“Get in. I’ll drive you home.”
“I can drive myself, thank you.”
“Don’t make me ask twice.”
It would feel so good to splatter his brains across the windshield. As much as she wanted to, her hands were shaking. The power dynamics formed so many years ago were hard to overcome, and Charlie had always scared her. The violence was just beneath the surface, ready to rear its head at a moment’s notice. He got that from his father and his mother. Kathryn’s mind raced as they exited the garage. He knew she’d been to DC, obviously, and that she’d lied about it. She could admit that she’d met with the feds. Or make up a different reason for her trip and risk getting caught in another lie.
“Before we get into what you did on your little vacation,” he said, “tell me something. Who’s that staying at the town house? And before you open your mouth, I’m warning you: I know the answer. Fuckin’ lie to me, and they’ll find you floating in the river.”
He gave her a look that made her blood run cold. She took the measure of her surroundings. They were in a no-man’s-land of parking lots, diners, and chain hotels, with no street life. There was nowhere to go, and no point in running. Her best move was to turn and face him down, like a mailman chased by dogs. Charlie was feral. He sniffed out weakness but cowered at a show of strength.
“You’re blowing smoke, Charlie. You’d never hurt me. I’m too valuable.”
“Maybe that was true once. Not anymore. Now I view you as a security risk.”
She folded her arms and squared her shoulders. “You’re the security risk. You want to know why I was in DC? I was cleaning up your mess.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The feds ambushed me and dragged me down to Main Justice, where Brooke Lee raked me over the coals. Were you aware that she’s now running the Public Integrity unit? No? I didn’t think so. You know what else you don’t know? Justin Greco flipped.”
The car swerved. So, she was right, then. They were in the dark about Greco. She could use that to her advantage.
“Greco? You serious?”
“Uh-huh. Now everyone he background-checked is at risk. Not just me. God knows how many others. I guarantee, Brooke Lee’s bringing in every single one and confronting them. Somebody will flip. If they haven’t already. Doug Kessler, for one.”
In the headlights from an oncoming car, he went a paler shade of white.
“Jesus, you think Lord Fuckleroy is snitching?”
That was his nickname for Doug back in the day, when they all worked together, and Doug and Kathryn were having that affair. Charlie had always been weirdly jealous of her romantic relationships. It bordered on the perverted. She wondered sometimes if his preoccupation with her played a role in what happened to Matthew. The thought was upsetting enough that she had to push it from her mind to focus on the matter at hand. Doug was a threat. Likely to flip. He had too much to lose, and he was constitutionally incapable of putting anyone ahead of himself. He was probably already talking. And that was bad for her because her life right now was a race against the clock.
“I don’t know whether he talked. I would if I were him,” she said.
“We need to find out. He was inside on the McCarthy thing.”
“Tell me about it. Too bad the feds aren’t sharing their witness list.”
The reflection of raindrops from the windshield made dark spots on his face. They looked like bullet holes.
“You said you’d flip if you were Kessler. What if you were you?” he said.
“You’re asking if I snitched? Don’t be an idiot. I went in to find out what they know, that’s all. And yes, I put someone in my house as a decoy, because I knew you’d try to stop me. Face it, you’re a blunt instrument, Charlie. Strategy is not your strong suit.”
“Enough with the insults. What did you find out?”
“They were cagey. But it seems like they’ve been at this for a while. I have a bad feeling.”
“Jesus. And you had to choose this moment to bring a stranger into the house?”
“Who cares? She’s just some intern who thinks she’s pet-sitting.”
“Wrong. This girl is a plant, like Olivia was.”
She turned to him, jaw dropping. “What are you talking about?”
“Madison Rivera is an informant. Or something. I don’t know yet.”
“Impossible. She’s a student from my class who applied for an internship. I recruited her, she didn’t come to me. If you have reason to believe she works for the feds, you need to tell me.”