I can't.
"The Ionescus have wanted a foothold in America for a long time," he says. "And you, dear Keira, were the key. All your precious Octavian had to do was step aside and let us take you."
I shake my head, the motion frantic, instinctive.
"Bullshit."
He laughs again. "Your Romanian has been playing a longer game than you realized."
I shake my head. "Shut up."
"You really think he didn't know?" Cormac laughs.
I try to fight it, but my mind slips back to before my fall.
I remember the way Octavian tensed when we walked in, the way his hand hovered near his gun, the way he scanned every exit.
He knew something was wrong.
So why didn't he pull me out?
Why didn't he stop it?
I try to swallow, but I can't.
"How does it feel," he asks, "knowing you were just bait?"
"You're lying," I say, forcing the words out through gritted teeth.
"Am I?" he asks, his hood tilting. "That bracelet he gave you? The one you're wearing right now?"
I try to look up at it, but I can't see my hands.
"It has a tracking device inside," Cormac says. "Too bad it'll do him no good down here."
I scoff. "I don't believe you."
"Brother J," Cormac calls out. "Show her."
One of the robed figures steps forward, pulling a knife from within his robes. He grabs my wrist roughly, and I try to jerk away.
"Don't touch me," I say, but the ropes hold me fast.
The blade flashes as he slices through the bracelet's clasp and the metal falls away from my skin. He does something with thetip of the blade, prying and twisting, and suddenly a small black square pops out from inside the bracelet's band.
He tosses it onto my chest.
It lands between my breasts and I lift my head to stare at it.
A tracker.
No. He couldn't have. He looked at me like I was the only thing left in the world.
But the chip says otherwise. Says I was wrong.
How many times had I looked into his eyes and thought I saw something real? Something that made me feel safe. Made me feel wanted. I was never wanted. I was targeted.
"See?" Cormac says. "He knew we'd take you today. And he still brought you. Such a pawn, Keira."
