Even though Justina's voice was clinical as she recounted her ordeal, the pain in her words was all too easy to imagine, and because Sarica herself knew what it was to be surrounded by evil—-she also knew there was so, so much that Justina was leaving out.
"I was about to be auctioned off when Giancarlo came to rescue me. But because he was unable to find the people behind my abduction, he arranged for my disappearance instead. He gave me enough to start fresh, but all I wanted was revenge. And Giancarlo, he, too, did not stop looking. Because he knew I wouldn't be the last girl whose life they would destroy. We pursued every lead. We didn't leave anything to chance. And then one day, Giancarlo told me he was getting close to discovering the truth..."
The truth dawned on Sarica with painful clarity. "It was Viktor...wasn't it?"
"To be fair to Giancarlo's friend, subsequent evidence we've collected suggests that his involvement isn't...voluntary. Someone had something on him. And whoever it was...had alsoordered Viktor to kill Giancarlo when they realized he was on their trail."
Chapter Ten
SEVEN YEARS AGO
The border crossing into Moskra was exactly what Giancarlo had promised: quick, discreet, and surprisingly mundane. No dramatic chase scenes. No gunfire. Just a quiet exchange of papers, a knowing nod from a guard whose silence had been bought with more money than Justina had ever seen, and finally, freedom.
Giancarlo had given her more than what she needed to start a brand new life anywhere in the world. And while the whole world believed her missing, Giancarlo had arranged to leave behind fabricated clues that only people like her abductors would recognize.
And those clues would suggest she had died an accidental death, in order to prevent them from going after the loved ones she had left behind in America.
Keep going, and never look back.
Because the people who had almost succeeded in selling her off were still out there somewhere, doing what they do best, and that was to steal and ruin other people's lives.
But as much as she appreciated Giancarlo's warning—-
The money he'd given her didn't go toward a new life in some distant paradise. Instead, it bought Justina training. Weapons. Information.
In a country where criminal families held more power than the government, everything was for sale—including the skills she needed to ensure she would never be a victim again.
In Moskra, she forged for herself a new identity, and the old Justina was buried permanently in the past. The girl who used to work in a salon was gone and never to be seen again. In her place was a faceless spy who now used scissors for cutting body parts other than hair. And one whose loyalty only belonged to the highest bidder.
The jobs she accepted might seem random to most. But in truth, every job she completed also gave her a new clue about the people she was after. Every day was either an opportunity to learn something new—-or apply what she learned with bloody efficiency. And at night, she found it strangely entertaining and relaxing at the same time to read about people's reactions to the documentary that had made her name - once upon a time - trend higher than all the juiciest scandals from Hollywood.
When news of Giancarlo's disappearance reached Justina years later, she had wasted no time in heading to the crash site and barely managed to beat Viktor Biancardi's men in finding him. She owed Giancarlo Marchetti everything, and if she had to die protecting him so be it.
Whatever he needed, she would make it happen, and with Giancarlo's fall from a cliff leaving him severely injured and comatose—-
"I'd like to speak to Sheikh Nassif Al-Mansouri, please. I'd like to collect a debt on my friend's behalf."
JUSTINA REALIZED SHEhad lost herself in the past once more and forced her thoughts back to the present with some effort. Giancarlo was the one talking this time, his voice stiff, his accent stronger than usual.
As expected, Justina thought, since Giancarlo was now explaining to his former fiancée the reason behind their marriage.
"Justina's network of contacts will never work with me in uncovering who was pulling Viktor's strings from the shadows. All of them were too well aware of my reputation. They would never trust me even if I were to tell them I was willing to break the rules to get what I wanted. But if, on the other hand, the two of us were to marry..."
"She would becomefamiglia," Sarica finished for him in a strained voice. "And of course everyone knows the lengths you would go to protect the people you consider your responsibility."
"Yes."
Sarica gnawed on her lip. "May I ask one more thing?"
Giancarlo nodded.
"How bad were your injuries?"
Sarica's question was all Justina had to hear to know the truth between the two. Sarica's mind had to be reeling from the extent to which Giancarlo had deceived her. But instead of lashing out...all the girl cared about was Giancarlo's injuries.
It almost made Justina feel bad about what she intended to do next.
"Sarica?"
