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This morning Max agreed to call the CIA and tell them where I was. He wasn’t on board with it, but I told him either he did it or I did.
“Aspen, think about what you’ll say before you answer his questions,” Max warns. “You don’t want them to use your words against you.” I exhale, readying myself for something I can’t imagine.
“We’ll be right here,” offers Ryker.
“Hmm,” Max says to himself when he sees the guy walking up. He opens the door wide for the man to enter. A draft of frigid air follows him in. “Richard, good to see you.” Relief floods my body. He knows him.
They shake hands. “Max Shaw, always a pleasure.”
As soon as the man’s eyes land on me, they widen. “Gabriella,” he mutters in surprise and then clears his throat. He straightens his spine and tugs at his sleeves peeking out from under his black suit jacket. I take a step backward as his wrinkled glare burns holes in me.
My gaze jumps from Ryker to Max in confusion. Max watches the man for a beat before correcting him. “Richard, this is Aspen Foley.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” He scrambles and attempts to flash a warm smile, but it seems forced. “She reminds me of someone.”
“Richard, I’m surprised you’re here alone,” Max says, glancing outside at the lone black SUV. “The Director of CIA rarely makes house calls.”
The man slides his hands inside his suit pants pockets. His attention travels back to me, making my skin crawl. I don’t like the guy’s aura and I’m not sure why.
“The nature of the visit is sensitive and because of national security, it’s above your clearance.” His voice hardens, a direct jab at Max, yet his eyes stay pinned on me.
“Ms. Foley, can you confirm that the picture Mrs. Addison Roberts was in possession of was of you and your family?” I nod and his lips form a straight line. “I’m going to need you to come with me for questioning.”
“What? No,” Ryker clips, taking a step in front of me. “Why can’t you question her here?”
“Ryker,” Max warns, shaking his head. He’s telling him I don’t have a choice. And I’m the one who called this meeting.
“It’s fine. I’ll go. I have nothing to hide.” With one quick squeeze, I let go of Ryker’s hand. This will be a quick visit, especially if it’s about my mom. I don’t even remember her. Without that picture, I wouldn’t know what she looked like.
Max’s house disappears in the mirror. The man doesn’t talk, not really. He mumbles to himself more than anything. His controlled demeanor from earlier unravels in front of me. A bead of sweat rolls down his temple and our eyes meet for a fraction of a second before I jerk my gaze away.
Fifteen minutes in the car, yet it feels like I’ve been in the car with him for hours. His anger escalates each passing mile. When he strikes his steering wheel and lets out a string of curse words, I know something isn’t right.
What’s worse, we’re not anywhere near a town. The last sign said the next city was a hundred miles away. Snow-covered trees line the freeways with vast open fields beyond them. Peering at his gas gauge, I can only hope he’s on empty so we pull over soon. That hope sinks to the bottom of my stomach, twisting it. It’s full.
“Where are you taking me?” I finally ask, rotating in my seat. He grits his teeth and swerves to pull over, and I grab the dashboard to catch myself from slamming into the door. The tires squeal as we come to a complete stop. Cars speed by and I glance around wondering why he stopped.
“I only have one question. Where is Tobias Paul?” The venom in his voice pierces without touching me.
Who? I jerk my head to face the man, pointing a gun at my head. Fear lumps in my throat, choking out my words, and I hold my hands in the air. “I… I don’t know who that is.”
“I don’t believe you, Gabriella.”
Blinking back the tears burning my eyes, I choke out, “My name isn’t Gabriella. I’m not from the United States. I only came to visit Ryker. You have the wrong person.”
He shakes his head sharply. “No, I don’t.”
“Who is Tobias Paul?” I whisper, tears burning my cheeks.
“The man I hired to kill you twenty-four years ago.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Ryker
“There has to be something we can do.” Even I realize how messed up this is. Taking an innocent woman into custody with no reason is unjust. What a warm American welcome I’m giving her.
Max glances up from his computer. My feet won’t stop pacing across the room.
