"I know what they're capable of." I touch my bruised face.I deliberately didn't wear makeup. "Your friend beat the shit out of me."
Gabe goes pale. "Jesus Christ."
He doesn't ask if I'm alright. I'm not surprised by that, which is horribly sad.
"Tell me what happened," I say quietly, trying to control my emotions. I'm oscillating between anger and grief so quickly I'm worried I won't be able to function soon. "Tell me the truth. All of it."
He looks at the guards. "Can we have privacy?"
"No," the guard says.
Gabe swallows. Looks back at me. "I fucked up. Okay? I fucked up bad."
"I know you owe the Morozovs money?—"
"It's not just money." He leans forward, his voice dropping. "They wanted information. About the Nero family. Routes. Shipments. Weaknesses." He starts tapping his foot, looking over at the guard. "I got a job on the docks a few months ago, unloading shipments, so I think they thought I'd be...useful."
My blood goes cold. I've known the reality of Adrian's real work for forty-eight hours, but in that time, I discovered that the kind of things Gabe is admitting to—well, they're going to get him killed. "Shit, Gabe."
"I didn't have a choice!" He's pleading now. "They said they'd kill you if I didn't help. Said they'd make you pay my debts."
"So you became a spy?"
The guard's back straightens, and Gabe whimpers in fear.
"I tried! Fuck, I did. But I couldn't get close. Nero's got their own people, and I'm just a low-level guy. I don't have access to anything important." His hands shake. "I gave them some stuff I overheard. Small things. Nothing that would really hurt anyone. Just enough to keep them off our backs."
I want to believe him. Want to think my brother isn't acomplete moron, and yet, something he says isn't ringing true.
"You sold me to them," I say slowly. "Dimitri was waiting for me."
"I didn't!" Gabe's eyes are wide. Desperate. "I swear, Sera. I didn't know they were going to grab you."
"I told you weeks ago that one of them came to the bookstore."
He glances away. "He doesn't work for Alexei."
I laugh bitterly. "Fuck, Gabe. Please do not tell me that you owe someone else money."
"I don't."
I'm shaking with anger.
"I don't believe you."
"Please." He's crying now. Actually crying. "You have to help me. Talk to Nero. Clearly, he likes you. Ask him to help."
"I'm not going to do that." I twist the ring on my finger, and Gabe's eyes immediately go to it.
"What the fuck is that?" The tears dry up, and immediately, his demeanor shifts. It happens so quickly that I feel like I'm getting whiplash.
"A ring," I say coldly.
"Yeah, no shit. Whose?"
I narrow my eyes at Gabe. "Don't curse at me."
"Who!" he yells.
