“Er, sure.”
Enzo killed the call.
“What are you doing?” Kathleen demanded as Enzo pulled her to her feet.
“We can chat with them later. I have plans for you,” he said loudly and then kissed her hard.
“This—”
He cut her off with a wave of his hand and then leaned over and whispered in her ear, “We were out of the couchette for a long time, and it doesn’t lock from the outside. Dominic’s men would have had plenty of time to plant a bug in here.”
Kathleen leaned back and stared up at him. Now what the hell were they going to do? He smiled at her. Then grabbed her hand and unlocked the door. He pulled her out of the couchette and down the hallway after him. She flipped off the guards again as they passed, feeling juvenile, but oddly delighted with the crude gesture. They were going in the opposite direction from the dining car. They went three cars down with Dominic’s people in tow when Enzo quickly stuffed Kathleen in the bathroom at the end of the car and came in after her. He locked the door and grinned. “It’s a bit cozy but better than an airplane bathroom.”
“They’re gonna know we’re in here on the phone.”
“Certainly,” Enzo agreed. “But they won’t know who we’re talking to or what we’re talking about. That’s the best we can do at the moment.”
She wanted to argue, but he was right. This was the best it was going to get. She pulled out her phone as Enzo handed her an AirPod. He matched them to her phone and then hit redial.
Mitch answered immediately. “Is it okay to talk now?”
“Yeah.”
“Bugs?” Mitch asked.
“Can’t know for certain, but I would guess yes.”
Mitch grunted. “We’re all here. I’m putting you on speaker.”
“What’s up?” Kathleen asked.
“Based on our research, things are not looking great. First things first. We’re gonna make this quick because we’re on an overnight flight. We should hit Paris about the same time as you, since you’re on the milk run and making so many stops.”
Hope flickered in Kathleen’s chest. Maybe the Callahans would be able to help them get away from their ever-present shadow.
Enzo shook his head as if he knew what she was thinking. “They can’t help us.”
“You mean with Dominic?” Mitch asked. “Unfortunately, Enzo’s right. We won’t get there in time to be in place before the train arrives at the station, but I have a call in to some people. We might be able to get someone in place to at least help a bit, if not launch a full-scale rescue. Keep your eyes open.”
Kathleen bit back a sigh. A little help was better than nothing.
“What did you find out?” Enzo prodded.
Logan’s voice came through the AirPods. “I spoke with Armand. You were right to be concerned about Vitale. Armand says Vitale has gotten himself into trouble. He entered new territory, being the middleman between the cartels and terrorist cells in the Middle East. Turns out he got a little bit too greedy and took too big a cut on a deal, and neither side was pleased with him. The cartel went after him for the money, and he toldthem he had invested it. He promised them a nice return on their investment if they just waited a few months.”
“Let me guess,” Enzo interrupted, “those months are up, and Vitale doesn’t have the cash.”
“Got it in one,” Logan agreed. “Apparently, Vitale invested in cryptocurrency.”
“Aw,merda.” Enzo exhaled harshly.
“What?” demanded Kathleen. “What’s the big deal?”
Logan continued. “Cryptocurrency has tanked recently. A lot of people lost a lot of money. Vitale, by all accounts, didn’t just lose the money he skimmed from the cartels; he lost a lot of other people’s money as well. He’s in the hole for close to a hundred mil, if rumor is to be believed.”
Kathleen suddenly felt ill. That was crazy money. Like, way insane money. She tried to take a deep breath but was quickly reminded that they were in a bathroom. Her stomach rolled.
“What does that mean?” she asked in a hushed voice. She was conscious that Dominic’s men were probably right outside the door.
