Page 89 of Only the Devil

“No.” The word comes out sharper than intended. “I mean... Jake’s here. Your guy. He’s good.”

Another pause. Longer this time.

“Is he?” There’s something in his voice I can’t quite parse. Not jealousy—Rhodes doesn’t do jealousy. But something territorial. Protective.

“He’s fine, Rhodes. I’m fine. I just need to dig deeper into Sterling’s financials. Look for payments, connections...”

“Daisy.” His voice is gentle now, the way it gets when he’s about to tell me something I don’t want to hear. “You’re not fine. And you’re not a field operative. ” I close my eyes, hating how well he knows me.

“I can handle this.”

“That’s what worries me.” The words hang there, weighted with everything he’s not saying. How I ran. How he let me. How we both know I’m playing in a game I don’t fully comprehend and pretending it’s just another coding challenge. “Just...be careful, okay?”

The line goes quiet, but he doesn’t hang up. Neither do I.

“He’s unethical, Rhodes. My instincts were spot on. I got a little hazy there for a bit, but…”

“What do you mean by hazy?”

“Nothing. It doesn’t matter. I need to uncover evidence and get out of here.”

“No, Daisy. Not you. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you since you took off on this mission of yours. You are a programmer. One of the best. But you aren’t a trained investigator. You’ve been there for almost two months now, and you haven’t uncovered anything useful. Use the team at your disposal. Use KOAN.”

Right. Because trusting anyone else has gone so well for me.

Chapter 29

Jake

Thompson called in sick today. The guy didn’t even bother to feign a cough. He’s clearly hung over. It’s no sweat off my back — they really don’t need two of us on duty.

After last night, it’s been especially nice to have a slow morning. I meant it when I told her I love her. We didn’t discuss what that means, but we’ve got time. When she’s done with this — and she will be done; she’s not going to continue working for a guy like Sterling forever — we can figure things out. She said she worked remotely for ARGUS. With KOAN I likely won’t have that luxury, but even if I’m traveling back to her on weekends or between assignments, I have no doubt we’ll keep seeing each other and see where this thing goes. It’s a comforting feeling — the sensation that you’ve found something, someone solid. That we’ve got a good thing.

A flash on the monitor catches my attention. Daisy exits Sterling’s office, twisting her silver ring. If I had to guess, whatever happened in the room with the two Middle Eastern men didn’t sit well. She returns to her office.

I bounce the stress ball up and down, scanning the six monitors.

Daisy moves between her laptop and computer, talking to herself.

Daisy exits her office.

Now she’s in the elevator, and I watch, sitting up straight when she enters the lobby. She marches straight to the security room, and I’m up with the door open before she can knock.

“What’s up?” I scan the lobby over her shoulder, though I already know no one’s there. Mona, the temp receptionist, is reading a paperback and doesn’t bother to look our way.

Daisy steps past me and I shut the door behind her.

“Can we talk?”

“Sure.” I step past her so I can keep an eye on the monitors. If anyone comes this way, I’ll see them. “What’s going on?”

I study her face — the pale skin, the furrow in her brow, the way her jaw’s clenched so tight I can practically see the muscle jump. “Did something happen?”

“No. Well, yes.” She paces like a caged animal; her hands are balled into fists at her sides. Three steps to the wall, pivot, three steps back. “We need to come up with a plan.”

“I agree.”

“It’s time to wrap this up.” She stops mid-pace and whirls to face me. Her voice rises, tight with barely controlled agitation. “I know you’re getting two salaries, but I can’t—” She cuts herself off, dragging both hands through her hair. “God, I’m sorry. That’s not—this isn’t about money.”