Caitlyn finally showed up, dressed in her bike leathers, black studded jacket and chaps that made her look more biker chick than cybersecurity analyst. But that was always her thing, deception, misdirection beyond the exterior.

“You look pretty,” she said to Laurel in a somewhat authentic, believable drawl.

“I don’t feel it,” said Laurel, pocketing her phone. “It’s been a rough one, let me tell ya.”

“One of those days, huh?”

“Nu-uh,” Laurel said. “I believe today was the absolute longest day in not only my career, but my whole entire life.”

“Well, you’ll have to get used to that. This your first job out of school?”

“Huh?”

Caitlyn peered at her. “You look real young still.”

“Hardly.”

“Just givin’ you some perspective, Hon.”

Laurel didn’t need perspective. She needed answers. And she needed to keep from being killed while she got them. Though it might be best to keep her fear and desperation out of her meeting with Caitlyn. She was, after all, still her boss. At least for now.

“I’m not that much older than you,” Caitlyn said. “But I’ve been in the game a lot longer.”

“Cybersecurity?” Laurel asked. She wanted to make sure. By the looks of Caitlyn, her weathered face, her deep-sunk eyes, and the menacing black leather, she’d perhaps been involved in more than one type of game. But there it was again, deceptive appearances.

“So what’s goin’ on?” Caitlyn said. “You need my help again with hacking AIDA?”

“No.”

“You already did it?”

“Caitlyn, you’ve been with Sentry for awhile. But, I’m new and I don’t really know anyone.”

“You mean, you don’t really trust anyone,” said Caitlyn.

“Yeah, you can say that.”

“That’s fine. That’s our business. Deception.”

“Our business is to root it out and get to the truth,” Laurel said.

“And to block other people from getting to ‘the truth.’ See what I’m sayin’?”

Laurel stared at her.

Caitlyn smiled. “But that’s not it, right? There’s somethin’ else.”

“I just need a friend to talk to,” Laurel said.

“Well, I’m glad I can be there for you.” Caitlyn looked away, eying the bartender who had just walked over and placed two drinks on the table. “Thanks, Dear.” She turned to Laurel. “I took the liberty of ordering you a Tom Collins.”

“Thanks.”

“Looks like you could use one.”

“Or two.” But that was it, just two. That would be about five fewer than whatever she’d had last night, whatever had fueled her crazy night with Matt.

“I think I know what you need to talk to me about,” Caitlyn said.

Laurel began to feel her own distinct lack of facade. She must have been so much easier to read than Caitlyn. She waited for whatever it was to come.

“It’s that new guy, huh?” Caitlyn said.

Laurel couldn’t help but flinch at the question. Another example of unguardedness. She would make a horrible criminal.

“I heard people talkin’,” Caitlyn said.

“Like what?”

“You know.” Caitlyn bowed her head toward the straw in her drink. “That’s why we’re talking, right? The new guy?” She took an innocent little sip and then looked up at Laurel, smiling.

“Caitlyn?”

“Yes?”

“Has Mr. Geffen talked to you about your work?”

“No, thank God. One more of those and I think they’ll can my ass.”

“He hasn’t asked you about . . . security concerns?”

“No, but he brought in that guy.”

“What about him?” Laurel asked.

“Come on, Laurel. Isn’t it obvious what he’s doing?”

“Spying?”

She shrugged. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“Can you tell me about . . . what the people are saying?”

“You want the gossip?”

“For once, yeah. Very badly.”

“Geffen and Andre are having some major fight right now. And it has to do with the new guy.”

“Matt,” Laurel said. “His name’s Matt.”

“Sounds like you know him better than I do. I was told it was Matthias.” She said it in some hoity-toity tone, like it was the name of some upper-class, royal figure who spent his millions on modern art and a collection of insanely expensive, rare-bred toy dogs. “So why don’t you tell me about Matthias—I mean, Matt?”

“I was told that he was just here to help speed up AIDA.”

“That’s it?”

“Probably not,” Laurel said.

“Do you feel like he’s spying on you? Watching your work?”

“Should I?

“If you feel like it.”

“Is he?”

“Yes.”

Laurel pushed the drink way and leaned her head on the table.

“I didn’t want to say anything,” Caitlyn said. “And I mean, I’m not positive. But that’s the rumor. And he just seems like such a narc. Doesn’t he?”

“Yeah,” Laurel said into her arm, which cushioned her head. Her eyes had been closed and squeezed hard.

“Like the way he looks and everything?”

“Kinda like a cop, yeah.”

“I don’t know if he’s a cop or an agent or what,” Caitlyn said. “But he’s lookin’ at you. On Mr. Geffen’s request. That’s just the rumor, anyhow.”

Laurel raised her head off the table. “There’s no rumor about anyone else being looked at?”

“Not that I know of. But I’m sure there are others. Maybe even me. But I just don’t know about it.”

“You haven’t felt spied on?”

“No.”

“Does anyone talk about why I’m being spied on?”

“They think someone might have leaked some code about the tracking system, for the FBI and H&L Houston. You really didn’t know that? Girl, we should’ve been goin’ out for drinks long before this.”

They had never been very close, but perhaps she was the closest friend Laurel had there—which said a lot about how little she socialized at work. Maybe now she’d realize the importance of at least keeping some people around. Insider information, or rumors, would stay as such as long she never went beyond books or solo coffee breaks.

“So, what you’re saying, is that they think I did the leak?”

“Maybe,” Caitlyn said. “Yeah.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Well, I’m glad I could give you a heads-up. I mean, you should probably be working on a defense.”

“A defense?”

“Build up an alibi. Maybe talk to a lawyer.”

“Jesus Christ,” Laurel said. “You know, I really don’t wanna do that. It’s the kind of stuff criminals do, that guilty people do.”

Caitlyn shrugged.

“I’ve got nothin’ to hide.”

“I believe you.” She smiled.

“God, I can’t handle this.” Laurel buried her head into her hands. She sucked back tears. She would not cry in the goddamn bar!

“It’ll blow over,” Caitlyn said. “If you didn’t do anything, then they won’t find anything. And then you’ll be fine and everything will be forgotten about.”

Laurel finally lifted her head up. A guy that had been staring for the past few minutes was still doing it. She glared back at him, and, to her horror, he smiled.

“Trust me, there’s always some new rumor or scandal waiting in the wings ready to go.”

The guy started walking toward her.

“Just weather this storm and you’ll be alright,” Caitlyn said. “I promise.”

Maybe he had misinterpreted her glare, but there he was, standing foolishly at their table.

“Can I help you?” Caitlyn asked him.

“Yeah,” he said. “I couldn’t help but notice that you two—”

“What?” Caitlyn said with a wince. “Huh? Sorry you’ll have to speak up.”

“Oh, uh . . .” His face contorted a little bit, him getting knocked off his game. “My friend and I were wondering if we could, uh, you know . . .”

Caitlin smiled. “No thanks, Dear.”

“. . . if we could buy you a round of—”

“No,” Caitlyn said. “Thank you.”

He stared at their table for a moment, his eyes glazed over, his expression dumbfounded. He was a nice-enough-looking guy, too. But Caitlyn obviously had no time for it. And neither did Laurel. No time or desire for that sort of attention. Just the thought of it, and even the thought of the lying Matt, no Matthias, made her skin crawl.

“Well,” he said, still babbling. “Okay, I wasn’t trying to, like—”

“Hey,” said Laurel. “Can you just get the fuck away from our table, please?”

Caitlyn shot her a smile as the guy almost tripped over his feet in his flight from their table.

“Sorry,” Laurel said.

“No, I loved that.” Caitlyn laughed and grabbed her drink. “Never thought you had it in you. You’re always so quiet at work.”

“Well, I guess now I’ve got yet another reason to dislike—or distrust—men.”

“I assume you’re talking about Matthias,” Caitlyn said, doing that thing with his name again. “Don’t hold it against him, Hon. I’m sure it’s not personal.”

“I know.”

“He’s just doing his job. And he’s pretty hot, too.”

“So what? Being hot doesn’t give him a free pass to be a snake.”

“My, oh my, I can tell you’re a little fired up about Matthias.”

“Stop saying it like that.”

“My, oh my . . .” Caitlyn rolled her eyes and kept them pointing away from the table.

“Anyway,” Laurel said, sighing heavily. “Believe it or not, this actually isn’t what I was hoping to talk to you about.”

“Oh.” Caitlin turned back to face her.

“Yeah.”

“Uh-oh . . .”

Laurel sighed.

“Well, go on.”

“Okay,” said Laurel, “And, considering what you just told me, it’s probably an even better idea that I tell someone about this.”

“Well, come on, what is it?”

“So I did the AIDA hack, right?”

“You got in?”

“I hacked in there and . . .” Laurel looked around to make sure she was alone. She began to feel like Ol’ Pat—except for being absolutely hammered.

“And what, Laurel?”

“And I found some stuff . . . I dunno. Some sketchy-lookin’ documents.”

“Well, what the hell does that mean?”

“I think I’ve, like, uncovered something.”

Caitlin put her straw in her mouth, chewed on it. “I dunno.”

“What don’t you know?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I’m talking about AIDA, employees of the state, involved in some crazy money-laundering scheme. At least that’s what I think I’m talking about.”

“Why, though?”

“Huh?” said Laurel.

“Why are you talking about it?”

“I think I should report it to somebody. Like, the authorities.”

Caitlyn smirked. “You’re in hot water as it is.”

“I don’t care about that. I’m innocent. But this is like, some serious corruption going on here.”

“Yeah,” Caitlyn said quietly, sounding not too particularly concerned. “You know this goes well beyond your job description. I mean, you really don’t have to do this.”

“I probably should say something before someone tries to pin it on me.”

“Or you could just lay low and forget you even saw anything,” Caitlyn said. “Forget this conversation, too. I know I will.”

Laurel didn’t expect her to be so apprehensive about the corruption info. It was not what she needed right now, especially with Matt probably not being who he said he was. Matt the mole, the tattle-tale. She might not be able to tell him anything at all anymore, let alone the uncovering of some major scandal.

“I respect that you’re doing the right thing and all,” Caitlyn said.

“No, you don’t.”

“I’m just lookin’ out for you, Laurel.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m being realistic. You don’t want to get yourself wrapped up in something like that.”

Laurel stared at her drink and nodded.

“Especially when you’ve already got, you know, so much attention on you. People prowlin’ around and so forth.”

Was it really worth causing a big fuss over? Abe Hudson had passed away, and with that, so did his request for information. And whatever secrets he had, what he was so worried about in his final days, would perhaps only come to the surface if Laurel did anything. And what would she even do, if she wanted to?

“Laurel?” Caitlin had been starting at her. “Who would you tell, anyways? Mr. Geffen?”

“Hell no.”

“Then who?”

“The police?”

Caitlin shook her head. “If this thing is as big as you say it is, then you can bet for sure that they’re involved, too. You need to go higher than that.”

“How high?”

“High enough that it clears whatever corruption ring. The last thing you want to do, if you actually go ahead and decide to do this, is go run and tell the same people you’re telling on. Know what I mean?”

“Well, I won’t go talk to AIDA.”

“Hell no. But beyond that, you need to go way up to save yourself. I’m thinking Walter Smedley.”

“And he is . . . who?”

“He’s the Attorney General.”

“Like I’m supposed to know that?”

“I’ve got some connection with him. He’s a friend of friend. I can set you guys up. But you should head to his office tomorrow either way.”

“Why tomorrow?”

“He’s in town. I can send an email tonight to set everything up. That is, if you really want to go through with this. I still think you shouldn’t, but whatever, that’s just me.”

“I think I need to. I don’t care about that other stuff.”

“Okay, but I warned you.”