FORTY NINE - RYDER

As I flew east, halfway between where I was and where I had to be, my phone buzzed. Lyndon. He asked if I wanted him to do something about Kim. “What are you going to do?” I asked, almost surprised at how calm I sounded. “I thought you said you didn’t have anything.” “I didn’t find anything,” he replied, that casual tone that always made me wonder if he had a card hidden up his sleeve. I knew what he meant. Lyndon always had something in his back pocket—some angle, a setup, a way to corner someone. The question was: did I want him to use it on Kim? I stared blankly at the seat in front of me, weighing my options. If Lyndon could come up with something to counter what Kim had on me, my life would get a lot simpler. Despite how much Samantha cared about her, Kim had burned that bridge. She knew accusing me of framing her could drive a wedge between them. It might work. But just as the thought formed, it quickly faded. As much as I trusted Lyndon, there were no guarantees Samantha wouldn’