True Fiction (Ian Ludlow Thrillers #1)(67)

He offered her his hand. She shook it. “Does this car have machine gun turrets and ejector seats?”

“No, I’m afraid not,” he said.

“That’s no fun,” she said.

Healy shifted his attention to Ian. “I read your book. Scary stuff.”

“Most of it’s true but you already know that,” Ian said. “The only thing I made up was the security company’s motive for crashing the plane because I didn’t know the real one.”

“The whole notion is preposterous,” Healy said. “The government would never outsource covert operations to the private sector.”

“Okay,” Margo said. “So why did Blackthorn crash the jet?”

Healy gave her a hard look. “They didn’t.”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s the official line but it’s just us boys in here,” Margo said. “You can tell us the truth. What place could be more secure than the CIA director’s limo? Or are you worried the car is bugged?”

Healy ignored her and focused his attention again on Ian. “I know it was you on the phone with Cross. I know everything.”

“I would hope so,” Ian said. “It would be a sad commentary on the CIA if you didn’t.”

“And if I didn’t, I would have known after reading your book,” Healy said. “You exposed yourself. That wasn’t very smart.”

Ian shrugged. “It’s my failing. I’m a storyteller. I couldn’t resist telling a good story.”

“The president appreciates that you chose to tell your story as fiction. So do I. You did the right thing for your country.”

“I wasn’t being patriotic,” Ian said. “I don’t think the country would be too thrilled if they knew that what happened in Hawaii was my idea.”

“That’s why I’m here,” Healy said. “Your fiction has an uncanny way of becoming fact. We could use people with imagination at the CIA.”

Ian laughed. “Are you offering me a job?”

“How would you like to become Clint Straker?” Healy asked. “You’d still be a writer, traveling all over the world researching your international thrillers, but you’d also be working for us. It’s the perfect cover.”

“Author by day? Secret agent by night?”

“Something like that,” Healy said.

“You can’t be serious.” Margo glared at Healy and then turned to Ian. “Have you forgotten that this is how you got into trouble before?”

“Relax,” Ian said. “I didn’t say I was going to do it.”

“You didn’t say no, either.”

That was true. He didn’t.