I walk over to him. I grab the lapels of his ruined suit and drag his chair closer, until our knees are touching. I can smell the sour stench of his fear.
"You seem confused, Marcus," I say softly.
"P-please," he stammers. "I didn't know... I didn't know you wanted her."
"I don'twanther," I correct him. "I own her."
I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone. I tap the app I installed three months ago. The feed loads instantly.
It’s a night-vision view of Ivy’s apartment. The camera is hidden in the smoke detector.
She’s asleep now. She’s curled on her side, one hand tucked under her cheek, the other clutching the blanket. The diamond choker is still around her neck, glinting in the grainy black-and-white footage.
I turn the screen so Marcus can see.
"Look at her," I command.
He looks, his eyes widening. "Is that...?"
"She’s sleeping," I say. "She thinks she’s safe. She thinks the world is just cold, not evil. She doesn't know that her own father tried to sell her to a pack of wolves."
I pull the phone back.
"You owe the Sokolovs two hundred thousand," I say. "Or you did. Now they’re dead. So, who owns that debt now, Marcus?"
"You," he whispers. "I owe you."
"That’s right. And since you have no money, and no assets..." I lean in, my voice dropping to a whisper that sounds like a prayer. "I accept your offer."
Marcus blinks. "What?"
"Ivy," I say. "I accept Ivy as payment. In full."
"You... you’re taking her?"
"I’m acquiring her. The debt is cleared. You walk out of here alive. You never speak to her again. You never look for her. You disappear, Marcus. If I ever see you within ten miles ofher, I will peel your skin off while you’re still conscious. Do you understand?"
"Yes," he sobs. "Yes, God, yes. Take her. Just let me go."
"Good."
I stand up and signal to Luca. "Cut him loose. Throw him out the back."
"And the girl?" Luca asks, eyeing the dead Russians. "The Bratva will come looking for these two. If they know Marcus offered the girl..."
"They won't find Marcus," I say. "And they won't find the girl."
I look at the phone screen again. Ivy shifts in her sleep, murmuring something I can't hear. She looks so peaceful. So vulnerable.
I can't leave her there. Not anymore.
The lock I put on her window will keep out common thieves, but it won't keep out the Russian mob when they realize their men are missing. They’ll trace the last known location. They’ll find Marcus’s trail. They’ll find her.
I can't watch from the shadows any longer. The game has changed.
I tap the screen, zooming in on her face.
"Prepare the car," I tell Luca. "And get the guest suite ready at the Penthouse."
