“Right,” Fiore whispered. “Right. You’re the prize.”
“I told you I’m not a rat,” Finn said. “I didn’t mean for all that to happen, Fiore. But look what we got.”
“Yeah,” Fiore said. He reached out and touched my cheek.
I winced back and felt like throwing up.
“No worries,” Fiore whispered, “I’m happily married. And the women on the side… I pay for. So there’s no feelings.”
“Good to know,” I said.
“You are beautiful though.” Fiore backed up and eyed me again. “I mean, really beautiful.”
“So we can get all the details,” Finn said. “Anything we want. I’ll press her for information.”
“I’m standing right here,” I said. “You realize that, Finn?”
“Hey, stop talking,” Finn said. “This is business.”
“Did you fuck her yet?” Fiore asked Finn.
“What?” I asked. “What am I, a whore?”
“Nah,” Finn said. “We were on the run last night and I took her to my cabin. Kept her safe. I wanted to show you, Fiore. I mean, I fucked up, but look what we got.”
“Oh, we have something,” Fiore said. He finally walked away from me, back behind his desk. “We have something amazing.”
“She’s willing to tell you anything,” Finn said. “Obviously in exchange for her survival.”
“Right,” Fiore said. He looked at me. “You like to live?”
“Sure,” I said. “I don’t mind it.”
“And you decided to take your stand against Zander last evening?”
“It wasn’t planned,” I said. “Everything happened all at once. Really fast. I tried to help Finn. I didn’t realize who he was though.”
Fiore laughed. “If you did, you wouldn’t have helped?”
I looked at Finn and curled my lip. “Probably not.”
“I like her,” Fiore said.
“Yeah,” Finn said. “She’s something.”
Finn then winked at me.
Seriously?
Finn brought me here and was just going to give me up like this? And then wink at me? He was using me to save his own ass.
“So, Shayna,” Fiore said, “tell me something about Zander.”
“Like what?” I asked. “How he’s a pig? How he loves to kill? How he runs a gun trade through his illegal fights? Not to mention the fights usually have weapons. That’s what makes them brutal. The ultimate experience, I guess. To actually see someone die.”
“Right, right,” Fiore said. “The ultimate experience. Does he still move drugs?”
“Of course.”
“He still deals back home?”
“Yes,” I said. I felt sort of bad admitting anything, but really, what did I care? I wasn’t loyal to Zander. Or Fiore. Or Finn. I was loyal to finding my sister. And maybe… maybe Fiore could help… “But they talk in Russian so I can’t understand it. Lately he’s seemed more angry than usual.”
“We’ve been pushing into his territory,” Fiore said. “That’s what made last night even more dumb.” Fiore looked at Finn.
“Hey,” Finn said. “I said I was sorry. I went for a beer with a friend and ended up there.”
Fiore hit his desk. “You knew damn well what you were doing, Finn.”
“And now look at the good that came from it,” Finn said. “You have one of Zander’s own. He knows I took her. He knows who I am, right? He obviously sent guys here already. He’s distracted and mad. You can strike hard now, Fiore.”
Fiore looked at me. “Shayna, two men got into my home. They tried to attack me. How did they know?”
“Know what?”
“Know where my office was?”
“I don’t know.”
“He’s asking if you knew about this,” Finn said to me.
“What?” I said. “No. I have nothing. Check me. Search me.” I lifted my hands.
“Maybe I will,” Fiore said.
“Wait,” Finn said and jumped to my side. He put a hand to my stomach.
Why did it make my body flutter?
“I checked her,” Finn said. “She’s not wired or anything. They knew where you live, Fiore. Everyone should lay low and hide a little. Let this happen…”
Fiore let out a sigh. “We were planning a big move into his territory. We were going to engage the war again. The respect doesn’t reach what it used to. And what that fat son of a bitch took…”
Fiore looked at a picture on his desk. I couldn’t see what the picture was though. Finn’s hand slid to my back and he kind of squeezed, like he was trying to tickle me. I looked at him and he gently shook his head.
Don’t. Ask. That’s what he mouthed to me.
The silence in the room was terrifying. Watching Fiore look at the picture had my heart racing. The way his face changed was like nothing I’d ever seen before. With each breath he took his face looked torn between grief and anger. His lips quivered like he wanted to cry while his eyes were narrow with hate. Then his eyes grew big and glossy while his mouth contorted and his lip curled like he was ready to attack someone.
“Fiore,” Finn finally whispered. “We can get him now.”
Fiore looked at Finn and nodded. “Yes. We can.”
“How?” I asked. “Kill him?”
Why did that excite me?
Oh, right, because of what he did to my sister… or what I thought he did…