A man slid into the empty chair beside her in one fluid motion. A charcoal overcoat was expertly draped over his shoulders. But it was open to reveal a suit worth more than her rent. His silver hair was barber-perfect, and his face was familiar in a way that had her cocking her head.
It took a heartbeat too long for recognition to hit.
Then it did.
And her blood iced over.
“You.” She set down her coffee with deliberate care. Her right hand slipped into her coat pocket, fingers curling around the butt of the pistol she’d purchased out of the back of a van less than twenty-four hours after stepping off the train at the Stockholm Central Train Station.
“Hello, Vivian.” His voice was deep, smooth, every syllable polished like he’d been born behind a podium. “I’ve been anxious to meet you.”
The Swedes around them continued chatting over their coffees and pastries, oblivious to who sat among them. In fact, she’d be surprised if any of them even knew his first name.
Being half a world away from U.S. politics had its advantages.
“Where’s your security detail?” she asked, aiming for casual.
“Outside.” He winked like they were sharing a private joke. “I wanted to meet you alone to discuss your failure. You never called.” He tsked. “You could have at least told me you managed to survive. For too long, I thought you perished alongside your crew. Imagine my surprise when I discovered you in Nowhere, Wisconsin.”
“I knew you had eyes on me.” A muscle twitched in her cheek. “How did you find me there?”
“Oh, Vivian.” He chuckled. “As careful as you were, you weren’t careful enough. Surely you realize someone with my resources would know about your cache of safe deposit boxes. And surely you realize I would put eyes on them after your death. Just in case.”
She swallowed thickly.
Stupid, stupid, STUPID!
She should’ve left her cash behind and fled the country immediately after the Black Knights cut her loose. But she was used to a particular kind of lifestyle. And the thought of being on the run without a red cent to her name hadn’t interested her.
“You evaded me in the States.” His expression was slightly puzzled. “What happened after you left that Airbnb in Sheboygan?”
“What does it matter? You found me anyway.”
“Not without some effort.” He frowned like he was annoyed she’d had the audacity to run from him. Then he cocked his head. “How did you survive the Black Knights, by the way? They don’t tend to leave loose ends.”
The Black Knights…
Why hadn’t they found this fucker? Identified him? Splashed his name and his backdoor dealings all over the front page of every newspaper?
“They’re not as ruthless as we are.” She gave a breezy flick of her fingers despite her thundering heart. “They let me go.”
His eyes narrowed slightly. But no lines appeared beside them.
Botox?
That made her snort. She’d always thought he was a bit of a peacock. Smiling for the cameras. Wearing bespoke suits. But the Botox meant he was even more vain than she imagined.
“Why would you hire me to expose them?” She ensured her tone was conversational, even though her lizard brain told her to fight or fly. Or maybe fight and then fly. “I thought your?—”
“What did you tell them?” he cut her off. And his eyes looked as sharp as his words sounded.
“What could I tell them? I didn’t know anything,” she was quick to point out.
“You knew some things,” he countered, and her mind raced with her options.
Lie? Or tell the truth?
In the end, she settled on the truth. It was more satisfying.
