Is he out of his mind?
Sloane
Three days is impossible. There are guards and cameras everywhere. The house is huge. I would need three days just to look through the whole place. That is, assuming he doesn’t catch me and kill me. I guess you forgot to mention he’s Russian Mob.
Eli
Whoops. Must’ve slipped my mind. Fine. Seven days. That’s it.
His words don’t offer any relief. Seven days is just a longer walk to the same cliff.
Eli
I swear, if you play me, I’ll kill you and that kid—and believe me, your new boyfriend will never find your body, no matter how good he may be.
My hands go numb around the phone. I want to throw up. To scream. I want to rip Milo out of school and run until my lungs bleed.
But I can’t. I won’t be safe, no matter where I go.
Sloane
Okay. I’ll do it. Just stay away from my son.
Eli
Glad you smartened up. Get it done, Ghosthands.
I nearly smash my phone into the windshield, rage buzzing under my skin.
In a perfect world, I’d tell Kirill everything and let him handle it. But I can’t. I can’t let him find out who I am. And I’m not about to drag him into this either, not when he’s all Lev has.
I sit there with both hands locked on the steering wheel, forcing myself to think.
Seven days. I can do this. I can steal from the one man I’m falling for.
Easy-peasy…
A bitter laugh scratches at my throat, but I fight it. Instead, I start the car and pull out of the lot, trying to figure out how I’m going to start looking through the property. It has to seem casual so none of the guards catch on.
By the time I reach the house, I fix my face into something neutral before I step out. The guards nod as I enter, and once I’m settled, I move through the rooms as though I’m getting acquainted with my new surroundings.
My eyes flick to corners, to ceiling lines, to the places cameras would hide. But I’m sure there are places he doesn’t have cameras just to avoid being caught saying or doing something illegal. I notice the guards everywhere, posted at the main areas and doors where they can see me. Getting around them will be the hardest part.
I trail my fingers along the back of a chair like I’m admiring it, but my brain is already noting which halls and rooms are really guarded and which ones aren’t.
If I had to guess, he either keeps the ledger in the safe, or maybe the basement. That’s where most of the rich people we hit used to hide theirs: behind expensive paintings, tucked into custom walls, sometimes even a vault under a carpet or in a wine cellar.
Kirill could be smarter than all of them. Or maybe he’s like most who think they’re untouchable.
But wherever it is, I have to give Eli something, or my son dies. And I’m not losing him. Not for anything.
Even if it costs me my life.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
SLOANE
After school,I’m back at pickup, waiting by the curb while Lev’s teacher walks him out. The second he spots me, his eyes expand and a tiny smile forms.
