The agent nearest the desk gestured toward me. “Please, Ms. Lennox. Step forward.”
Roman didn’t move, didn’t look at me, didn’t even breathe. He played the role of the detached negotiator perfectly.
It shouldn’t have hurt, but it did, just a little bit.
I knew what he was doing. I knew this was part of the plan, to make them believe I meant nothing to him, but watching him stand there, so calm, so cold, as I took one step forward, stillmade my chest feel tight. I stood just behind him now, and lifted my chin, pretending to be stronger than I currently felt.
The vice president gestured to one of his aides. “Show him the asset.”
A moment later, the doors at the back of the office opened. Two guards stepped forward, dragging someone between them.
Lev.
He looked a little rough, with a bit of blood dried at the corner of his mouth and his shirt torn, but it could have been so much worse. His eyes lifted as they brought him in, and for a brief, suspended moment, they met mine. Recognition flared there, quickly followed by disbelief.
“Lev Markov,” the vice president said, his tone almost conversational. “You’ve been our guest for a little while now. I trust the accommodations were tolerable.”
Lev’s laugh was dry. “You call this hospitality?”
The vice president smiled faintly. “You’ll forgive our methods. They were necessary.”
Roman took a slow step forward. Both his voice and the expression on his face were dangerously threatening now. “He’s coming with me.”
The vice president regarded him for a moment, then nodded to his men. “Of course. After all, we’re reasonable people.”
The guards pulled Lev forward by his upper arm. For the moment, he went along with it, his eyes flicking from Roman to me and back again. “What the hell is this?”
“A trade,” I said quietly.
Lev’s expression hardened. “No.”
The vice president’s smile widened. “Yes. For now, at least. We’ll have our agent back, and you’ll have your brother. An equitable trade, wouldn’t you say?”
Roman’s jaw tightened. “Release him first.”
“Ah,” the vice president said, his tone polite but condescending. “That’s not how this works.”
I felt the air shift beside me, that subtle change in pressure that meant Roman was one second away from drawing his gun. I reached out, lightly brushing his forearm with my fingers. It was enough. He stilled, but I could feel the tension emanating from him anyway.
“It’s fine,” I said, forcing my voice to stay even. “I’ll go.”
The VP’s smile was shark-like. “Excellent.”
The guards moved toward me. One of them reached for my arm, and Roman’s hand shot out, gripping the man’s wrist hard enough to make him freeze. The tension in the room spiked.
“You lay one finger on her before he’s free,” Roman said, his voice lethal, “and you’ll lose the whole fucking hand.”
The guard hesitated, looking at his boss, who gave a small nod.
“Release him,” he ordered.
They finally cut the bindings from Lev’s wrists. Roman’s eyes never left him.
Mr. Vice-Pres gestured again. “Now, Ms. Lennox.”
I swallowed hard. Every instinct screamed at me to run, to fight, but I forced myself to move forward. Roman didn’t look at me; he couldn’t. That was the plan. As I passed by him, though, his fingers brushed mine for half a second. I breathed a sigh of relief.
I stepped toward the vice president. “You have what you came for.”
