“Can’t we bid on him?” I asked.
Christian turned. “You can’t save them all. We don’t have unlimited funds.”
“But you’ll have rescued the kid.”
“Aye. And if we’re lucky enough to catch the seller, we might not have enough evidence against him. We can’t prove they were the kidnapper, and we can’t link them to a murder. It would be the decent thing to do, but it would also put us out of business. Sometimes thereisno child. Here we have an opportunity to capture the person on the front end. Whether he’s the actual seller is irrelevant; he’s the man who does the dirty work. If we catch him, we can save a lot more lives.”
Niko rubbed his eyes and stood up. “If my services are no longer required, I’ll bid you all a good night.”
“Hey, Niko,” I quickly said.
He half turned.
“I owe you a training session.”
“Tomorrow. One hour before breakfast, we’ll work on balance.”
After Niko left the room, Christian strolled over to the sofa and looked me over. “You should lie down.”
“That’s what I’m doing.”
“Viktor might have plans for us tomorrow once we fill him in. Better you get some rest in a proper bed.”
Without warning, he bent down and scooped me into his arms. I grimaced when a dull ache spread across my shoulder, but I didn’t complain. My leg was fine as long as I didn’t walk on it.
We moved into the hall, which was illuminated by a few lanterns on the walls. Christian hadn’t put on a shirt since arriving home, and unlike me, he was buzzing with energy. He had the look of a person after they get off a roller coaster. Even the smirk beneath his scruffy beard told me his spirits were high.
“Why are you in such a good mood?” I finally asked.
“I thought Blue was a daredevil, but I don’t think I’ve ever met a woman as fearless as you.”
I smiled lazily. “My daddy’s a biker. It’s in my blood.”
“Were you this brazen before you were turned?”
“I once went train surfing at night.”
“Surprised it wasn’t on an airplane.”
“Couldn’t afford the ticket.”
He ascended a wide staircase that gently curved to the left.
“Where were you at tonight?” I asked.
“Just having a pint.”
“You got to the bridge pretty fast.”
“It wasn’t that far off. I shadow walked most of the way. Had to leave behind the Honda.”
“Maybe you’ll get lucky and someone will steal it.”
“Now is that any way to talk about my girl? She’s a classy one. Reliable, fast, warms my arse.”
“She’s also not your type.”
“And how would you know what my type is?”
