“I know where the keyring is.” I took a step toward him. “If you let my daughter go, we can go get it.”
Drake shook his head.
He knew Bibi was the best leverage he could get.
“I know what you’re planning. You take the keyring, and then…” I sliced my finger across my neck.
Drake smiled. “I don’t want you dead.”
“The Corporation want us dead. You work for The Corporation.”
Drake’s eyes kept flicking between the shop’s two doors.
How far away was Fox now? And was he even going to be up to saving us?
“The Corporation were convinced you were working for a rival gang. Killing you in Ivrea was going to send a message that no one should get involved in their business.”
“But you failed.”
Is this why he’d been so interested in us? Failing to kill us had hurt his ego? His professional reputation?
Drake shook his head. “I saw the kill order go out, and I toldthem I’d do it. I took control of the operation. You were never meant to die.”
“What do you mean?”
“The men who took you were under strict instructions to not touch you. But then you escaped through the window anyway.”
“I was meant to live—but Fox was meant to die?”
I tried to understand it. If we’d attracted attention for our killing work, then wanting Fox dead but me alive didn’t make sense. We came as a pair—unless they were sexist enough to think I wouldn’t be a threat without my man? God, it was exhausting always being underestimated.
“Why would The Corporation want him dead and me alive?”
Bibi snorted. “Jumping jellyfish!” We both turned to look at her. She was still transfixed to the screen.
Drake leaned closer to me. “They wanted both of you dead. I wanted you to live.”
I huffed. “You have some morality clause about women? God, how noble.”
He was looking at me funny.
“What? They didn’t pay you enough to take us both out?”
“Blood is thicker than gold.” He paused. “I wasn’t going to let anyone hurt you.”
What was he saying?
“I’ve been trying to help you,” he went on. “I thought you’d see that.”
What the fuck was he saying?
I kept my voice calm. “What are you talking about?”
“You know what.”
“No.”
I stared at him. He stared back.
