Excerpted from THE BEST LIES by David Ellis   1   Leo     I hear them coming up the back stairs, the fire escape off the alley. Their footfalls are harsh, trudging, deliberate. So they’re not coming to kill me. That’s the good news. The bad news is they’re coming to arrest me. You should reconsider your life choices when those are the only two possibilities. Cops. Local or federal? I’m not sure which I should fear more. I’ll know soon. I pull out my phone and dial my law partner, Montgomery Morris. “Happy Valentine’s Day,” he says. “You busy?” “On my way to the Bulls game. Why?” “I’m gonna need a lawyer, Monty.” “You— what? Why?” “It’s a long story. They’re about to take me into custody.” “Well . . . when?” “In about eleven seconds,” I say. “Eleven sec— the Bulls are playing Giannis tonight. Is it serious?” “Umm . . . probably. It depends on which crime they charge.” “There’s more than one to choose from?” “Depends on whether it’s FBI or local cops.” “You don’t even know that much? What did you do now, Leo?” The fire escape from the second story to the third, where I…