Backlash

by Rachel Dylan

“I don’t like this,” Viv said. “You need greater protection.”

  “My boss isn’t budging.”

  Bailey twisted back her hair. “I’m going to make some discreet inquiries with my FBI contacts and see if they’ve heard any further details about any cartel retaliation.”

  Layla’s heart sped up. “Please be careful. I don’t want your actions to cause you any harm.”

  Bailey held up a hand. “This coming from the woman who sacrificed everything to help me just months ago. Let me see what I can find out.”

  “Also, play this out for a moment.” Viv leaned forward. “What if your boss is right and the bombing goes out of the equation? You’ve still felt like someone has been watching you. You can’t dismiss that feeling. Going with your gut is the best option.”

  “Yeah, I’d thought about that, too, but I didn’t tell my boss about it, because after he told me I was being put on leave, my antenna went up. He claims it’s not his call, but who knows.”

  “What does Scarlett think?” Viv said.

  “That I need to be worried and aggressively defend myself in any Agency probe.”

  Bailey nodded. “Scarlett’s right. Internal investigations can be career killers. You need to think about anyone on the inside who would want you to take a fall. What dirt do you have on them? Maybe you don’t even realize you have it, but you might know something that could jeopardize them and they decided to take preemptive action to try to sully your reputation.”

  Layla groaned as Bailey’s words set off a trigger in her mind. Maybe she had been naïve. Because that was something she hadn’t thought of yet.

  “Why the groan?” Bailey asked.

  “My actions got a colleague fired over a year ago. What if this is some type of revenge move on his part?”

  “I’d say that’s a perfect thing for a PI to look into.”

  And Layla knew her friend was right.

  Hunter sat at his kitchen table across from Layla. They had a lot to tackle, but from the frown on her lips, he figured she had something to get off of her chest.

  “What is it?” He hoped it wasn’t something he had done. He felt like he was walking on eggshells because he didn’t want to upset her. If only she knew just how tangled their past really was, but he’d vowed he wouldn’t go there. Nothing good could come from revisiting the past. He’d made a decision, and he had to live with it every single day.

  “I realized something tonight that could add another dimension to my problem,” she finally said.

  As if things weren’t already complicated enough. “All right. I’m listening.”

  “There was a situation at the Agency last year. I reported some inappropriate behavior by one of my colleagues. He was pocketing cash from an asset and misreporting. I went to the IG about his conduct. He got fired. It’s possible he’s the one who got me investigated.”

  “But if he’s on the outside, how did he make that happen?”

  “He still has a lot of friends there who wouldn’t think twice about helping him out. Even if it meant planting evidence or even just innuendo about me to stir up trouble.”

  Hunter jotted down some notes. “I need a name.”

  “Bryce Wixom.”

  “I’ll check him out.”

  She looked down at her coffee and didn’t make eye contact with him.

  “There’s more to this story, isn’t there?”

  “Isn’t there always?” she asked.

  “Best to just put it all on the table.”

  “Bryce and I were close friends. He took my reporting him as a stinging betrayal, but I never thought he’d actually do anything to hurt me or mess with my career. Maybe I was wrong.”

  This was starting to make more sense. “When you say close, how close exactly?”

  “We were friends. Bryce definitely wanted more, but I tried to keep the lines clear. He could be persistent, to say the least.”

  Hunter hated this guy already. “So you ratted out this guy who had feelings for you. Sounds like perfect motive to me.”

  “I don’t like the ratted out characterization. I was doing what was right. Following protocol. He was the one breaking the rules, and I had a responsibility to report him even if he was my friend.”

  It was always like Layla to take the high ground and do the right thing. It was one of the many things he admired about her. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have said it like that, but in Bryce’s mind, I’m sure that’s how he saw it, and we’re looking at this from his point of view right now to determine the risks.”

  She hung her head. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t bite your head off when you’re just trying to help. I’m really on edge right now.”

  His heart hurt as he watched her try to process everything. “It’s going to be okay. Do you have any idea what Bryce is doing now?”

  “No. He cut off all communication with me, and I didn’t take the time to seek him out. He made his position clear, and we couldn’t see eye to eye.”

  Hunter started typing on his laptop, and within a few seconds he had a hit on Bryce. “Looks like he’s gone private sector, working at a DC consulting firm.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me. Bryce was well connected politically and comes from an influential family inside the Beltway.” She leaned back in her chair. “I’m just wondering why he would spend the time and energy to concoct claims against me to cause an IG investigation.”

  “It’s possible he didn’t, but I’d feel a lot better if we could say one way or the other. We should pay him a visit in the morning.”

  Layla’s dark eyes widened. “We? Are you serious?”

  “Yeah, it will be better if we’re both there. You know him, and I don’t. It will help with being able to read his reactions. I also made some progress on the background checks of your DEA support team while you were out.”

  “And?”

  “So far everyone is turning up clean.”

  “I’m not surprised.”

  “You always did see the good in people.”

  “You say that as if it’s a bad thing.”

  He shook his head. “No. It’s a good quality, but sometimes it can get you killed.”

  Layla muttered something under her breath.

  “I’m not trying to push your buttons,” he said. “I’m really not.”

  “You always knew how.”

  “Really? Is that how you remember our relationship?”

  “No. What I remember is you cheating on me and breaking my heart.”

  Talk about the truth hurting. “I can’t go back and change the past.”

  She lifted her hand. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. There’s zero reason to dredge up the past. We’re both professionals and have jobs to do.”

  “You have every right to be upset. If we need to get everything out on the table, you just tell me.”

  Her dark eyes held so much pain, and it hurt him to think that he was the cause of it. He’d made decisions that had forever changed both of their lives. At the time, he’d acted based on his emotions. But now, years later, he wondered if he had made a terrible mistake.

  “No,” she said. “There’s no point. We’ve both moved on.”

  “If you change your mind, let me know.” He had a sinking feeling this conversation was far from being over.

  CHAPTER

  SEVEN

  The next morning, Layla found out Hunter’s style was to waste no time as they walked up to the swanky DC consulting firm.

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?” she asked.

  “Better a sneak attack.”

  “But we might not even get past his assistant.”

  “Yes, we will.”

  “Do you know something I don’t?” she asked.

  “Just watch and follow my lead.”

  She held back a laugh. Hunter had always been a leader. They’d butted heads over that before, like a million other things. But last night when they’d been talking, so many memories—good and bad
—had washed over her.

  Hunter knew her, the real her, more than any other man ever had. Since dating him, she’d only let one other person in, and it hadn’t ended well. But she didn’t want to think about that right now.

  She still couldn’t fathom what had caused Hunter to cheat on her. He was a man of self-control and discipline. He’d told her that he’d gone out drinking with some law school buddies and things had gotten out of control—hence his ending up in the arms of a girl he’d met at the bar.

  But during the three years they’d dated, she’d never once seen Hunter drunk. He was measured in almost all areas of his life. Yeah, he liked danger and adventure—like jumping out of a plane or racing fast cars—but when it came to his social life, his explanation of what had happened always left her feeling like she had never really known him the way he’d known her. And that was one of the things that broke her heart the most.

  “Earth to Layla. Let’s do this thing.”

  “Sorry.” She put those thoughts out of her mind and got ready to deal with the problem at hand. She thought she’d had a solid friendship with Bryce, but it couldn’t withstand her reporting him.

  “I’m going to directly confront him,” Hunter said. “I’m not expecting him to confess if he is really involved in this, but I want you to be able to see his response. I want your read on him.”

  “I got it.”

  They were met by a receptionist in the main floor lobby. “How can I help you?” she asked in a singsong voice.

  “We’re here to see Bryce Wixom.”

  “Do you have an appointment?” Her blue eyes locked on to Hunter.

  “Just please tell him that Layla Karam is here to see him.”

  She arched an eyebrow but didn’t respond as she picked up the phone and made the call. After a few yeses, she hung up. “You can go up to the tenth floor. Someone there will meet you.”

  “Thank you.” Hunter smiled at the receptionist, and it probably made her day.

  They walked toward the elevator.

  “See, I told you,” Hunter murmured.

  “Not so fast, big shot. We haven’t actually seen him yet.” Bryce wasn’t one to underestimate.

  “Don’t be such a pessimist. We’ve got this.” Hunter pushed the button, and after a few moments, they walked into the lobby of the tenth floor, where they were greeted by another receptionist, this one much younger.

  “You’re here to see Mr. Wixom. Please follow me.”

  They trailed behind the petite brunette down a long hallway to an office on the right. She knocked, and Bryce stood up. His eyes lit up when he saw Layla, but then he frowned when he saw she wasn’t alone.

  “Thanks, Nancy,” Bryce said. “Come on in. I’m afraid we haven’t met before.” He stretched out his hand.

  “I’m Hunter McCoy.”

  “Bryce Wixom. Please have a seat.”

  They all sat down, and Layla prepared herself for the conversation.

  Bryce adjusted his fancy cuff links. “What brings the two of you down here today?”

  Before Layla could answer, Hunter spoke. “Do you know anything about the IG investigation launched against Layla?”

  Bryce’s brown eyes widened. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He turned to Layla. “What is this about, Lay?”

  She hated that nickname but didn’t correct him. “Please answer the question, Bryce. It’s important.” She wanted to look him in the eyes and evaluate his response. “I’m in trouble, Bryce. I was at Old Town Grille when the bomb went off.”

  He frowned, and the mood in the room instantly shifted. “Oh no. I had no idea. I’m glad you’re all right.”

  “Thank you.”

  Bryce leaned back. “But now I’m even more confused, Lay. Help me out here.”

  “Someone is giving Layla a really hard time,” Hunter explained. “They’re coming after her, including the opening of an IG investigation. We have no idea what it’s about or who is behind it. Layla is on administrative leave.”

  “From State?” Bryce arched an eyebrow.

  “He knows, Bryce.”

  With that revelation, Bryce frowned even more deeply. “What’s going on here? Why would you have told this guy anything?”

  “Hunter knew about my position at the CIA from the very beginning.”

  Bryce’s eyes lit up. “Wait a minute. You’re the law school guy? The idiot.”

  “Guilty,” Hunter responded. “So yes, I know what Layla does and what you did. We’re trying to figure out who wants to harm her, and we would like to strike you off that list.”

  Bryce shifted his attention back to Layla. “Yeah, we parted on bad terms, but I promise I don’t have anything to do with any investigation. I didn’t agree with what you did to me, but I know how you operate, so I can’t say that I’m surprised. If you’re worried about someone gunning for you, it’s not me. Look around. I’ve made a great career for myself here with a lot higher pay.”

  She studied him closely and wanted to believe him. It did look like he was doing incredibly well for himself.

  Hunter cleared his throat. “Do you know of anyone who would want to frame Layla for some type of wrongdoing?”

  Bryce looked at her. “You know how things are at the Agency. There’s so much backstabbing and maneuvering.”

  “So you do know something,” Hunter suggested.

  Bryce shook his head. “Actually, I don’t. I was just saying you need to watch your back. Be careful, because there are some real threats out there, and some of them are a lot closer than they may seem.” His attention was completely on her now. “Your insistence on playing by the book is antithetical to the way a lot of people operate, but if you’re asking me if I ever heard of anyone gunning for you, then the answer is no. Then again, given our friendship, I probably wouldn’t have been told. We were friends once, if you remember that.”

  She probably deserved that jab and decided not to counter him. She wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth, but it seemed like he was. Although she had to remind herself that Bryce was a very gifted CIA officer. Lies rolled off his tongue with ease. It was more that she didn’t want to believe that he could be trying to hurt her.

  “If that’s all, I’ve got other business to deal with.” Bryce stood.

  They’d been dismissed.

  Hunter rose also. “If you think of anything or hear anything, give me a call.” He handed Bryce his business card.

  “Will do.” Bryce turned to her. “It was good to see you, Lay. Please take care of yourself.”

  Hunter was quiet until they got back down to the main lobby. “Well, what do you think?”

  “I actually felt like he was being truthful.”

  They walked outside and toward the Metro.

  “I’m going to do some searching on my end and see what I can turn up on him,” Hunter said. “If we find out he has nothing to do with any of this, then we’re back at square one on the investigation.”

  “Unless everything is connected to the cartel. I guess it’s naïve to think they couldn’t be working things on the inside to get the result they want at all costs, especially given this is about Diego avenging his brother’s death.”

  “Hey.” Hunter grabbed her shoulder and pulled her to a stop.

  She froze at the touch of his hand.

  “None of this is your fault, Layla. We’ll get to the bottom of this.” They locked eyes for a moment before she turned away. They walked down M Street, headed toward the Farragut North Metro stop.

  “I’m glad you’re confident about that,” she said.

  “We have to stay focused, and we can figure this out. I promise you that.”

  The sound of screeching tires to her left caused her to stop and look over her shoulder. A dark SUV was weaving very quickly down the street. The passenger-side window opened, and she knew they were in trouble.

  Her instincts and training kicked in. She tackled Hunter hard to the sidewalk, using all of her body weigh
t and momentum, just as rapid gunshots rang out.

  Her breathing was uneven, and she didn’t move as the gunshots finally stopped and the SUV screeched away.

  “Are you okay?” she asked Hunter.

  He looked up at her with wide eyes. “Thanks to you.” He took a breath. “But, Layla, you’re bleeding.”

  She touched her left shoulder, and bright red blood stained her hand. She’d been hit.

  At the hospital, Hunter paced back and forth outside the room where Layla was being attended to. He couldn’t believe she had been the one to protect him and that she’d been hit. She claimed it was just a scratch, but he would feel a lot better once a doctor made that formal determination.

  He’d known she had to have skills for the CIA to let her in the field on dangerous missions, but he was experiencing firsthand that she was a trained operative. Thankfully, her quick action had saved them both today. The Layla he’d known in law school had never even held a firearm. The Agency had changed her, but he was glad she was able to defend herself, especially given the danger she now found herself in.

  Finally, after what seemed like forever, the door opened and the doctor walked out of the room. “She’s asking for you.”

  “Is she okay?”

  “Yes, sir. The bullet just nicked her. She’ll be fine.” The doctor gave him a pat on the shoulder, and Hunter anxiously walked into the room.

  Layla sat on the edge of the hospital bed. Her shoulder had been bandaged.

  “How’re you feeling?” he asked.

  “I told you it wasn’t that bad.”

  “Layla, you were shot!” In what world could she not see that as a big deal?

  “I know, but I’ll be okay.”

  “Your quick thinking today saved our lives.” He ran a hand through his hair. “You moved a lot faster than I did.”

  “I’ve had extensive training, so don’t beat yourself up over this. When I started at the Agency, even though I was on the analyst track, they decided to send me to the Farm. I thought it would be good to have those skills and knew I might not get the opportunity again once I was stuck at a desk, so I went along with it. It has definitely paid off, that’s for sure.”

  Those comments only fed into a narrative that was developing in his mind. “Do you think they always wanted you to be a field officer?”