A sickness takes me over, a swarming nausea that refuses to relent. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what it is because it’s not often I feel such a sensation.
Until it hits me.
I might not be able to protect Liya, I realize.Especially if I hand her over.
That won’t happen.
I won’t even allow the possibility.
“No,” I say flatly. “You can’t have Liya.”
A serious expression steals over his face. There’s a moment where I’m not sure he’s going to respond. All I hear is the breathing of his men around us, water dripping somewhere in the distance, and a light draft swirling somewhere above.
And then he leans forward and says, “Don’t be stupid, kid. Take a good deal while you still can.”
A good deal?I fight the urge to scoff. There is no good deal to be made with Felix at this point. Maybe Liya was right. Coming here was a mistake.
“But you might want to do it quickly, kid. I hear the auction is about to start.”
Irritation snaps my focus. “What auction?”
“The other girl. What’s her name? Willow?” His malicious grin slices from ear to ear. “Feisty. My boys had a hard time resisting her, the way she put up a fight.”
A low round of chuckles whips around the table.
Cardona loses some of his amusement—but a vicious glint remains in his eyes. “The clock is ticking, Pavel. Liya for Willow. That’s the deal.”
“And Zoya?”
He waves away the question. “Not your concern anymore.”
That means she’s dead.
Kiril pops into my mind. I see his eyes bright with determination as he holds my gun. His voice comes to me like he’s speaking right into my ear,Keep my daughter safe. Promise me that.
I did, and I failed.
I failed Kiril, and I failed her.
A pang of regret stabs my stomach. While I stare at Cardona, I resist the urge to move. He’s watching my every reaction.
I stare blankly at him. “No.”
“Then I guess we’ll have to fight to the death,” he announces. He reclines in his chair as though he’s just made a royal declaration. “But as a token of my mercy, I’ll give you another generous offer.”
“What’s that?”
He uses his cigar to point behind me. “You can leave with your brains still in that thick skull of yours.”
Generous indeed.
Wordlessly, I rise from the table, nod at Cardona, and head back down the hallway. None of the other men follow me. The raging silence continues behind me, an awful sound that penetrates my body. Once I reach my car, I flash my light in the back seat, under the hood, under the vehicle itself. I even pop the hood to check for any new wires.
Can’t be too careful with these fuckers.
I’m satisfied when I don’t find anything. I start the car and maneuver out of the Meatpacking district, heading toward a back road that should take me from Manhattan to Coney Island.
Anger boils inside me.He wants Liya.I grip the wheel to keep myself from shaking.And by extension, he wants my child.