The Safe Bet (Hidden Truths #1)(86)

“If the project you were working on fell into the wrong hands, the outcome could cause massive devastation to the U.S.” He took a second to clear his throat as he adjusted his bold red tie.

Was he kidding? “Which is kind of why we shouldn’t have been working on the project to begin with, don’t you think?” Shit. I didn’t mean to say that. Shit. Shit. Shit.

He stood up in one fast movement and was by her chair before she could blink. He placed his hand on her shoulder, and she swallowed as she looked up at him. “What is it that you’re not telling me?” he asked, his voice resonating with an unspoken warning.

“Nothing, I swear. I—I just think that our project was a dangerous one.”

“Did you voice your concerns to anyone?”

She shook her head with a reaffirming no. “Of course not.” She tried to remain calm, but she wanted to shout at him, to scream at the top of her lungs. “Henry’s not a traitor. Evidently you think he did something wrong, but that’s not the case. I promise. He loved . . . loves his country.”

Something shifted in the man’s mood. He took a step back and was silent for a few minutes. “If you hear anything from him, you must call us.”

“You’re letting me go?” she asked as her brows popped up in shock. “But you just said—”

“At the moment, we don’t think you are in danger.”

Oh God. What if terrorists are waiting at my apartment to snatch me up? “Henry is missing. The lab is empty. And I am not in danger? What is it that you aren’t telling me?”

“I can’t divulge any other information. I would like for you to take some time off from work until we rectify the situation. We’ll be in touch. Homeland will call you when they find a suitable job for you in Aberdeen. Consider your current assignment over.” He started for the door. “One of my agents will be in momentarily, and he’ll see that you get to your desired location.”

“But—” She watched the door close before she pressed her hands to her face. This has to be a nightmare, right?

Perhaps when she opened her eyes, she’d awake in her bed.

But instead, Ava was greeted by a black bag over her head—again.