I’m stronger than this, I tell myself. I’m here because of Blake, and I’m within touching distance of finding answers. I don’t ask myself what the ultimate cost might be, but the waiting is finally over.
“My name is Jade Holloway, and my sister is Blake. She met you in Atlanta.” It’s a surreal moment as the words spill from my mouth. It’s almost as if I’m a passive listener too.
Ilya picks up his plate and rises from the table. He takes mine and carefully collects up my silverware, including the steak knife.
“Please, continue,” he says as he strolls over to the counter and sets the dishes down.
“She was besotted with you,” I say. “And in the space of six months she became completely unrecognizable. She wasn’t the sister I knew.”
“She blossomed under my care,” Ilya murmurs.
“No, she didn’t,” I argue. There’s nothing to be achieved by being polite. Ilya’s words have been brutal, so I reply in kind. “You used her. The last time I saw her she looked ill. She was painfully thin.”
Ilya returns with two chocolate tarts. “Are you sure you weren’t envious?” he asks, sliding my plate towards me as he takes his seat. “Although you don’t appear to be the type to worry too much about your figure.”
I grab a fork and stab at the chocolate filling. “I like my curves.”
Ilya watches as I take a mouthful. The corner of his mouth twitches. “So does Reid, judging by the video.”
The chocolate clogs my throat. “Your men videoed us?”
“It was a little grainy, but it’s amazing what AI can do to enhance an image. Catching a Griffin on camera, even the inept half-brother, should be a big hit on oneof my sites. People love a bit of voyeurism.” He digs a hand into his suit jacket. “Would you like to take a look?”
“Go to hell!” I hiss.
“That’s what I like to see,” Ilya says, a smug grin on his face. “Now you’re trembling with rage, not with fear. It helps to sharpen the mind. I think we’re ready to open up negotiations.”
“You’re blackmailing me?”
“I find blackmailing a rather blunt instrument, and I don’t believe it’s necessary in this situation.” His ice blue eyes hold mine. “What I’m going to do, dear Quinn, is coerce you.”
There’s such sincerity in his voice, I laugh out loud. “You can try.”
He keeps staring. And staring. I’m not laughing any more. My blood is like ice and my limbs freeze. I don’t breathe.
“Would you like to speak to your sister?”
And then my world shatters into a thousand icy shards. “She’s alive? Where? Is she OK?” I ask. My eyes dart to his pocket. Get the damn phone out.
“Please pay attention, Quinn,” he says impatiently. “I’m the one coercing you. If you behave accordingly, I’ll give you your reward.”
“Tell me she’s alive,” I demand through gritted teeth. He has to give me that.
“She’s alive and well, and never been happier.” He cuts a wedge off his chocolate tart and forks it into his mouth. His eyes roll back in his head. “This is delicious. Blake would kill me right now if she saw me eating chocolate. That woman worships my body like a temple. But what she doesn’t know, won’t hurt her.”
I feel dizzy. Every time I think I have my thoughts inorder, Ilya says something else to throw me into a spin. “She’s still with you?”
“Where else would she be?” he croons. “The only reason she vanished out of your life was that you refused to be a part of hers. Your last conversation broke her heart.”
A tear trickles down my cheek unchecked. I’ve gone over our argument in my head so many times. I told Blake she had to choose between me and Ilya. I told her she’d be dead to me if she chose wrong. I don’t need Ilya to point out that I broke her heart.
“It’s going to take a lot of persuasion before she’ll talk to you again, but I’m willing to put in the effort if you reciprocate.”
My patience snaps. I bang my fist on the table. “What do you want from me?”
Ilya steeples his hands beneath his chin. “I’m not the enemy, Quinn. I’m simply a player in a game with multiple adversaries. None of us are wholly good, or bad. We simply have different objectives. And to achieve our objectives, we collect various pieces. Some we keep. Some we throw away.”
“And you want me to be one of those pieces?”
