Nobody's Hero by Liz Lee Page A

was.
    “Okay, Callah, here’s the deal….”
    Callah blew out a pent up breath. “Riley, I’m tired of this. Let’s talk to the men outside this door. They’re the ones with the answers.”
    Riley frowned. “I know at some level that’s the truth. But they make me uncomfortable. All the secrets. And we still have the package delivered to me. It doesn’t make sense. I figure if we go to press with your story you’ll be safe.”
    Oh yeah. She certainly understood that line of thinking.
    “Exposing my life to the world will make me safe how exactly?”
    “Not the world, Callah. Burkette. Everyone will know you’re in danger. Danger you don’t know or understand. You’re one of us. People here will do everything in their power to keep you safe.”
    One of them. She wanted to laugh. God, she was so tired. She wished she still had the gun she’d left in Riley’s truck. Then maybe she’d feel safe. “And it’ll just happen to sell a few thousand papers too. Nice how that works.”
    “I’m not going to apologize for my job, Callah. It’s what I do. The fact that I think it’ll protect you is an added bonus.”
    “Whatever, Riley. Whatever. Write the story. Make it killer. Add all the good stuff. The way Charlie totally demoralized me. The way I let it happen. The way I moved back to Burkette to find safety and security in the expected and found instead that my entire life has been constructed on a lie.”
    He started forward and she held out her hand. “Don’t touch me, Riley. Just write the damn story. First though, I think we should talk to the nice men sitting out there so we can make sure we have all the gory details. What do you think? It might be good for a few more copies. Who knows? You could get lucky and win a Pulitzer. Get hired by CNN. Write a book and go on Oprah. Throw in all the juicy stuff, and they might even make a movie. Trust me when I say they’d love you in Hollywood.”  

    As Callah’s angry words slammed into Riley, he tried to let them bounce off. He knew he had to let her vent. Hell, he didn’t blame her. This whole thing sucked. Someone had screwed up. Big time. The men waiting in the hall were just two of those someone’s.
    Honestly, in a way she was right. He wanted this story, but more than that, he wanted her safe. Getting the story to the public was one way to make that happen. After her stunt with the gun, she was lucky they even had this chance.
    “I just want you to be safe, Callah.”
    She smiled in sad disbelief. “You’re a reporter, Riley. It’s okay. I get it.”
    He wasn’t going to argue with her. Not now. Later, once the upcoming interviews were over, she’d remember what they’d shared at the cabin, and then she’d know she was more than a story to him.  
    Mack set a Diet Coke in front of her and she popped the top with a thanks. Riley saw the worry on Mack’s face. Knew his editor was wondering how the suits outside might screw with the biggest story to hit Burkette.
    It was time to find out.
    “Call ’em in, Mack. Callah needs to know the truth.”

    The truth. Right. Callah wanted to laugh. And the whole Callah needs to know thing. Yeah. So selfless of him. Like he wasn’t salivating at the idea of more explosive details for his story.  
    The dog walker was followed by a trusty sidekick. Younger. Leaner. An all-American golden boy.   Her unease didn’t go away as Mr. dog walker flipped open his wallet and introduced himself.  
    “Ms. Crenshaw, I’m Special Agent Vince McBride with the FBI.” He pointed to the man standing to his side. “This is my partner Special Agent James Conroy. We’re sorry for the scare you had today, and we apologize for any inconvenience our surveillance might have caused you.”
    Inconvenience. Callah choked back a laugh. These men standing in front of her had answers she needed, so she wasn’t going to waste time berating them.
    “Nice to meet you both.” Years of training made the words sound cordial