Only the wicked, p.29
Only the Wicked, page 29
part #1 of The Sinful State Series Series
The device contains isolated evidence Quinn and Daisy compiled—nothing that can be traced back to the source if this goes sideways.
I press play and watch Dristol’s skin blanch.
The evidence is damning—Dristol’s face is clearly visible in meetings with Romanovich in locations ranging from coffee shops to park benches. Timestamps. Locations. Phone records. The financial transactions and offshore accounts are the most damning pieces of evidence.
“Photographs of meets. Financial transactions. All easily assembled once you know what you’re looking for and with access to the right databases.” I deliberately leave unsaid the implication: once you know what you’re looking for, you might find much more.
Dristol’s throat works as he swallows. He rubs his neck, sniffs—stress responses.
“We live in a world of deep fakes.”
His defense is weak, perfunctory. I watch his eyes—not focused on the evidence, but darting to the corners of the room. Is he looking for cameras? Exits?
“Deep fakes are increasingly common,” I concur. “But these are real. And we have live witnesses. You know, thanks to last night.”
He leans back in his seat. He doesn’t bother to hit replay.
“There’s got to be a way.” He breathes in deeply and taps his index finger against the table. “It’s best for you if we work together smoothly. This theoretical evidence—it can easily be misunderstood. And for you, think about what’s at stake. If the winds pick up on a deal that violates US policy, you could see every government contract disappear. Billions of dollars.”
What Dristol doesn’t understand—what people like him never understand—is that my refusal isn’t negotiating posture. It’s the fundamental principle ARGUS was built on. Do good. The moment I agree to work with someone like this, I’m no better than the surveillance state opportunists I set out to counter. More practically, once I negotiate with one, it’s only a matter of time before my willingness to deal is exploited by others. That’s why I’m here now. One questionable deal—one mistake—at a weak moment.
The mythological references from earlier flash through my mind. This is another form of hubris to fear—not mine, but theirs. The arrogance that makes men believe they can control anything powerful once it’s unleashed. They think they can use ARGUS without consequence, just as Icarus thought he could fly anywhere, never falling.
“What exactly do you want?” Might as well get it on tape.
Reid steps forward into Dristol’s sight line.
Something passes between them. With Reid’s face partially hidden by his stance, I can’t read the two men, and find myself scanning Reid’s waistline, wondering if he’s carrying. I’ve been told FBI agents always carry, but he was never FBI. Quinn said he’s former CIA.
He’s a slim guy, slightly shorter than me. And Dristol’s out-of-shape. I’m not afraid of either of these men, unless there’s a gun holster beneath Reid’s sports jacket.
In my ear, Syd’s voice comes through. “Ask him what’s in it for him. How does he monetize it.”
“What I don’t understand,” I begin slowly to capture the men’s attention, “What’s in it for you? I see how I increase my fortune with the acquisition, but I’m not seeing the payout for you two.”
It’s a valid question, unless Miles is paying these fuckers. The thought pushes me over the edge into angry. Would he really do that? Hire these twats instead of just having it out with me?
“Let’s say we have a vested interest. And it’s no concern of yours,” Reid answers.
He moves to leave, and in my ear, Syd says, “Save it. Buy an additional meet.”
I’m not convinced I need more on this prick. I’ve got a powerful tool at my fingertips. But, in team spirit, I say, “Let me sleep on it.” It’s a phrase I use all the time thanks to Nana, the queen of ruminating.
Dristol stands, pushing his chair back. “You asked what we want?”
I nod.
“Not much. Access. That’s all. After you purchase the database, give us unfettered access for one week. That’s it.”
“And what would I get?”
“We become your ally.”
I pointedly look at Reid, questioning why I need a guy with a fake badge as an ally.
“He’s connected,” Dristol answers my unspoken question. “In a group that theoretically doesn’t exist. He uses an alternative identity when it’s useful.”
I’m not buying it, but I wonder if the team listening in is.
“Sleep on it,” Dristol says. “I’ll be in touch to coordinate a follow up. And in terms of what we can give you…a shield. No inquiries into the past. If there’s a database you want access to, we can make it happen.”
For the thousandth time, that’s not how ARGUS works.
“We work to quiet the national security drumbeat, interest in legislation and state ownership. Seems to me you get a lot out of working with us.”
He thinks he’s luring me into a trap. Yet he’s the one under surveillance.
“How can you eliminate AI legislation?” I ask, playing along.
“I’m not working alone. I’ve been playing the D.C. game for decades. Long before Crawford. That’s why he hired me. I can be persuasive.”
He’s not saying it, but I’m betting he means blackmail. Extortion. Which would further explain his interest in ARGUS.
“Query access. That’s what you really want.”
He smiles his affirmative answer. “After you buy that database.”
“You kill the AI bill that just passed the House, and we may have a deal.”
Thanks to that arrogant, cocky attitude, I know I’ve got him.
He grins, becoming all teeth. “I hope to work together,” Dristol says, extending his hand.
I take it, forcing a smile. “Same here.”
Chapter
Thirty-Nine
Sydney
“Sooo...” Jake removes his headset with deliberate slowness, the gesture loaded with skepticism. He spins in his chair to face me directly, the cramped surveillance van suddenly feeling even smaller. “What’s your take on lover boy?”
“Come again?” He heard everything I heard.
“Any chance he’s playing us? Cause it certainly sounded to me like his tune changed when killing AI legislation got placed on the table.”
“He carried the listening device into the room and activated it himself.” The evidence of Rhodes’ transparency is literally recorded in our system, which makes Jake’s insinuations odd.
We didn’t have a visual on the room, but we heard and recorded everything.
“We know he did at least one illegal deal. He’s not crispy clean. Who’s to say he’s not stringing us along now?”
“Me. You’re grasping at straws.”
Although, I have to admit. He engaged—came across as genuinely intrigued—when, as Jake put it, the AI legislation nugget dropped.
“Do you think Crawford’s the one selling state secrets?”
I chew on a pen cap, considering Jake’s question. “It’s conceivable. But the way Dristol and that Reid guy showed up… My hunch is Dristol’s been making money on the side. Crawford probably has no idea.”
Crawford’s reputation on the Hill, one I learned about too late, is that he has an insatiable thirst for sex, a weakness for women, if you will. But adultery aside, for a politician, he’s decent.
“And Reid?”
“Not sure. He doesn’t dress like someone who’s loaded, although that could be for costume effect. If he’s a hired hand, Quinn will find a financial trail. Another possibility…maybe he left the CIA on bad terms, and he’s jaded.”
When the CIA flipped my career on its head, I certainly didn’t hold the warm fuzzies.
“Or they’re all in it together and we just watched a charade.”
“No. That’s not it.” I dismiss Jake’s notion with a wrinkled nose.
“You sure about that? It’s hard to keep your head on straight when you’re shagging the daylights out of the—”
“Will you shut the fuck up?” I push up from my chair with enough force that it slams into the counter behind me. “I’m not wrong about Rhodes. He’s playing them at my direction.”
Jake’s condescension ignites fierce defensiveness. I’ve spent my entire career being underestimated—first as a woman at Langley, then as the “emotional” operative after the France debacle. Intel from operatives like me informed Jake’s military operations. A little respect would be nice.
My certainty isn’t just emotional—it’s analytical. Rhodes had multiple opportunities to betray us but didn’t.
“Right. It’s not possible he’s playing both sides and concocting a deal for a get out of jail free card.” Jake’s disbelief is palpable, his expression suggesting I’ve lost all objectivity.
I thrust a hand at Jake. “Hundred bucks says I’m right, you’re wrong. Rhodes is working with us, and Crawford doesn’t know what’s going on. Dristol and Reid—those are the two we want.”
The childish bet is beneath me, but something about Jake brings out my competitive streak.
His country boy grin spreads wide. “You’re on, spy girl.”
Nerves fire off as I twist the knob to the suite, checking for tampering signs on the door or lock. Nothing. But the sensation of stepping into uncertain territory remains.
Rhodes is a good guy. I know it. We prepped for this together, and unlike many partnerships I’ve had in this business, and in life, this one feels balanced—respectful rather than manipulative.
I step past the foyer and Rhodes looks up from a laptop, his expression intense, focused. He’s sitting on the sofa, bent over the coffee table, one socked foot peeking out from the side, the picture of concentrated work.
The room smells faintly of coffee and the subtle notes of his cologne—now familiar enough that I associate the hints of cedar with safety and comfort. The dichotomy isn’t lost on me.
“That was interesting,” I say, tackling the elephant head on, observing his eyes for any micro expressions that might reveal deception. There are none—just the same clear, intelligent gaze that has become increasingly difficult to distrust.
“Before you say anything,” Rhodes says, his fingers still moving across the keyboard, “I’ve got a plan. It’s been in the works since ARGUS’s early days. A failsafe, already built, for situations just like this. An Override Protocol.”
He turns his laptop screen toward me, showing complex encryption schemas and network architecture diagrams that would be incomprehensible to most people. But my tech training helps me recognize the sophisticated firewall systems and mirrored servers. But that’s recognition, not comprehension.
“What does it do exactly?” I ask, scanning the snippets visible on the screen.
“At its core, it blocks unauthorized access at a fundamental level—”
“Wait.” I lean forward, studying the screen, recognizing the architecture patterns. “These are mirrored servers, aren’t they? You’re not just blocking access—you’re redirecting it.”
He nods, manipulating the diagram to expand a section showing nested security protocols. “Exactly. Creating what appears to be a nearly impenetrable barrier between ARGUS’s actual systems and any external intrusion, while actually giving them access to something else entirely.”
“A digital trap.” The elegance of it hits me. “You’re not just defending—you’re gathering intelligence on who’s trying to break in.”
“The system was designed from the ground up with the assumption that eventually someone—government, competitors, hackers—would try to force their way in. So why not learn from their attempts?”
“You’ll pretend to give Dristol access. He’s a midwestern senator’s chief of staff. You realize a ton of those men talk a big game. All smoke, no substance. There’s a good chance he can’t deliver what he promised.”
“True,” he says, “But we didn’t get much in that meeting. But with this, we will.” His eyes light up with animated intensity—the look of a brilliant mind solving an intricate puzzle. “Let’s give Dristol what he wants, but on our terms. I’ll design a global view dashboard—visually impressive, loaded with just enough real data to seem legitimate. I’ll show it to him and insist on guarantees. Make it seem real. We’ll see who he brings in. Who he gives it to. What he does with the data. I’ll give him the motherlode. A window that appears to have access to every single one of our clients.”
He pulls up another screen showing a sophisticated interface mockup—graphs, maps, data visualization tools that would convince most intelligence analysts they’re seeing the real thing.
“I’ll mirror interfaces, make it look real. You said KOAN is looking to monitor US corruption among those who wouldn’t otherwise be investigated. With this, we can see everything. Find out who’s flying right—”
“And who’s crooked.”
What he’s suggesting could cause massive intelligence chaos. If someone accessing the mirrored, false data, leaked it…it could send all sorts of false signals around the world with untold consequences on geopolitics. Intelligence is the ultimate butterfly. A flapping of a wing in Malaysia can be felt in the Baltics within twenty-four hours.
But if there’s corruption at the highest levels, a trap like this is an ingenious way to expose it.
“Obviously, I can’t do it unless you’re on board. You and your team heard it all. Your call. You don’t want me to do it, I go back and tell him I slept on it and the answer is no.”
As much as I want to give the green light, it’s not my call to make. For all practical purposes, I’m a hired gun.
“Let me call Hudson.” I call but get voicemail. “It’s Sydney. Need to run something by you. Please call me back.”
Rhodes looks up from the laptop, fingers resting on the keys. “This is ready, but I won’t press go until you green light.”
“You’ve still got the silver disk and ear comm?”
In answer to my question, he points at a metal box with a lid.
“What’s your take on Dristol and Reid? Do you think they were listening in before they arrived?”
“Clearly.” His attention returns to his laptop. “You don’t have access to anything at Langley anymore, do you?”
“No. They’ve got a thorough lockout procedure. Why? What do you need?”
“Curious about Reid.”
My phone buzzes and I flip it over. It’s Jake. I swipe to answer.
“I’ll accept Venmo,” I answer, referencing our wager.
He barks out a laugh, but it fades quickly. “Smart ass. That’s not why I’m calling. Rhodes’ security pulled up outside the hotel. Headed inside hot and heavy.”
“Thanks for the heads up.”
“Yep. I’m headed inside. Leaving the van. If something’s up, shout.”
I end the call, and Rhodes asks, “What’s up?”
Three hard knocks in rapid succession pound the door, then two more with increased force. Not the polite tap of hotel staff or the measured knock of expected visitors.
Rhodes and I exchange a glance. Without exchanging words, we position ourselves strategically—Rhodes angled toward the connecting door to the bedroom, me with clear sightlines to both the main door and the windows.
The knocking comes again, more insistent—someone who knows we’re inside and isn’t taking no for an answer. From the force and rhythm, whoever it is isn’t just impatient. They’re furious.
Rhodes’ outsourced security? Or someone else entirely?
Chapter
Forty
Rhodes
“Who is it?” Sydney asks, standing to the side of the door as if expecting bullets to fly through the wood.
This is insanity. We’re losing a grip on reality.
I step past her and sling the door open.
Mile’s fist comes within inches of my chest before his reaction time catches up to the reality of the open door.
“What the hell, man?” My business partner and friend pushes past me, charging into the room.
Behind him are two men, both fit and intimidating, in navy golf shirts, khakis, and matching sports jackets that do little to hide the bulge of their holstered weapons.
My gut instinct is to shut the door on them, but they’re probably outsourced security on ARGUS payroll.
“Let them in,” Miles barks.
“Security? Why?” I stand in the doorway, hand on the knob, Sydney at my side, peering at the men.
“It’s fucking needed, given the shit you’ve been pulling. Don’t leave them out in the hall.”
I look to Sydney, questioning, and she gives a brief nod.
I’m not sure why I’m questioning letting these men enter the hotel suite. Miles is pissed, but he’s not a violent guy. He can’t stand guns. He refuses to play violent video games.
Right now, he’s annoyed I won’t cave. I maintain controlling interest, and therefore the company can’t go public without my approval.
Before closing the door, I peer down the hall, half-expecting Alex to be waiting in the wings.
Satisfied that he’s nowhere to be found, I take in my old friend, too worked up to stand still, pacing between the circular sitting area and the adjacent room with a long dining table, a portion of the suite Sydney and I have yet to use. Daisy swears that Miles aims to mimic Ryan Reynolds in all things fashion, and in his tapered dark jeans, brown wingtips, subdued tee, and flexy light suede jacket, I’d say he nailed the look today, even if the suede jacket has no place in July in D.C. The black square dark-rimmed glasses create a funky, cool vibe, all designed to hide the inner geek. Before I left on vacation, he’d been growing out his thick black hair, debating attempting gravity-defying dreadlocks, but he must’ve lost patience, as his hair is shorn down almost to the scalp.
“Still holing up with your vacation find, I see,” he says, speaking in the general direction of Sydney, but avoiding her direct gaze. “She’s lovely, but can we clear the room? I’m happy for you and all, but we need to talk.”
