No One to Trust Read Online Free PDF

breathing to slow and then started the ignition.
    After I pulled out of the garage and into rush-hour traffic, I took out my cell phone and called Finn. It went right to voice mail which meant he was probably on the phone. I left him a short message about what had happened. Five minutes later he called me back.
    “Jesus, Lexi, are you all right?” he asked before I could even say hello. “Where are you?”
    “I’m fine. Just shaken up a bit. I’m in the car on my way home.”
    “I’ve already contacted building security and the police. What the hell is going on?”
    “Looks like we aren’t the only ones anxious to find Darren Greening.” I quickly filled him in on my exchange with the thug.
    He swore. “I’d never have taken this case if I’d known it would put you in danger.”
    My heart warmed at the concern in his voice. “It’s okay, Finn. How could you know? I’m fine, really. I think it was just information he was after.”
    “You didn’t get a look at him?”
    “No, he came at me from behind. But he had a slight accent.”
    “Accent?”
    “Yes. I couldn’t place it, though. Slavic, I think.”
    A loud noise cut off part of Finn’s reply and then I heard, “Lexi, the police are here. They’ll want to talk to you.”
    “Can I talk to them in the morning? I’ve already told you everything I know.”
    “Hold on. I’ll ask.”
    He spoke to someone and then came back. “They said it’s okay. Building security already made a thorough sweep and the guy is long gone. Since you didn’t get a good look at him, I suppose there’s not much they can do at this point anyway.”
    We talked for a few more minutes before I signed off. I had calmed down significantly now that I knew my death wasn’t imminent. Still, I drove carefully, heading north toward my apartment in the small but loveable town of Jessup, Maryland.
    I had rented the apartment several years ago because it was close to the NSA and it had a Dunkin’ Donuts nearby. I could live without a garden or a garage, but in my book, a Dunkin’ Donuts is a critical amenity. Now that I work in Crystal City, Virginia, the commute is a real bitch. But I don’t want to move just yet. Not until I’m certain this whole new job thing will work out. Frankly, after today’s events, things weren’t looking that promising for me.
    I’m an insecure and cautious person by nature. That means I find security living close to my only other friends in the world, my neighbor Jan Walton and the Zimmerman twins—the genius computer security architects of most of the government’s important systems.
    I remembered I’d been heading to their house after I’d left work, so I made a turn a couple of streets earlier than mine. Xavier and Elvis probably made more money than the entire population of Jessup put together, but still live in the same old house they’d bought when they were starting out as computer nerds at the NSA. Now they are employed by ComQuest in Baltimore and work out of their house. The twins prefer to work in isolation, and the big wigs at ComQuest are so thrilled to have their genius at their disposal that they basically let them do whatever they want, wherever they want to do it.
    The twins and I met at the National Security Agency and they took an instant liking to me, probably because I was the only person they knew who could beat them at Quake. I also play a decent game of pool—a game they adore—and we’re all crazy about anchovies on pizza. Apparently that’s the only criteria they have for friends, since this odd combination was enough to make me a kindred spirit.
    I parked the car and walked up to the door. Ringing the bell, I waited until Xavier opened the door. He was tall and slender with dark brown hair, sharp blue eyes and nice, elegant hacker hands.
    “Hey, Lexi.” I saw his eyes light up. Then he glanced over my shoulder. “Did you come alone?”
    Xavier had a serious crush on Basia. He had probably hoped she had come