She knew Nick wanted to be the CIA director one day.

He looked directly into her eyes. “Have I ever lied to you?”

She thought carefully. “No. Actually, you haven’t.” He’d said a lot of things to her—some not very nice during the breakup—but he had always been open with her.

“In our line of work, there are a lot of lies and deceptions, but I’ve always been honest with you.”

She had to ask him something else. “Were you the one behind the plan to get me into the field? Riley going to Hunter back during my recruitment—was that all you?”

He shook his head. “No. That was all Riley. He was instantly fascinated with you and your background and was going to stop at nothing to make sure you got into the Agency and ultimately into the field. I agreed with his assessment and was on board with everything, but he was the driving force.”

She wasn’t sure if that made her feel better or worse.

“Did Hunter tell you?” Nick asked.

“Yes, but only recently. I believed a lie for all those years. And you knew it too and didn’t say anything to me about it when I confided in you.” That stung. It really did.

“It wasn’t my place. Riley had sworn me to secrecy years ago, and I keep my word. But Riley isn’t your enemy either. If you’re looking that way, you’re barking up the wrong tree. Riley would put it on the line for you, and if he wasn’t out of the country right now on assignment, he’d probably be in the IG’s office, trying to help you even though he shouldn’t be.”

She decided to take another path. “Then, who do you think my enemy could be?”

He inched closer to her. “Have you considered that someone on the outside is pulling the strings here, maybe using internal contacts to make it happen but driving the process externally?”

She had considered that. “It’s an option on the table. I’m sure they briefed you on those crazy pictures of me. You know I would never do that.”

Nick nodded. “I do. But, Layla, given my position, I’m not supposed to interfere with an independent IG investigation.”

“Even if you know they’re wrong? Even if you risk losing your supposed rising star?” She couldn’t help herself at this point.

“If I vouched for you in a more personal sense, don’t you think that would raise a lot more questions? We don’t want people talking about our relationship. That is in the past, and frankly, it’s none of the IG’s business, and I wasn’t about to make it a part of this. That could’ve put even more heat on you.”

“And you.”

He grinned.

“Why are you smiling?” Frustration built within her.