Saving Faith By: David Baldacci

really doesn’t change for me, it actually gets worse. And you running

around trying to ditch me isn’t damn well helping.”

“But they already knew you were involved. Remember back at your

apartment.”

Lee shook his head. “Those weren’t the Feds.”

She looked stunned. “Who, then?”

“I don’t know. But the Feds don’t show up disguised as UPS men. FBI

Rule Number One: Overwhelming force trumps all. They would’ve come

with about a hundred guys and the Hostage Rescue Team and the dogs and

body armor and shit like that. And they just come in and take your

ass, case closed.” Lee’s voice grew calmer as he thought things

through. “Now, the guys waiting for you at the gate were FBI.” He

nodded thoughtfully. “They weren’t trying to hide who they were.” The

other two men at the departure gate? All bets were off. But he knew

Faith was very lucky to be alive.

“Oh, and by the way, you’re welcome for me saving your butt again.

Another few seconds and you’re back in FBI land with more questions

than you have answers for. Maybe I should’ve just let them take you,”

he added wearily.

“Why didn’t you?” she asked quietly.

Lee almost felt like laughing. The whole experience was like a dream.

But where do I go to wake up?

“Right now, lunacy seems to be at the top of the list.” Faith

attempted a smile. “Thank God for lunatics.”

Lee didn’t smile back. “From now on, we are Siamese twins. You better

get used to seeing a man take a piss because, lady, we are inseparable

from here on.”

“Lee-”

“I don’t want to hear it! Just don’t say a damn thing.” His voice was

trembling. “I’m so close to punching the shit out of you, I swear to

God.” He made a big show of reaching over and clamping one big hand

over her wrist, as though a living handcuff. Then he sat back, staring

at nothing.

Faith didn’t try to pull her hand away, not that she could have. And

she was really terrified he might take a swing at her. This was

probably about as angry as Lee Adams had ever gotten in his entire

life, she thought. She finally sat back and tried to calm down. Her

heart was beating so fast it seemed impossible for her blood vessels to

survive the pressure. Maybe she’d save everyone a lot of trouble and

just drop from a coronary.

In Washington you could lie about sex, money, power, loyalties. You

could spin falsehoods into truths and simple facts into lies. She had

seen it all. It was one of the most frustrating and cruelest places on

earth, where one relied on old alliances and quick feet for survival

and where every new day, every fresh relationship, could be the one

that made you or destroyed you. And Faith had thrived in that world,

loved it, in fact. Until now.

Faith could not look at Lee Adams, for fear of what she would see in

his eyes. He was all she had. Although she barely knew the man, for

some reason she craved his respect, his understanding. She knew she

would get neither. She didn’t deserve them.

Out of the car window she stared at a plane quickly gaining altitude.

In another few seconds it would disappear into the clouds. Soon the

passengers would only be able to see that layer of puffy cumulus

beneath them, as though the world below had suddenly disappeared. Why

couldn’t she be on that plane and just keep climbing, to a place where

she could start over? Why couldn’t a place like that exist? Why?

CHAPTER 23

BROOKE REYNOLDS SAT GLUMLY AT THE SMALL TABLE, chin resting on her

palm, and wondered if anything ever was going to go right on this case.

They had found Ken Newman’s car. It had been professionally cleansed

such that her team of “experts” were unable to provide her with any

real clues. She had just checked with the lab. They were still

messing around with the tape. Worst of all, Faith Lockhart had slipped

right through her fingers. At this rate she’d be FBI director in no

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