He has to.
I force my breathing to stabilize, leveling my gaze at him. He’s on edge, angry and desperate, and right now, desperation is the only card I can play.
“I don’t even know what a ‘BOLO’ is,” I say quietly.
Spalding shoots me a look, eyes narrowing in irritation. “Be On the Look Out,” he snaps, his impatience clear. “It means every goddamn agent and cop within five hundred miles is looking for me.”
He wipes sweat from his forehead, pacing a tight circle. The polished, calm façade he wore when we first met has cracked wide open, revealing a man fraying at the edges, drowning in panic.
“You know,” I say softly, carefully, “maybe it’s time you cut your losses.”
He stops pacing, eyes narrowing suspiciously. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Take whatever cartel money you’ve stashed away and run,” I suggest casually, almost friendly. I add a shrug for good measure. “Disappear. It’d be better than waiting for the FBI or Yuri to find you. Because they will.”
For a split second, I see temptation and consideration flicker behind his eyes. He stands frozen with a thoughtful expression on his face, calculating the possibility. I almost think I’ve got him.
But then he sneers, shaking his head. “Nice try.”
My pulse skips, dread pooling in my stomach. He’s too confident, too knowing.
He steps closer, a sinister smile spreading slowly across his face. “Speaking of illicit money. Those USB drives I found on you? Very, very interesting.”
My blood runs ice cold.
He leans in, enjoying my reaction. “You’ve been busy, haven’t you? All those carefully saved documents, all that beautiful, detailed information. More than enough to hang the Ivanovs out to dry, and maybe even cut myself a nice little deal with the FBI.”
My mouth feels like sandpaper. I stare at him, heart pounding wildly.
“You don’t know what you’re doing,” I say hoarsely, the words feeling hollow even as I speak them.
“Oh, I know exactly what I’m doing,” Spalding counters, smug arrogance fully restored. “And thanks to your little backups, I’m sitting on gold.” He leans in closer, voice lowering. “And trust me, Yuri and his family won’t dare lay a finger on me as long as I have you.”
He straightens into full swagger, clearly relishing every moment of his regained advantage. “It’s not over yet, Astrid,” he says calmly, adjusting his shirt cuffs like the professional he once pretended to be. “In fact, it’s just getting started.”
He turns sharply and strides to the door, pulling his phone from his pocket. He pauses, giving me one last smug look over his shoulder. “I'm sure Christian will enjoy hearing we’re back in control.”
The door shuts heavily behind him, leaving me alone again, the silence pressing painfully against my eardrums.
My body sags, heart slamming against my ribs, nausea twisting through me. I stare at the door, unable to breathe properly.
The flash drives, the ones I held onto as insurance, the ones meant to keep me safe, could now destroy the very people I’ve grown to love. The father of my children, his family, now my family.
I swallow the bitter sting of regret, blinking back tears of frustration and fear. Tatiana and Spalding have their hooks in deep now.
And it’s all my fault.
CHAPTER 36
ASTRID
I’m still staring blankly at the door Spalding vanished through, the echo of his threat ringing in my ears, when I hear the low, rumbling hum of a powerful engine.
My heart stalls in my chest as the sound grows louder, tires crunching over gravel, drawing to a stop just outside.
I move to the window again, my hands trembling. Outside, two black SUVs idle like sleek predators. Doors open simultaneously, and a squad of ten, maybe twelve men spill out, broad-shouldered and dressed in tactical black. They fan out smoothly around the building, precise and practiced.
One figure stands apart: Christian De la Rosa.
