She shakes her head. “No idea. Five or six when I was there, probably more now.” Her words come out erratically. She’s trying to keep it together.
“What was the arrangement?”
I already know the answer. I just want to see if she’ll tell the truth.
“I deliver Thea. He takes her out of the equation. And then he guarantees your safety. Gabriel, you have to understand that this was all foryou, about keeping you safe. There’s no way you can go up against Kolya and live. I was trying to stop a war that you’d surely lose!”
“And the money?”
Her face drains of color. No doubt she hadn’t been expecting me to know about that.
“Four million,” I say. “Wired three days ago to a numbered account in the Caymans through a shell corporation. Alexei’s people aren’t just good for wet works, you see.”
Her hands are trembling now.
“I needed something for it! I was putting my life in danger, betraying you! It was for your own good, but still!”
I snort. “Something I’ve never failed to be amazed by over the years is how people can do the most self-centered things imaginable yet somehow manage to dress them up as altruistic. It’s really quite something.” I narrow my eyes. “Let’s cut the bullshit. You wanted the money, and you wanted Thea out of the picture.”
She shakes her head. “No. That’s not it. I?—”
“I said, cut the bullshit. You wanted Thea out of the picture, and Kolya not only gave you the opportunity to do it but added a little hard cash on top to sweeten the pot. So you delivered a pregnant woman to the man who murdered her family.”
“That’s not… it wasn’t just—” She presses her palms to the table, sweat beading at her hairline. “Gabriel… I love you.”
Precisely the words I’d been expecting her to say.
“I’ve loved you for years. What the hell was I supposed to do, watch you throw everything away for this girl?”
“Thiswomanis carrying my child.”
“And she’s going to get you killed! You’re putting everything on the line for this Fetisov girl. Not only is it putting your life at risk, but it’s also putting the entire Camorra at risk. I’m giving you an out. Kolya takes her, finishes what he started, and that’s the end of it. I was trying to save you.”
I lean forward. “You honestly think that would be the end of it?”
She nods. “Kolya promised me that he’d let you live.”
“He’d let me live after he took every last goddamn thing I have,” I say. “And if you don’t see that, you’re an even bigger fool than I thought.”
“Gabriel, I?—”
“Enough.” The word cuts through the air like a sword, cold and final.
She quiets.
I stand.
“Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to be released. Alexei’s people will be waiting for you outside the station. They’re going to take you to a location where his people—and mine—can keep an eye on you. I’m going to check your information. If it leads to Thea’s location, and I’m able to bring her back safe, we’ll talk again to determine your future.”
I button my jacket and straighten my cuffs.
“But if you’re lying, if anything happens to her—if she’s been hurt, if the baby’s been harmed, if there’s so much as a goddamn hair out of place—you will be praying for death. And I’ll make sure that prayer goes unanswered for a very long time.”
I turn and walk toward the door. Alexei pushes off the wall to follow.
“Gabriel…” Amanda’s voice cracks. “Gabriel, please.”
I don’t stop.
