimberly said.
Malik stepped toward Carter. “I won’t tell the FBI, I swear. I just…”
Carter started tapping on Kimberly’s phone. “I’ll save it into the contacts under ‘Clive.’ There, okay?”
“Thanks,” Malik said, taking the phone. “You might want to get a move on. I’ve already called the FBI.”
Kimberly swayed. “You what?”
“I’m sorry, Kimmy,” Malik said, catching her. “I just… I’m trying to protect you, and Alice. But Alice, you need to stay.”
Kimberly patted Malik’s chest. “She absolutely does not.”
“You need to stop pretending that everything’s fine,” Malik said quietly.
“Everythingisfine. What I’m going through is a completely natural process. If anything, I like that the attention isn’t focused on me for a change.”
Alice cleared her throat. “Guys, please don’t argue over me. Not now.”
