“Let’s not pretend that you would actually pull the trigger, tesoro,” she said, settling back against the seat, imitating my posture. “You are not a violent person.”
“Nor am I a stupid one,” I said quietly. “You wouldn’t hurt me now after you’ve saved my life.”
Her eyes clouded over. “Charlie.”
“How did you two meet?”
She folded her arms across her chest. “Cayo hired him to help with operations. It began there.”
“Did you know Papá was sick?”
She nodded. “It’s why he wanted Cleopatra so badly. He believed her body would cure him.”
“You will tell me where you’ve hidden her,” I said. “Andthe cache.”
She remained stubbornly silent.
“You’d let your brother die in prison?” I asked flatly. “Abdullah?”
Mamá lifted her chin, her face stony. “Maspero and his associates don’t have enough proof to keep them there. You’ve caused nothing but stress, grief, and heartache since coming to Egypt. I think you can deal with the consequences ofyouractions.”
“How dare you,” I seethed.
“I dared to save your life,” she shouted. “I killed Charlie. Do you have any idea what that cost me?”
“You marked Elvira for death,” I yelled back. “Do you have any idea what that costme?”
We stared at one another, breathing heavy, mirrors of each other. Same hazel eyes. Same band of freckles across the bridge of our noses. We shared a love for adventure, making plans, taking risks. We had both hurt people by the things we had done.
“I need you to be my mother,” I whispered. “I need you to make it right.”
She stared at me warily. “What does that look like? You’d see me in prison for the rest of my life?”
“I don’t trust you to walk away from all of this,” I said quietly. “Tradesman’s Gate, stealing artifacts. I don’t think you can give up the wealth it brings, no matter how much it twists your soul into someone I don’t recognize.” I inhaled deeply. “For everyone’s sake, for my peace of mind, for Elvira—you belong in prison. And I need you to return Cleopatra and her cache to the antiquities department.”
Her brows rose. “The one run by foreign agents? That one? Surely you can’t be this naive. Do you honestly think it would help? Everything will be distributed to benefit the people with money, influence, and power. If you don’t already know, those people aren’t necessarily Egyptians.”
Her words were a slap to the face. “So because the system is corrupt, your best choice is to play along? Why bother changing it?”
She shrugged.
I tried a different tactic. “There’s a chance for future generations to enjoy and learn from Cleopatra’s cache,” I said. “But withyou, there is no chance of that happening.”
Mamá raised her arms to fix her hair, tucking strands back into her braid. She pulled one of her pins out and repositioned it into a different section. There was something practiced about her movement.
“That’s enough,” I said sharply, hand gripping the gun so tightly my knuckles turned white.
“In a minute,” she murmured, another hairpin between her teeth. She pulled it out, her brows pulled into a severe frown. “I think this one is broken.”
Her deliberate nonchalant tone put me on edge. My instincts screamed that she was up to some—
She bent the hairpin, flinging it into my lap. Smoke billowed, engulfing me in a thick plume. I clenched my stinging eyes. I tried to cry outbut immediately began coughing. My hands reached for her blindly, but the door opened and she climbed out. I stumbled after her, still coughing, tears streaming down my face. There was a sudden yell and the sound of someone throwing a glass. It shattered when it met the ground.
“I warned you,” Whit snarled.
He pulled me into his arms, and I wiped my eyes against his shirt. When the smoke finally disappeared, I lifted my head, expecting to see my mother, but I was met with another familiar face.
“Bonsoir, Mademoiselle Olivera,” Monsieur Maspero exclaimed. “This is rather interesting, n’est-ce pas?”
