Page 29 of Agent vs. Assassin
“Forgive me, Mr. President, but I don’t even trust you. You are, after all, the number one politician in the world. And you know what they say about politicians? The only time he tells the truth is when he calls another politician a liar.”
He chuckles. “I like you, agent. My mother-in-law would like you as well. That’s her favorite joke.”
“Is it a joke?”
He’s back to chuckling. “You really don’t give two fucks that I’m the president, and it’s a ray of sunshine in a city of hogwash.”
“Hogwash again?”
“I speak with delicate words but mark my words, when I go to battle, I fight bloody and fiercely. What else, agent?”
“The VP would be smart to hire private security.”
“Done. Keep in contact.”
“Done.”
He disconnects.
I dial Ellis again, and when I land in voicemail, I curse. If anyone knows Murphy and what Murphy was up to, it was Ellis. I really don’t want him to be dirty. Or dead.
My phone rings, and I glance down to find Adams’ number. Huh. Right after I talk to the president. What are the odds? And yet, I’m not sure the president had time to call him. Unless he was with the president? Irritated by the games I seem to be forced to play, I answer with, “Who’s this?”
“You know who this is, Special Agent Mendez.”
“No. No, I really don’t. Because the acting director of the FBI would be here right now, helping catch the person killing off directors, and since you are not, you must be an imposter. Or the acting director with something to gain.”
“Keep it coming, agent. I expect nothing less from you. I’m on my way to Maryland.”
Now he has my attention. “Why Maryland?”
“Ellis called me and said if he didn’t contact me in twelve hours, he’s dead, and I should go get his body. He’s not answering. I trust you have things under control there, because I was in depositions today for a case that went south on Murphy’s watch. I’ll be back in court on Monday, unless Ellis went and got himself killed. Is there anything I need to know, aside from the fact that Elsa Walker is a sniper?”
Clearly Ellis did talk to him. I’m just not sure if it was in the context of a cover-up or solving the case. “I’d have to trust you to tell you what you need to know, and right now, I do not.”
He grunts. “All right, then. Here’s to hoping you aren’t picking up me and Ellis in body bags.” He disconnects.
I stand there and consider my phone calls and decide I really can’t trust any of them. Which is, as the president would say, a bunch of hogwash.
Chapter Nineteen
I walk into the kitchen to find Kane standing with Kit and Raz, their voices low, words unintelligible, and, of course, there’s not a glass of liquor in sight. Kane didn’t want a drink. He wanted out of the conversation with Andrew.
In the meantime, my pie sits between the three men, but the price of conversation I’ll have to pay to get it and a fork just isn’t worth it. I’m kind of tired of that damn pie anyway, at least tonight.
“Hello, boys,” I say. All eyes lift to me in the doorway, and now that I have their attention, I add, “I’m done with Enrique. If he shows up on my team one more time, I’ll shoot him. That’s it. Go back to whispering things you don’t want me to hear, but I’ll find out anyway.”
I walk away, leaving them behind in every sense possible. I have messages I have not even looked at, and not one, but three murders to solve. I head toward our lower-level bedroom that was once upstairs, but Kane surprised me a month back with a remodel. Now our primary is not only on the lower level, but he had a proper loft version of Purgatory, just like I had in my mother’s place, created.
We still haven’t done anything with the property that holds the charred remains of my memories, now ash beneath the structure, but I’ve refused to let go of the heart bleeding in the rubble. In fact, I’ve been leaning toward something wonderful, like a museum celebrating her life that also saves puppies. Itmight seem like a weird combination to some, but if they knew my mother and how earnestly she approached helping animals in need, they’d understand.
There’s a twist of emotion in my belly that few things create in me but this.
Her.
Her death.
Kane surprising me with the loft.