“Of course.”
I smile like nothing’s the matter and head off, hurrying to the restroom. Thankfully, it’s empty. Once I’m in the farthest stall from the door, I take out my phone, sigh, and return the call.
He picks up in the middle of the first ring. “Thank Christ you called.”
Right away I’m worried. His tone doesn’t sound good at all. “What’s wrong? Is Kyle OK?”
“Kyle’s fine. You’re the one in danger.”
My blood runs cold. “What? What are you talking about?”
“We just got word that there’s another attack coming—there, at the gallery.”
I nearly drop the phone. “That’s not funny, Max.”
“You think I would joke about something like this?” When I don’t answer, he continues. “Listen, it’s not a joke. Kyle would tell you himself, but he’s with Roman right now.”
Kyle’s with Roman. I shake my head for being stupid enough to not realize what was going on, why Roman wanted me out of the house. I push it aside.
“He doesn’t know yet. I just got word from one of my contacts. This is all fresh-off-the-wire shit. They know you’re there, and they’re planning a hit.”
My hands start to shake.
“You and the boy. You’re both at risk.”
I sit down on the toilet, trying to catch my breath.
“Amalie, please. We have our history, and I know it’s not a good one. I said some shitty things to you in the past, and you’ve got all the reason in the world to tell me to screw off. But I’d never lead you into danger. You’ve got to listen to me.”
It’s hard to keep my head straight. My brain feels totally scrambled. “Okay,” I say. “I’ll go let Andrei know you said we’re in danger, and he’ll get us out of here.”
“No!” He practically shouts the word.
“What do you mean, no?”
“You can’t do that. You can’t tell him.”
“Why not?”
“Because I know what they’ve got planned. They’ve got people watching, and when the three of you go to the second floor, that’s their signal to move. There’s also a backup plan in place—if they get any indication that you’re leaving because you know something’s up, they’ll attack in the parking garage.”
I say nothing, trying to wrap my head around what I’m hearing.
“You need to ditch Andrei. They’ll be waiting for you. You and the kid slip out the west exit. That’s where I’ll be.”
“You want me to leave Andrei in danger?”
“He’ll be fine. They’re targeting you, they don’t care about him. You can’t tell him anything. I’m serious, Amalie. If they get any indication that you know, you’re all dead.”
My entire body trembles. I’m scared out of my mind.
“All you need to do is leave with Sasha out the west exit. I’ll take you straight to Roman. Got it?”
I take a deep breath. “Got it.”
“This is about you and the boy,” he says. “You’re doing the right thing.” A pause. “Okay, it’s a little after one now. Get in there, get the kid, west exit. Ten minutes.”
“Okay.”
