Page 174 of Nash Falls

“Yes. You and I have met before, actually. Up in New York City with the deputy AG, when I was recruited for this mission. You accepted my terms, and we’ve been working this ever since. I’ve just been lying low for a bit and, um,changingthings up.”

Nash looked at him directly and cocked his head. Morris stared intently back at him and then his jaw eased down in shock as he put two and two together. Nash thought he could hear the man mutter, “Holy Mother of God.”

Nash said, “It would also be really good if we could somehow show that Mrs. Nash was no longer… around, so that folks would notlookfor her.”

Morris nodded, clearly trying to process all this. He finally said, “Um, okay, it will be communicated publicly that Mrs. Nash was… um, killed during the course of a home invasion. We’ll sell that to the local cops.”

“You came up with that quickly,” said an impressed Nash.

“When you messaged me, we decided on a plan if we got here in time. I need to call in another team. I’ll be back in two minutes.”

After he left, Judith looked at Nash and said, “I’ll be safe. But will you?”

“I’ll be fine. I’m just glad this all worked out and that we were able…” Here Nash stumbled and couldn’t finish.

She looked at the men on the floor. “You saved my life.” She gave him a searching look and then glanced away when Morris came back in.

“Okay, the team will be here ASAP and we’ll get this done.” He said to Nash, “You’d best be on your way… Agent Hope.”

Nash looked at his wife, wanting more than anything to tell her who he really was.

All he said was, “Good luck, Mrs. Nash.”

She gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek and stared deeply into his features.

In fact, Nash felt like he was being x-rayed.

“Thank you, AgentHope.”

After he left Morris said awkwardly to her, “Um, he’s a good man, quite capable.”

Judith gave him a contemptuous glance and said, “What do you expect from a fucking Eagle Scout?”

CHAPTER

85

ISTILL CAN’T BELIEVE IT,” SAIDRhett. It was the next day and he was at his estate in the hills. Nash and Ryder both sat across from him in his father’s old office. They had all seen the news reports of the violent incident at Nash’s old home. “You sent a team there. And none of them came back. And yet Judith was killed?”

Nash said, “If you want my opinion, your guys are in custody and being questioned right now by the Feds.”

“I disagree,” said Ryder quietly.

“Then where are they?” retorted Nash. “Why haven’t they reported back?”

Ryder did not answer. She simply studied her phone.

Nash continued, “This is classic FBI playbook. They feed out to the news what they want and leave out all the rest.”

“You have experience with the FBI?” Ryder said sharply.

“Every person working in the personal security sector for high-net-worth Americans has dealt with the FBI,” Nash replied. “You ask me, they had an informant that tipped them off that something was about to go down with the woman. They didn’t get there in time to save her, but they got your team as the consolation prize.” He glanced from Ryder to Rhett and then back at the woman.

Nash had arrived back at the estate last night—he hoped unseen— but, wanting to divert any suspicion, he had decided to go on offense and put Ryder on her heels with what had happened.

“That is absurd,” retorted Ryder.

“The conditions on the ground say otherwise,” countered Nash. “Unless all your guys turned traitor at the same time.”