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Of course. He wants to know the specifics of the threat to Nora.
“Novak wants to use her to control all your assets,” I say as Kent lets me go and comes around to stand next to Esguerra. My face and elbow are throbbing like a son of a bitch, and my mouth tastes like copper, but I ignore it.
Given the knife Esguerra pulled from fucking nowhere, it could’ve been much worse.
“How?” Esguerra demands, and I’m pleased to see that one side of his face is already swelling up. “How the fuck does he think he’ll accomplish that?”
“By marrying her. How else?” I spit out the blood pooling under my tongue. “He waited until your daughter was born, so he’d have failsafe leverage over Nora. He wants them both, you see—your wife for his own, and your daughter as a tool to control your wife. Who at that point would be his wife, but you get the picture.”
For a moment, I’m convinced Esguerra will fly at me again, but he restrains himself this time. Barely. Not that I can blame him.
If someone tried to take Sara from me, I’d chop his balls into little pieces and feed them to the local wildlife.
I strongly suspect Esguerra is tempted to do just that with me, so I say, “I can get Novak for you, and I can do it quickly. I know you’re capable of dealing with him on your own, but it will take time for you to track him down and get through his defenses—just like it will take time for you to get the name of his asset from me… assuming you’d even succeed in that. In the meantime, your wife and daughter are in danger. If my team fails, Novak will find someone else to come after you, some other way to get through to Nora and the baby. I’ve met the guy—he’s not going to stop. He wants what you have—everything you have, Nora included—and he’ll keep coming until you kill him. Or until I do it for you—something that can happen as soon as the end of this week.”
Esguerra is all but vibrating with rage, but he must see the wisdom in what I’m saying because he remains in place, hands flexing convulsively at his sides. I can sense the war going on inside him, but finally, he says harshly, “Fifty million. And I want Novak brought to me alive.”
My pulse leaps, but I keep my tone even. “Seventy-five. It’s the best I can do.”
Actually, I’d accept zero—Sara’s happiness is worth everything to me—but at least this way, I can compensate my teammates for the upcoming dissolution of our business.
Once I’m no longer a fugitive, we won’t be carrying out hits.
“Deal,” Esguerra says between clenched teeth. “Seventy-five million, and I do my best to get you and your men immunity in exchange for both Novak and the traitor.”
“You get us immunity,” I correct. “No immunity, no deal.”
“You’ve been on a fucking global murder spree for years. I can’t guarantee any—”
“Yes, you can. Our crimes are no worse than what you and Kent”—I nod toward the blond man silently observing the proceedings—“do every day, and no one touches you. Make it happen, Julian. Call in whatever favors you need to, and I will give you Novak on a silver platter.”
Esguerra stares at me, fingers still twitching. “All right,” he says after a moment, his tone noticeably calmer. “You’ve got yourself a deal. Now tell me who the traitor is.”
I assess his expression and make a split-second decision. “Bring me to Nora, and I will.”
Esguerra’s face hardens, and Kent noticeably tenses—likely getting ready to restrain him.
“Why?” Esguerra grits out. “What the fuck does she have to do with it?”
“Nothing… except she might like to know,” I say evenly. “And once she knows, I think she’ll have a problem with you killing me despite the deal we just made.”
His nostrils flare. “You calling me a liar?”
I shrug. “You’d do anything to protect your family, as I would mine. In any case, I haven’t forgotten that it was your wife who came through with my list, not you. Take me to see Nora, and I’ll tell you both what I know. On that, you have my word.”
And I wait, muscles coiled for combat, as Esguerra makes his decision.
34
Peter
I’m frisked from head to toe five more times, twice by Kent and Diego, and once by Esguerra himself. On the third search, they find the razor blade and the string, so I’m left truly weaponless—if one ignores my body and its capabilities, that is.
The ride to Esguerra’s mansion passes in explosive silence, and I know it would take the tiniest spark to set off my host. He’s as edgy as I’ve ever seen him, the violence inside him on the verge of boiling over.
