“I saw you getting into the car and—”
“You saw my cousin getting into the car. If we could have gotten you, it wouldn’t have been necessary, but since your friend intervened, we had to go with plan B. And well, it was my cousin’s fault that Aalto died and I’m in this mess, so it just stands to reason that he should pay the consequences. I already had his dental records swapped with mine some time ago. Why would anyone keep useless relatives around, right? Especially one who resembled me so much. I needed you and everyone who saw the incident to be convinced it was me. Ayala wouldn’t have backed off otherwise.”
Elle frowned. It had not been just dental records that had identified the body. “DNA confirmed it was you.”
“Law-enforcement agencies should do their homework better and screen their candidates more thoroughly. People with gambling issues should not be allowed to handle forensic evidence; some unscrupulous thug could use their secrets to encourage them to forge false forensic statements. You have been a very bad girl. You impersonated Mrs. Cabrera and, to add to your stupidity, you went to the cops.”
Donald had given them her name; it was useless to lie at this point so she kept quiet.
“Why don’t you make things easier for yourself and tell us Alex Ayala’s real name?” Exxum asked. “We could bring our…grievances straight to him.”
Elle tried to play it cool. “What do you mean, what’s his real name? I know him only as Alex Ayala. I’m as much in the dark as you.”
Maldonado didn’t seem fooled. “He fought my men to get to you. I’ve read the info Exxum has on him. Alex Ayala does not fight for a woman, much less for a witness under federal protection. Someone undercover does.”
She forced her throat to work, her mind racing. She needed a way out and she needed to be damn convincing. For Jack’s sake and for hers. “I’m not a witness under federal protection.”
“You dispatched my flight. You went to the cops.”
“Yes, and yes, but I know there’s no future testifying against somebody like you. What I want is to make a deal. My silence can be bought.”
Maldonado barked out a laugh. “You are misrepresenting the situation. I don’t have to buy your silence. Dead people tend to keep their traps shut.”
“Dead people might have a safe deposit box whose contents are sent to the FBI once said people kick the bucket,” she said, doing her damnedest to squish the trembling on her voice.
“If I had a penny for every time I heard someone say that, I’d be richer than I am, which, considering the margin of profit in my line of work, is saying a lot,” he sneered. “You’re bluffing. So cute, and so pointless in the grand scheme of things. Where do we find Alex?”
She remained furiously silent.
“You don’t have to tell us anything, true, but we are trying to do you a favor,” Exxum explained with a sigh. “We don’t need it. As soon as he hears you’re missing, he’ll come to us.”
“You overestimate my influence on him.”
Maldonado walked to her. “You got him to forget common sense and remain in the open. He’ll come searching for you, and we’ll kill two birds with one stone.”
“Why didn’t you shoot me at the Baile de Diablos? You knew I was the witness. You could have killed me. End of the problem.”
“No, dear. Not end of the problem. It would have made matters worse. Obviously you mean a hell of a lot to Mr. Ayala. If I killed you, I’d have to worry about him forever. I have enough enemies already. I don’t need one as formidable as him. And things have been too hot for me lately, with all the law-enforcement agencies in the US sniffing up my ass. Pretending to be dead and then kidnapping you would solve all of that.
“Men like Alex don’t commit to women. Loving someone is like catching a frightening disease that makes you forget your priorities and self-preservation instincts. He wouldn’t allow it to go on for long, so I knew once he perceived the danger to be over, he would walk out on you, and there it would be my opening to get you. And once I had you, he would willingly come to me. After I’m rid of you two, I might remain dead. Check myself into a clinic in Brazil, get a new face and then travel to Spain and dip my toes into the counterfeiting business in Europe. Much less dangerous for one’s health, not to mention how ridiculous European punishments are. A slap on the wrist, if anything.”
“You’re wasting your time. He will not come for me. He dumped me.”
“Maybe, but as soon as he’s told you are a prisoner, he’ll agree to our terms.”
“Which are?”
“Him in exchange for you.”
“You’ll be waiting for a long time then. He will not agree.”
Oh God, she needed to find a way out. Jack would come for her; he was that kind of man, and no matter how good he was, no one could beat an army.