Bolin sounded reasonable with his mixture of truth and lies, as if they had no intention of harming Meiling.
“Why would you care about this Meiling?” Again, Gedeon was careful to sound offhand, as if it didn’t matter one way or the other if Bolin even answered him.
“Her father was my closet friend. When he was brutally murdered, I promised myself I would take care of his family or what was left of it.”
He is lying, Meiling announced.
Gedeon’s gut knotted. Yes, I can hear the lies. When Makar Turgenev came to him with his murderous plan formed from pure jealousy, he was eager enough to hear it.
And act on it. I should remember. I remember everything, but not that. Only glimpses. Dark memories saved for my nightmares.
I don’t want you to remember, Gedeon told her. You deserve to live a happy life, Lotus, free of all this continual ugliness. It’s bad enough that I insist you accompany me on these cases we take together, but now we’re delving into your childhood. I knew this was going to be a shit show.
Instantly he was flooded with all things Meiling. Her kindness. Her sweetness. Most of all her love for him. How did he exist without her?
“You have her name. Surely one woman can’t be that difficult to find,” Gedeon said.
“She lives off the grid. I believe her foster father must have taught her to do that, and she’s very good at not being found,” Bolin continued. For the first time, the merest hint of admiration crept into his voice. “If you were to find this woman, we would be very grateful, Mr. Volkov.”
“I’m working for Lubin Diaz and his son,” Gedeon reminded. “According to them, Miguel’s life is forfeit if I can’t find this woman. Frankie is dead and Miguel is Lubin’s only remaining son. I came here in good faith to gather information in order to better find this woman for them to turn her over to you. Or at least let you know where she is.”
“You could give us that information directly, or bring her to us,” Makar snapped impatiently.
Gedeon allowed his ice-cold gaze to sweep over the Russian, a touch of disdain in the gold and green flecks. “No, I could not. My word is my bond. I don’t screw my clients. Not ever. I told them I would find this woman and I will. What they do with the information is up to them. What you do when they give it to you is up to you.” Gedeon made a movement as if to rise.
Longwei waved him to his seat. “It has occurred to me that we may have been too hasty blaming Lubin and Miguel for what Frankie did.” He looked at the others, one gray eyebrow raised. “We should call them and tell them to call off their deal with Volkov. Once they do, he would be free to work for us without a conflict of interest.”
The other justices nodded solemnly, as if just by one stating Gedeon would work for them, it was a done deal and Gedeon would agree to it. Makar snapped his fingers and immediately a servant ran forward and placed a phone in his hand.
“Just like that, you’re going to call Lubin and let them off the hook.”
“Yes, we’ll see that you’re compensated,” Bolin said. “And let them know that you came to us in good faith for them.”
It was all Gedeon could do not to allow his leopard to appear to smirk like a wolf.
* * *
* * *
GEDEON and Meiling studied the tall fence. It had been built with the specific idea of keeping shifters out. If any of the bratya families made a move against them, they would be hard pressed to get past the fence to get inside before the soldiers would be ready to deal with them. Gedeon and Meiling didn’t need to climb the fence; they could simply jump over it.
You certain you can clear it? Gedeon wanted reassurance. Meiling was small but she was a powerhouse. He really didn’t have doubts, but he knew exactly what she would do.
She punched his arm. Hard. He grinned at her. She grinned back at him. They could be walking into a nightmare, but she didn’t flinch. She wasn’t an assassin, but she still stood solidly with him.
When we get inside, you go directly to Kang’s room. Hopefully we’re right and Cosette is there. No matter what shape she’s in, she’ll have to be on her feet so we can bring her out. That’s your job, Meiling. Get her on her feet. Keep her mouth shut and keep her moving. Rene has a car waiting at the west gate. If we can get her there, we can get her to the airport and be out of here before anyone has any idea they’re all dead.