Page 63 of Tightrope

“Only people who know me very well get close enough to realize that it’s a reasonable question to ask,” he said finally.

“Because you don’t tell many people about your ability?”

“And because I tell even fewer people that I’m very, very good at deception. It makes most people uncomfortable, to put it mildly.” Matthias paused for emphasis. “Actually, it scares the hell out of most of them.”

Amalie reflected briefly. “I’m not scared of you.”

“Maybe you should be.”

“Maybe one day I will be, but not today. Do I get an answer to my question? How would I know if you were lying to me?”

Matthias studied her for a long moment. Then he walked to the closet and draped the tie around a coat hanger.

“You probably wouldn’t know,” he said. He turned to face her. “But I will tell you that I would find it very difficult to lie to you. I’d have to have a hell of a reason.”

“Such as?”

“It wouldn’t be easy, but I’d lie to you in a heartbeat if I thought it was the only way to keep you safe.”

She absorbed that for a moment. “You did say intent is everything when it comes to lies.”

“Outside of a life-or-death situation, I think it would be next to impossible for me to lie to you.”

“Why?”

“Because you’ve gotten too close to me.”

“We’ve only known each other for a few days.”

“You and I nearly got killed today,” Matthias said. “That creates a unique bond, believe me. But that’s not the real problem for me.”

“What is the problem?”

Matthias crossed the space to stand directly in front of her.

“I’m the one at risk here,” he said. “Congratulations, Amalie Vaughn. You are one of a very small group of people who could lie to me and make me believe you, at least for a while.”

She caught her breath. “Really?”

Matthias gripped her shoulders. “Lies work brilliantly when the people you’re lying to want to believe that you’re telling them the truth. I’m no exception to that rule.”

The atmosphere in the intimate room suddenly felt as fragile as fine crystal.

“Are you saying you would want to believe me?” she asked.

“Yes, if you truly wanted me to believe you, I would probably buy whatever story you were selling.”

“At least for a while.”

“At least for a while,” he echoed. “I trust you, Amalie. Do you think you can trust me, at least until we’re on the other side of this damn cipher machine case?”

She did not have to give that a second’s thought. She knew the answer.

“Yes,” she said. “I trust you until this thing is over.”

It sounded as if they were taking a blood oath, she thought, vowing to remain comrades in arms until the battle was finished. What would follow was still to be determined—assuming they survived.

Matthias watched her very steadily for a moment. Then he took his hands off her shoulders and stepped back.