“I will come with you, and you can’t stop me,” Olivia says. “Don’t call Viktor. He can’t stop me either.”
Garrett’s voice comes back strained, almost pleading.
“Please, Mrs. Kyzer. I have this under control, and I promise you that if all goes well and it turns out Wren is innocent, I will bring her back myself, unharmed.”
“Nonsense. I’m not coming for Wren. I’m coming for my son. No one believes in my Romy, but I do. He’s smart, he takes initiative, and this time, he struck gold. I want to be there for him when you all see that he was right all along, and Wren isn’t some spy or undercover cop. I want him to see his mother is on his side.”
Garrett doesn’t respond to that. I can picture him standing there, cigarette in hand, at a complete loss for words.
I’m shocked at Olivia’s reaction. She can’t be serious. For her to be present during this sort of operation, when drugs move hands, is beneath her. Most likely, not even Lucien or Cesar will be there. From what I’ve glimpsed over the past few days, I know the two brothers are out of Roman’s operation for good, too mad at him to contribute anymore. And Viktor is probably cooped up in his palace or wherever he spends his time, far removed from the actual dirty work.
But Olivia is undeterred. She’ll do whatever the hell she wants, and no one can talk sense into her. She’s certain that her youngest did a good job, so this isn’t necessarily about trusting me. It’s about trusting Roman, who trusts me. She wants to be there to witness his triumph.
The door opens, and Olivia sweeps into the bedroom with a warm smile on her face. I study that smile, trying to figure out if it’s honest or if she’s just a great actress. I still can’t tell.
“Garrett will untie you now,” she says, her voice light and pleasant. “He’s such a barbarian sometimes, isn’t he? You’ll have to forgive him, I beg you.”
“It’s no trouble at all,” I say, keeping my own voice calm and compliant. “I understand.”
“Of course you do.” She beams at me like I’ve passed some kind of test. “You’re such a darling, and so well behaved.”
Garrett appears from behind her, and I see that he looks defeated. His brow is permanently furrowed, and a cigarette dangles from his lips as he moves to untie me.
I move slowly when the ropes fall away, rubbing my wrists and rolling my shoulders. I want them to think I’m compliant and I’m not going to cause problems. Things are going well, as far as I’m concerned. If they take me out of this apartment, there’s a chance Zeth will find me. I’ve been thinking about him all this time, wondering where he is, if he got the USB stick to Tom safely. I know he won’t find me if I’m trapped in here. I doubt he can find this location at all. But once we’re moving, once we’re out in the open, maybe he’ll catch up to us.
“Come now,” Olivia says, threading her arm through mine like we’re old friends. “We’ll go on a little adventure, and when all this is over, we’ll have that coffee.”
We walk like that to the front door, but Garrett stops us before we can leave, and he slips the bag over my head. Olivia doesn’t protest, and that tells me everything I need to know. Her kindness toward me is fake. Despite her desire to believe that Roman is infallible, she’s entertaining the idea that I might be a mole.
We walk to the elevator and ride down a few floors. The chilly night air hits me when we exit the building. Olivia lets go of my arm, and after Garret helps her into the car, it’s my turn. The car ride is long, and I try to track the turns in my head but lose count after a while. I think we’re headed outside the city. The roads feel smoother, less stop-and-go than city traffic.
When we finally stop and Garrett helps me out so I don’t hit my head, my sneakers crunch on gravel. I hear another car door slam shut somewhere nearby, and then Roman’s voice as he rushes toward us.
“Mom? What are you doing here?”
Garrett removes the bag from my head, and I blink in the dim light. A warehouse looms in the dark.
Olivia is hugging Roman, smoothing down his wild hair as he clings to her.
“I’m here to support you, baby,” she says, pulling back to look at his face. She takes his hand, and they start walking toward the warehouse. “Come, let’s get this over with, so we can have a nice, late dinner and talk.”
I follow Garrett, but I let myself fall behind a few steps, looking around. We’re in some kind of industrial area, warehouses and empty lots stretching out in every direction. The night is eerily quiet, and that makes me anxious. Where are the FBI agents? Are they already in position, waiting to catch everyone in the act?
Garrett grabs my arm and pulls me forward, his grip tight enough to bruise. He leans in close and hisses in my ear.
“No funny business.”
I wonder if Zeth is somewhere around here, watching from the shadows. I wonder if he can see me. The thought gives me a small measure of comfort, even though I have no way of knowing if it’s true.
Inside the warehouse, I see a crate sitting in the middle of the concrete floor. I’m guessing it’s filled with the Flame I cooked. I hear two cars pulling up outside, and then a few men enter. Suddenly, there are two parties facing each other with the crate in the middle. I don’t recognize the men who just joined us because the light is too dim to make out their faces.
I stand back and watch, thinking it’s better to keep in the background and not draw attention to myself. I wonder if this is the warehouse where I was first taken when they kidnapped me. I discreetly look around, trying to find Zeth in case he’s here, but I don’t see anything. The atmosphere feels tense, like everyone iswaiting for something to go wrong, and I hope it does. Wrong for them, right for me. God, how I want this to be over.
Roman steps forward and shakes hands with the man who seems to be the boss of the other group. Then he opens the crate and takes out one vial, holding it up to the light.
“You came for Crimson Haze,” Roman says, his voice confident and proud, “but the Kyzers have better. This is a revolutionary concoction. You’ve never seen anything like it, I promise. We call it the Flame.”
The man uncorks the vial and sniffs it, swirling the liquid around. When the vapors hit his nose, he closes his eyes and grunts in approval. He shakes Roman’s hand again, and his eyes are bright in the poor light. I think he’s not completely human. Maybe he’s a hybrid of some sort with enhanced senses, if he was able to determine that fast that the Flame is special.
