by Beth Ryan
“The algorithms set by the Federal Trade Committee clearly outline what counts as a lie and what counts as the truth. Mr. Donovan will need to stay abreast of the acceptable percentages of chemical balance as they are updated each year, but,” King paused and considered. Then he nodded to himself. “Yes, I think you’ll manage just fine. As long as you stick to neutral conversation elements. When in doubt, well, you’ve never had a problem with lying before, now have you?”
“Why? Why do this to him when you could just get rid of both of us?”
“I am many things, Mr. Hall, but I am not a killer.”
“He could write down the truth,” Cooper pointed out, and I groaned.
A part of me wished that he’d had the chip alteration instead, just so he’d keep his mouth shut for five seconds. The lack of surprise on King’s part only served to fill me with shame for having even thought it, though. The head of the Lemniscate had clearly already considered this issue from all angles.
“Yes, you’re quite correct. The ways Mr. Donovan might alert someone to the living status of my children are innumerable, and this doesn’t cover even half of them. That is why he must remain here at my side, the quietly mourning widower of my late daughter. He will be well cared for for the rest of his days, given every opportunity to thrive, so long as I never catch him trying to pass on information that could lead to my children’s harm. Is that satisfactory to you, Nathan?”
I nodded. I didn’t have the time to come up with a reply that wouldn’t get me killed and the margin of error for making a statement versus speaking the truth was far too close to bother with testing the waters just now. It would be lies for me from now on, and noncommittal grunts where lies just wouldn’t do. Questions, if I was feeling adventurous, but I doubted there were many things I didn’t already know about how our government had screwed us all.
“Now, Mr. Hall, all I need is your real name to disable your trading chip, and you’ll be free to go.”
“No.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m not leaving.”
“Your release was negotiated, and I am a man of my word. I have little fear that you might attempt to reveal the truth while I have Nathan in custody, or that anyone would believe you.”
“Coop, please,” I begged, stepping close to him.
Then I fell silent. There was nothing I could say that would hold meaning. I couldn't tell him the truth now. I couldn't tell him how I needed him to go. Needed him to be safe. I couldn't tell him how much I felt, or how much his freedom meant to me. I couldn't express my hope that this was temporary and that Ivy would succeed in freeing all of us someday. There was nothing I could say that wasn’t the truth. So I settled for the same words I’d used to convince Audry to let me leave.
"Go. I'll meet you in Paris."
His glare deepened at my words, and I realized my mistake a moment too late.
He knew full well that I couldn’t speak the truth, that I didn’t believe I would ever get free of the Kingsland Mansion. He didn’t have to speak his disappointment when the anger in his eyes spoke for him. We both knew that no matter what I said, he would never believe a word of it.
He pulled away from me and stumbled toward President King.
“I’m not leaving,” he repeated. There was an edge to his voice that I’d never heard from him before. I spun around to catch the surprised expression that crossed King’s face. It quickly settled into something that resembled understanding.
“You will submit to the same procedure?” King asked.
Cooper nodded.
My jaw clenched and my hands balled into fists. I was prepared to do anything to knock some sense into my client. I would knock him out cold if I had to. Then we could connect him to the system and disable his chip. We could dump him somewhere in the city. He’d wake up sore but safe, and eventually, he might even forgive me.
I stepped closer, and he whirled around. Then I was staring down the barrel of the pistol in his hands and on the other side of the gun, Cooper’s cold gaze held mine. His hands didn’t waver as he pointed the weapon at me. His weight was evenly distributed as well, the supposed ankle injury gone without a trace. The safety clicked off, and his finger hovered over the trigger.
He lowered the gun from between my eyes, down to my left hip. I opened my mouth to say something, anything. I wanted to protest, to beg him to see sense. I was gagged. There was too much risk of accidental truths and too little time. There were no clever and convoluted statements that would put him at ease while keeping me alive. There was nothing I could do to stop what came next.
I lunged anyway.
The pain in my thigh blossomed out almost before the sound of the gun going off registered in my mind. Muscles and ligaments gave way beneath me, and I dropped, clutching my leg where blood was seeping into the filthy denim. It burned. It burned more than I had ever imagined it might. Nothing I had ever experienced had felt as painful as this.
“I’m ready,” he said, and King held the knife aloft.
Jimmy’s blood pooling on the steps and Rhys’s pleading expression frozen forever on his face were nothing compared to this moment, as Cooper turned with the gun in his hand and sat in the same chair I had used to seal my fate.
Looking me in the eye, he said the very last true words he could ever say.
“I’m not sorry.”
34
May 20th, 2080
In the end, there was no blaze of glory or triumph over the system. In the end, there was only acceptance. There was lie after lie that only hinted at the truth of what we felt, and the actions that spoke louder than words ever could. Hidden deep in the shared glances and unspoken words between us, there was a small glimmer of hope that somehow, by some miracle, the others had made it to Paris.
Hi!
I know, I know. It’s definitely a cliff hanger.
Good news is that book 2 is already out! Whisper Code continues the story of Nate and Cooper, and I can’t wait for you to read it. If you’re like me and need a little time to decompress between books there’s a ton of great content and great friends over on the D.C. Crew facebook group. Come join the party!
Beth Ryan
Author’s Note:
Trade Secrets is the first installment of The Donovan Chronicles. The second part, Whisper Code, is available as an e-book here and at all your other favorite digital book sellers. For updates on The Donovan Chronicles, consider joining the rest of The D.C. Crew on Facebook and signing up for our newsletter.
Anyone who chooses to make derivatives of this work, including art, fanfiction, or anything else, should consider contacting me or sharing via the above links. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the story, read your reviews, or chat about other books you’ve loved.
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Did you love Trade Secrets? Then you should read Whisper Code by Beth Ryan!
When you trade in lies, it's impossible to know who you can trust.
Nate Donovan used to spend his days turning a blind eye to his various client's dirty deeds and capital crimes. Now, his life is filled with luxury and deception. Balancing his new position in the government with his sordid criminal past, one wrong move is all it would take to reveal his crimes and earn him the execution of the century.
Worse, his death has the potential to expose every client he's ever worked with, including Cooper Hall.
Cooper was never supposed to get caught up in the complicated life of a black-market profile dealer. He was supposed to escape to Paris and leave Nate to do his job. Instead, they're both stuck behind enemy lines, fighting to find a way out.
Escape isn't as easy as it sounds. There are cybernetic implants poised to kill them if they breathe a word of
truth and cameras in every room. Their only form of communication is coded messages and whispered lies. Time is ticking and there's only so long they can last before one of them slips up and their covers are blown.
If they can maintain their façade and fool everyone around them, there's a chance they can both make it to Paris, but the price of liberty may not be one that Nate is willing to pay.
This Donovan Chronicles sequel follows Beth Ryan's debut novel, Trade Secrets.
Whisper Code is a story about trust, loss, and found family. If you like characters who say one thing and mean another, ASL representation, and an author who doesn't bury their gays then this is the series for you!
This LGBTQ page-turning thriller is going to make you forget all your responsibilities and keep on reading until the very last word.
Get Whisper Code today!
Also by Beth Ryan
The Donovan Chronicles
Trade Secrets
Whisper Code
