Page 29 of Dichotomy

“So you’re saying that’s not you on the audio,” Mike snapped at her.

Evelyn shook her head. “That’s not what I’m saying. That is me on the audio. I’m telling you that I would have said anything to stay alive. Including lying to my obviously very deranged kidnappers.”

Mike’s face turned red, and he glared at her.

“That makes sense,” I cut in before he could speak. “But you can see why the audio could be misleading. Is there any reason why this person would assume you are the leader of this vigilante group?”

Evelyn regarded me quietly while she thought. “I mean, I believe they thought that my bosses at SDS run it, so I’m not sure how they jumped to me running it.”

“Why did they think your bosses run it?” Mike asked, his eyes gleaming with interest at this new bit of information.

“Probably because SDS has a code of ethics and morals, and Citadel does not,” Evelyn said, a small smirk playing on her lips. “They assumed that just because SDS doesn’t take morally corrupt jobs means that they must run the Archers.”

“Do you have any proof of that?” Mike pressed her. “Because it sounds like you’re just trying to throw us off the trail.”

“The trail of what, Agent Holden?” her lawyer interceded. “Miss Harper was a victim of those men’s vicious attack, andnow you’re trying to victim blame by spinning her into a vigilante leader? How about you investigate those men and figure out how they went unchecked for so long right under the FIA’s noses?”

Damn, their lawyer didn’t come to play. I would normally be irritated with a lawyer present shutting us down. But I couldn’t help but root for Evelyn.

I had no proof other than a strong hunch that she was the leader of the Archers, or at least closely involved with them. Probably SDS was too. If she truly was the leader of the Archers, that meant her organization had done a lot of good in the city. And even beyond the city, if the rumors were to be believed. I had been using this case to expose corruption at the FIA, but maybe I was going about it wrong. Maybe it wasn’t using the case to prove corruption at the FIA but using the case’s focus. Maybe I could get some allies in helping to expose the FIA’s corruption.

There was something about Evelyn that called to me. Not to protect her but just to be in her presence. If Evelyn was the leader of the Archers, would she help me? And even if she wasn’t, maybe SDS could?

“Is that it?” her lawyer said when Mike didn’t say anything.

His eyes darted over to Director Keller before he answered. “That’s it.For now.” He stressed the last two words, and the lawyer huffed at him.

“I’ll walk you out,” I offered.

The lawyer exited the room first, followed by Evelyn and then Adrian. I fell into step alongside Evelyn as we walked toward the front of the station. Adrian dropped back as if he were guarding our backs. The lawyer, Julie, was already on her phone, and she strode ahead of us.

“How long are you going to be in town, Agent Hayes?”

I grinned at the subtle probing. “Not sure yet, Miss Harper.”

“Please, call me Evelyn,” she said.

That was a good sign, right? We walked through the door into the lobby. I was running out of time if I wanted to ask her for help.

“We’ve definitely been here longer than I thought. We’ve started exploring some local places, though.”

“Really? Which ones?”

I saw my opening. If there was a chance that Evelyn could help me take out the corruption at the FIA, I had to take it.

“My partner likes the local sports bar Declan’s Pub. In fact, we’re going to be there tonight. You should come if you don’t have plans.”

If the Archers were half as smart as I thought they were, they would have already staked out our offices. Hell, if SDS was half as good as their reputation, they would also already know where our offices were. It was just Mike and me in the office right now. I wasn’t sure about the director’s plans, but if he was staying in town, I could invite him out for some drinks.

“Agent Hayes, are you asking me out?” She played off the question, but I noticed the interest in her eyes. Whether it was interest in me or in the tidbit of information I just dropped, I wasn’t sure. Maybe she wasn’t dating Adrian?

“Please, call me Dominic. And maybe.”

Her eyes flashed to Adrian quickly before she bit her lip. “I’m flattered, but I’m not free tonight.” Okay, maybe she was dating Adrian? Or was she taking the lead I was handing her?

“That’s too bad,” I said. “I think we’re going to be there until close if you change your mind.”

She nodded, and I extended my hand to her. “Well, thank you for your time, Evelyn.”