But what surprised her was seeing the tears in Piper’s eyes. Then Piper took hold of her hands. “When Viv told me the basics of your story, I knew you had been through a lot, but hearing it in your own words is compelling. And the events that have transpired with him coming after you recently and harassing you adds to the situation.” Piper looked away.

Something even more was bothering Piper. “What are you really thinking?”

“You have the perfect motive for murder.”

CHAPTER
TEN

On Wednesday afternoon, Layla waited for Scarlett’s arrival at her condo. They were going to have coffee before Layla met Viv and Izzy for dinner. They’d been texting each day, with Scarlett checking in to make sure Layla was safe.

After getting her college degree, Scarlett had gone straight to the DEA and quickly risen through the ranks by proving herself in the field on dangerous ops time and again. She’d worked with the Agency multiple times, and Scarlett had confided in Layla that the Agency had recruited her hard. But Scarlett had other ideas. She loved the thrill of fieldwork, but she also had diplomatic ambitions. Being at State opened different doors.

While Scarlett had never come out and said it, Layla thought that she might even have political ambitions down the road. And working in high-level diplomatic jobs at State was a great résumé builder. Layla had even considered whether State might be a good fit for herself initially, but the Agency needed her skills a lot more than State did, and Layla desperately wanted to serve her country in the best way possible.

When the doorbell rang, Layla went to tell the Agency guard that it was okay to let Scarlett in.

“Thanks for breaking away from work for coffee.”

Scarlett greeted her with a warm hug. “Of course. I had a few errands I had to run, so it worked out perfectly to swing by here. How’re you holding up?”

They walked into the kitchen. “Considering all that’s happened, I’m doing okay. Each new day, things seem to get more complicated.” Layla picked up the coffeepot and poured them each a big cup. “And you see my security detail is in full force.”

Scarlett sat down at the table. “Well, that’s actually a great idea. I’m sleeping better at night knowing you’re not here all alone. Those guys are highly trained and ready for anything.”

Layla scoffed. “Including monitoring my every move.”

Scarlett didn’t seem fazed by Layla’s sarcasm. “On that point, have you heard from the IG’s office yet?”

Layla shook her head. “No. It seems they’re operating on their own timetable, and that only adds to my already high stress level.”