I pull on my jacket and stand.
“Isabel, wait—”
“Do you love me?” I level him with my stare.
His lips part and his eyes glitter under the bar lights. “You know I do.”
“Then help me. Or I’ll walk away right now, and I promise you’ll never see me again.”
Pain washes over his face. He reaches for me again but stops himself. “Don’t say that, okay? We can figure this out.”
“Then let’s keep things simple. This isn’t Rio. This is life and death. All I can give you is my trust. Even that…” I shake my head, knowing I could never really trust him again after what he’s done.
“You don’t trust me. I get that. All I can do is try to earn it and pray I can win you back somehow. I’ll take whatever you can give me.”
A long moment passes. Something compels me to touch him, on my terms. I bring my fingertips to his cheek and draw them slowly along his jaw and fine stubble. He feels familiar and strange. Time and experience will do that—twist the things you used to care about to become things you can hardly stand the sight of.
“Save your prayers, Kolt. You’ll need every one of them if we go down this road together.”
CHAPTER TWO
Tristan
By the time she walks out the door, I’m pent up with a thousand things I want to say to her. Scolding, scathing things. Warnings and detailed, harrowing scenarios of what could have happened if she hadn’t been so lucky. Thankfully Kolt’s nothing more than a desperate fool chasing after a woman he’ll never deserve. As soon as I realized he wasn’t here to hurt her, I scoped out the perimeter of the building more thoroughly, suddenly worried about Isabel’s vulnerabilities over my own.
She took over the whole plan without telling me. She could have gotten herself killed on the way here.
Her warm breath billows in the air, illuminated under the street light. I think she’s going to walk my way when the bar door swings open behind her. She spins and Kolt’s there, his hands fisted at his sides like he wants to touch her but knows he can’t.
“Isabel, wait a minute.”
She doesn’t speak. For a prolonged moment, they simply stare at one another. I can’t help but wonder how the conversation started back in the bar, but I’ll have to wait to find out.
“I overheard some things. I don’t know if they’ll help,” he says. He looks pained by some invisible force. “Will you just promise me something first?”
She hesitates, and I curl my hand over the rough handle of my gun, sensing her tension.
“Whatever goes down, wherever we end up, whether or not you decide to give us another chance, I just want to know you’re safe. Will you let me know that you’re okay? That’s all I want. I realize I don’t have the right to ask for a lot more.”
“What did you hear?” Her voice is clipped, lacking the affection he’s probably longing for, which infuses some satisfaction into my frustration with her right now.
“Your mother and her friends were accessing deeper parts of Chalys. Killing you would have been more than a warning shot. Your death was meant to be a distraction from whatever they were digging into so they would back off. There was too much on the line to let it go further.”
“What didn’t they want her to find?”
He licks his lips and glances around as if someone could be listening. I keep still, hiding myself where the edge of the building meets an alleyway, shadowed in the dark.
“Have you heard about Felix?”
She frowns. “No.”
“It’s short for felixedrine. It’s a new synthetic drug they’ve been working on. Right when all this shit was going on, they were trying to push it through the last stages of FDA approval.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
He taps his foot nervously. “Isabel…”
“Kolt, just tell me. What does Felix have to do with me?”
“When your mother’s friends started going after the accounting records, it was the last straw. They were getting too close. This Felix drug… It’s big. It’s like everything Chalys has achieved over the past decade is peanuts next to what this drug is going to do to the market. They’re branding it as the ‘opioid cure.’ The answer to the epidemic. We’re talking about billions of dollars here. And now that it’s approved, it’s setting off a bunch of other initiatives.”
“What kind of initiatives?”
“I guess you could call it a next-level marketing plan. A lot more than a campaign of commercials with happily medicated people vacationing on a lake. They’re talking about government contacts opening the floodgates at ports of entry for more heroin to hit major cities next month. Concentrated efforts so that a wave of overdoses across the country will be top news at the same time Felix starts shipping out.”
Her lips part with something like shock. I feel it too, which makes it all the more difficult to stay put and not insert myself into their conversation.
“They’re setting themselves up to cure the national crisis they’re fueling.”
He nods. “They want to make sure they’re the one and only true answer to it. Billions, Isabel. More money than God.”
Snow swirls silently around them and collects on their shoulders. “And you really don’t want any part of that? All that money?”
He laughs. “I’ve got ten million dollars in my trust. I don’t need half that for a whole lifetime in Rio. I like nice things. I like my life, and I thought I loved my family. But this is too messed up. They tried to kill you. They wouldn’t have blinked an eye if I’d been killed too. And what they’re doing… A lot of people are going to die so Chalys can be the savior. That’s not forgivable white-collar crime. That’s murder.”
“I don’t even know what to say.”
“Promise me you’ll be careful. This is bigger than a family grudge. They’ll destroy anyone and everyone who gets in their way with this.”
“Then you should be careful too. If they truly think you’re expendable…”
“Trust me, I’ve considered it. My uncle’s been missing for a while. No one’s heard from him for days. They’re acting like it’s no big deal right now, like maybe he’s on a bender with some hookers in Miami or something. They don’t want to turn it into a media spectacle, but I can’t help but wonder if he got in the way of things somehow.”
I tense, silently praying Isabel stays quiet. Thanks to me, Vince Boswell’s life ended on a yacht last week, and it’ll be a miracle if they ever find his remains tied to the end of an anchor. I have no regrets, only that Isabel had to witness it. Knowing he’s gone after all his violent promises fills me with nothing but calm that the world is rid of him. But Isabel’s a better person than I am. Face-to-face with Kolt, she may be tempted to tell him the ugly truth.
The silence stretching between them makes me uneasy. I’m tempted to reveal myself and end their conversation when he pulls her against him, hugging her tightly. He whispers something in her ear that I can’t hear. It’s better than her telling him about his dead uncle, but it’s killing me to see them this close.
She pulls away first, taking a step back. The tension I’m holding from watching their conversation and interactions doesn’t ease up. It’s like I can’t take a breath until she’s away from him.
“I have to go. Thank you for telling me all this,” she says.
“I’ll reach out if I find anything else that might help.”
She lays her palm against the lapel of his jacket. “Thank you. I mean it.”
I exhale as she turns and walks away, leaving him to watch her go, hopefully for the last time. I wait until Kolt disappears in the other direction and she passes me. Then I fall into step several feet behind her.
When her pace picks up, I know she can hear my footsteps following her down the street. I gain on her, hoping she feels me before she sees me. She pauses to look back just as I lasso my arm around her torso and trap her against a granite-walled building with my body. I cover h
er mouth with my hand to muffle her scream, lifting it away only when it dies with her recognition of me a few seconds later.
Her pulse is thrumming at her neck. Her breathing is ragged. If her meeting with Kolt didn’t give her an adrenaline rush, I just did.
“Scare you?”
She narrows her eyes and tries to push me back, but I won’t budge. I’m pissed off, but I want to feel her against me too.
“You have no idea how scary it could have been,” I speak through gritted teeth. “What the hell were you thinking?”
“I wasn’t going to let you hurt him.” In her eyes lies the challenge that I would have done worse than hurt him.
“I didn’t realize he meant that much to you.” I can’t help baiting her to deny it and convince me that he doesn’t own any part of her affections. After what we’ve been through together, I demand all of them.
She turns her head. “Let’s go back. I’m not doing this with you right now.”
I give her a little space, but we’re not through. “You should have told me when he reached out to you.”
“The way you flipped a switch the second you found out is exactly why I didn’t.”
I do my best to ignore the pulse of fury that runs through me as I replay that night in Miami, one that could have been memorable in so many other ways. One second we were at the club and I was deep in fantasies of taking her back to the penthouse and losing myself in her until night bled into morning. Then I saw the email and wanted to possess her for different reasons rooted firmly in my hatred for her ex-lover.
We could play this game all day, but it’s a dangerous game.
“So you went rogue? What if they had people waiting for you to show up? There are a hundred places people could have been hiding, waiting for a chance to get a clear shot.”
“I was careful. I always watch my back. Plus I knew you’d show up eventually.”
“It was sloppy. Don’t do it again.”
Her glare is more intense this time. “I took a gamble that Kolt wanted to see me for the right reasons. I wasn’t wrong.”
Just because Kolt wasn’t leading her to her death doesn’t mean he wanted to see her for the right reasons. But I force myself to take a full breath to keep myself from berating her about it anymore.
“I heard everything once you were outside. What else did he have to say?”
“Just that he overheard Vince saying they wouldn’t have been heartbroken if he’d died in Rio along with me. His world has been turned upside down. He knows they don’t care about him, so he’s more inclined to help.”
“Especially if it comes with a chance to get you back.”
She holds my silent stare, confirming what I assumed brought Kolt through the doors of the Black Rose to begin with—to win her over.
“Just because he’s in love with you doesn’t mean you can trust him.”
“I don’t. I’m even wondering if I should trust you.”
She slides past me, and I watch her walk away, a little stunned, because she’s hit her mark.
ISABEL
Tristan shuts the door behind us. I strip off my coat, hoping I can avoid more lectures from him tonight. I have too much whirling through my head right now. Kolt dropped more on me than I expected, and I need time to work through it all.
Before I can disappear into another room, Tristan takes my hand and pulls me toward him.
“What?”
My tone is sharp, but he’s gentle, his expression unexpectedly even. He laces our fingers together, and I can feel my anger begin to thaw.
“What if we both said we were wrong at the same time? Would that be an easier way to end this?”
I blink up at him, surprised but undeniably relieved. “Are you admitting that you were wrong to set up a meeting with Kolt without me?”
“I’m suggesting that because you made a bad call by not telling me about the email, I was triggered into also making a bad call.”
I do my best not to smirk at his indirect attempt at an apology. I try to turn away before he can catch it, but he cups the back of my neck, drawing me close. Our gazes tangle. His warm breaths tickle my chilled skin.
“If anything happens to you, I’m never going to forgive myself, even if it is your fault. I don’t want to live without you, so you need to talk to me. About everything.”
I try to balance the way he riles me with my overwhelming desire to end the tension that’s been gnawing at us all week. He’s right, of course. We were both wrong, even if neither of us wants to admit it.
“Then you need to stop worrying about Kolt. He’s not a friend, but he’s not the enemy either. I think tonight proves that. If he’s right and Chalys has this whole plan in motion, we need to figure out how Simon’s involved. This has Company Eleven written all over it.”
“How am I supposed to game-plan with you when you could be keeping secrets from me? You want to trust me, and I want to trust you. That means we need some transparency.”
I huff out a sigh, frustrated but convinced he won’t budge until we can agree on this point.
“Fine. No more secrets. But it goes both ways.” I lift my chin with a defiant flare because I’m still angry with him for trying to see Kolt and for scaring the hell out of me after I beat him to it.
I expect something fresh to come out of his mouth, but instead he lowers his lips to mine. It’s a simple kiss. Soft and thoughtful. And when he pulls away again, it feels like we’ve sealed the deal.
“No more secrets,” he murmurs the affirmation, walking to the window. He stands there for several minutes, hands in his pockets, staring into the quiet storm.
I follow him. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking about all the reasons Kolt might have to lie, but I don’t think he did. If what he said was true, the circumstances behind the hit on you make more sense. Something always felt off about it… It seemed too simple, like the punishment never fit the crime in a way.”
“Is that why you hesitated?”
He looks down at me, and I search for the answer in the blue of his eyes. His hesitation—whatever instinct convinced him not to pull the trigger—is the only reason I’m alive.
“I didn’t completely understand the hit, but that never stopped me before. One second I was ready to go through with it, and then I couldn’t. Something about you felt familiar. But I didn’t give it any weight until you said my name. I don’t think there’s any way I could have convinced myself to do it after that. Not until I knew more about you.”
His choice came down to seconds. I look out the window, trying not to think about the alternative—the end of my life, as innocent and ignorant as that life might have been.
“The money trail is almost always the best way to the truth,” he says, interrupting my troubling thoughts. “We need to get a hold of those records if that was their breaking point. Maybe it’s time you reached out to your mother to see what they found. Lucia probably wants to know you’re okay anyway.”
I tense and internally sidestep the guilt that comes along with all the time that’s gone by with no contact with my parents. But maybe I’ve punished them long enough for the hand they had in Tristan’s enlistment.
“If Halo was involved, they’ll have the information banked, right?”
“Maybe. Who knows what Martine did with everything she dug up on people or if it’s even accessible now that she’s gone.”
“Martine and my mother never knew about Company Eleven. If Simon’s involved, other people in the Company are probably in on this too.”
“If there are billions of dollars at stake, I can guarantee you there are plenty of fingers ready to get into that pot.”
Every time we think the problem is one size, another layer is revealed. The only thing that has stayed the same is the Boswell family. My grandfather was convinced of their malice all those years ago, and they’ve done nothing but prove him right ever since he left their company and blew the whistle on their practices. His
voice was too small to matter. My sister’s death too insignificant.
I press my fingertips against my eyelids with a tired groan. “This is more than anyone bargained for, Tristan. What could we possibly do to keep this from happening?”
“The bigger question is how many more people will we piss off trying to send it off track? We thought taking Simon out would send the Company into chaos and they’d disassemble. Even if a few of them are invested in this scheme, removing Simon from the equation may not even matter.”
“Then maybe Mateus was right. Maybe he can get close enough to help us fill in the blanks.”
“I have a feeling they’re going to want him closer than he realizes. They took an interest in him for a reason. This is a global project, and he has something they want. They’re not inviting him to the party just because he’s charming.”
I smile a little. “He is charming, though.”
“Let’s hope so, because they’ll kill him if they smell deceit.”
I wake before Tristan does. I’ve been staring at the phone in front of me for the better part of an hour. I know what I should do but wish I didn’t have to do it. Being at odds with my parents is the last thing I need when I’m running for my life, but a stubborn and wounded part of me doesn’t want to be the one to extend the olive branch.
I finally force myself to pick up the phone and dial my mother’s number. As it rings, I hope it’ll go to voicemail so I can do this another time when I feel more ready for it.
“Hello?”
“Mom, it’s me.” My voice is small.
Her breath catches. “My God, Isabel. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Everything is fine.”
“I’m so glad you called. After what happened to Martine, I’ve been so worried about you.”
I close my eyes as a fresh wave of guilt hits me. Martine may have been my mother’s friend and a trusted accomplice when it came to revenge on the Boswells, but in the end, she made her own choices—dangerous choices that ended up getting her killed.
The Red Ledger: 7 Page 2
