“I’ll offer you better terms than Balestra. More freedom. More space to move around. He’ll treat you like a fucking dog, but I’ll treat you like a man. You made a deal with one devil, and you might as well work with a second.”
Cezary’s lips twitched into a smile. “What makes you think I’d turn my back on my employer that easily? What sort of man would I be if I gave up the second things got hard?”
“You’d be smart. Think about this. I have the backing of an Oligarch. Balestra’s going down whether you help it happen or not. I’m giving you an out here. I’m willing to spare all the lives of your men.”
“Not my cousin.” His eyes burned with rage.
“It’s too late for him. But you’ve got other people depending on you.”
Cezary took several slow, deep breaths. He pushed against the bonds holding his hands together and I smiled sadly at him. The rope flexed, but it didn’t break. There was no other way out.
“Beat me then,” he said through his teeth. “Cut me to ribbons. Shred me until I’m nothing. If I give in and make a deal, I won’t be a man any longer. I won’t deserve my people.”
I tilted my head, frowning slightly. “That’s irrational.”
“That’s my choice. Go ahead, tell your dog Mal to do his worst.” He showed his teeth again. “I like the pain.”
I held a hand up, keeping Mal at bay. He bristled, but obeyed.
“What does Balestra have on you?”
Cezary’s face fell. He went from defiance to surprise in seconds, and quickly shook his head. “There’s nothing.”
“You’re lying. Why else would you agree to work with a man like Mauro Balestra? Why else would you remain loyal in the face of death? There’s no reason to keep backing him. You’ve lost and he’s going to lose sooner or later. So why not do the smart thing and save your people? You might even profit from it.”
He clenched his jaw and ground his teeth. “Our deal is none of your concern.”
I crouched down so we were eye level with each other. “Think carefully. If you tell me where I can find Balestra, I can kill him before he makes a move. Whatever he has won’t matter.”
Cezary looked away. I saw the anguish written all over his posture. Something was holding him back, and it was important.
“I can’t.”
“Whatever it is—”
“He has my daughter.” He looked back, and the blaze was back, but it wasn’t directed at me.
I stood and took a step away. I raised my eyebrows and glanced at Mal, who only shook his head.
“You have a daughter,” I said.
“She’s two. Her mother’s dead. ODed, the fucking junkie. I took Lidia in and Balestra’s been helping out. He has his people watching over her. Nannies he pays. Guards he controls. He says it’s to keep her safe, but I know that’s fucking bullshit. She’s the gun held against my head. That’s why I can’t help you. Balestra’s got my fucking kid.”
I let that sink in and glanced back at Jules. Her mouth hung open in surprise.
Cezary was a father. This whole time, Balestra was controlling him by keeping his daughter. The poor bastard was doing Balestra’s dirty work because he was afraid for his little girl’s life.
My blood boiled. I knew Mauro Balestra was a piece of human trash, but to use a little two-year-old girl against her daddy like this? It was nightmarish. It was monstrous.
My hands clenched into fists as anger rolled down my spine. I thought of little Jules going through hell the way she had, and now it felt like I had a chance to save someone before they were thrust into a similar situation. Lidia didn’t need to suffer for her father’s sins. She didn’t need to suffer because Balestra was no better than a urinal cake.
“I’ll save your daughter,” I said quietly and I stared into his eyes as I spoke. I wanted him to know I meant it. “I won’t let Balestra hurt her. I’ll get her back and you can see her again.”
His jaw clenched. “Bullshit. Why?”
“Because fuck Balestra. Fuck him for using a little girl like that. And because when it’s all finished, you’ll give me your loyalty.”
Cezary let that sink in. And finally, his head bowed forward.
“I’ll tell you where he is,” he said slowly. “Just get my girl back.”
I nodded and turned away. I put a hand on Mal’s shoulder. We walked a few feet away and spoke in soft voices that didn’t carry in the acoustically dead space. “Get everything he knows. We’ll put together a plan.”
“I still think we should hurt him. He ruined my wedding.”
“At least he had a good reason.”
Mal grunted. “Barely.”
“Have a heart. You’ll get Cap pregnant soon enough and then you’ll understand.”
Mal grunted again. “What about Oscar?”