Because no one had pulled a gun on me yet—there was still time—and because I was in a boardroom and not a cell, I dragged out a chair, sank back into it, and kicked up my feet.
Black sighed at the sight, much as she’d done earlier when I’d done the same in that other barren office. “Director Reinier is gracing you with this meeting.”
My brow puckered at that.
Reinier.
The director of the CIA.
Here.
In front of me.
The man who’d sold Star out.
For the first time in my life, my brain froze.
Sometimes, it worked so fast that it outpaced my heartbeat, but at that moment, it literally stilled.
Was this what impending death felt like, or maybe I was just dealing with an aneurysm?
But my eyes were working.
My ears too.
I could still taste the spice from the pepperoni, and the air conditioning was on high for some bizarre reason considering we were in the depths of winter, and my nose discerned the faint notes of the aftershave I’d sprayed on earlier.
No, Iwasalive. I wasn’t dying.
Had I just entered a room where one of Star’s mortal enemies was breathing and existing?
One who was within arm’s reach…?
Fuck.
7
CONOR
Reinier stopped staringat the parking lot and turned around to face me. His gaze flickered over Black. “How long did it take him, agent?”
“Around one hundred and sixty minutes, director.”
“That’s… disappointing.”
Still with my feet on the desk despite my discomposure, I shrugged. “I thought my work was superb actually.”
Reinier’s mouth twitched—less in humor and more in annoyance. “I’m sure you’re aware that we’d have preferred the platform we’ve been developing for months to be more difficult to penetrate than it was.”
“When you terrify a bunch of kids into making software for you, what do you expect? And what the hell were you thinking about giving them the go-ahead to work on a multicast transmission? What are we? Back in the days ofMyspace?” I scoffed.
Reinier’s nostrils flared. “Agent Riggs warned me of your manners, Mr. O’Donnelly—”
“I’m sure I lived up to them.”
“She certainly didn’t downplay them. Still, you’ve been of great service to your country today. The nation can’t thank you, but I can.”
Like I gave a fuck.