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Rafael’s eyes narrowed. “What?”

“Whatever key opens the restraints around his wrists and ankles.”

His face went still. “No.”

“Rafael—”

“You don’t understand what you’re asking for.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “The moment those cuffs come off, you’ll be alone with a man strong enough to kill you before you reach the hidden door.”

“He had the chance to frighten me and didn’t.”

“He was blindfolded, chained to a chair, and desperate for your help. You have no idea what he’ll do once he can move.”

“He isn’t one of Father’s men.”

“No, he isn’t.” Rafael shifted on his feet and crossed his arms over his chest. “But don’t mistake that for virtue. I’ve read the reports your father brought home. Lachlan Byrnes is an Irish mafia captain tied to the American mafia and a new order called The Syndicate. Among its ranks are Nikolai Volkov, a Russian Pakhan whose specialty is operating in the shadows of the underworld using elite hacking skills, and Luca Genovese, the head of New York’s old guard. The rest of their men have powerful connections across the world. Lachlan runs an exclusive Manhattan club with his brother. Expensive club upstairs, illegal casino and criminal business underneath.”

I’d expected danger. Hearing Rafael put it into words still made me shudder.

“He stood with the men who burned your father’s club to the ground and freed the women your father intended to sell,” Rafael continued. “They’ve intercepted his weapons, attacked his routes, and started tracing the money and companies behind the flesh trade. Byrnes has enemies in organized crime, government, and every criminal operation The Syndicate has disrupted. Men like him don’t survive by being harmless.”

“That doesn’t make him like Father.”

“No. The reports say The Syndicate draws lines your father doesn’t. That may make Byrnes better than the cartel trash around here, but he’s still a mafia man. If bringing you with him endangers his brother or his organization, you have no idea what he’ll do with you.”

“He doesn’t have to be perfect.” I tightened my grip on the basket. “I’ve learned how to survive my father and the men living under his roof. I’ll be able to get away from Lachlan when the time is right. But I’ll never build his trust or get his help while he’s chained to that chair. And honestly, at this point…it doesn’t matter if he kills me. I’m already a walking corpse. However slim my chance of using him to escape, I have to take it.”

Rafael lowered his head as my words settled between us. When he looked at me again, the line between his brows had deepened, and fear and resignation battled in his dark eyes. I hated putting him in this position, but fate had given me a weapon in the form of an Irishman, and I wasn’t about to waste it.

“Then learn more before you free him. Go back. Speak to him again. See what he does when you tell him no, when you can’t give him what he wants, and when he has nothing to gain from being gentle with you. Push him and find out what kind of man he really is, mi niña hermosa.”

“We may not have that much time, but I’ll do my best.”

“You’ll have even less time if you aren’t careful.” His voice hardened. “The instant anyone finds Lachlan out of that chair or sees any evidence that he’s been helped, Ciro will understand that someone inside the compound is working against him. From that moment on, your life will be forfeit.”

I swallowed. “Can you get the key?”

Rafael held my gaze for several seconds. “The wrist and ankle restraints take the same key. I’ll get you one.”

Relief warmed my chest.

“But you will not use it until you’ve gotten a better feel for the man he is,” he added. “Don’t be desperate to escape, or listen to his promises, and certainly don’t ever think he’s that different from the men of the cartel.”

“I understand.”

“I hope you do.”

His eyes closed briefly.

When they opened, something in his expression had changed.

“And listen to me, mi niña.”

I nodded.

“Marcela didn’t return alone. Mateo Cruz came with her.”

I’d heard the name before, usually connected to shipments, security, or women my father wanted moved without anyone asking questions. “Her operations lieutenant?”