“Sure thing.”
He rolled the window back up. My phone rang as he did. I answered with a sharp, “What?”
“The guy’s already here. Just giving you a heads up. We’re keeping an eye on him, but he’s definitely alone.”
“Good. I’ll be there in ten. Don’t let him out of your sight.”
Before long, we were pulling up to the port. My SUV stopped a few feet from where the AIED officer stood in plain clothes, nervously shifting his weight from foot to foot.
I stepped out.
“Officer Yuri,” I said, extending my hand.
He took it. His grip trembled slightly as his eyes darted around the docks, scanning for threats.
“Bellini,” he said, greeting me with a stiff nod.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting?” I asked lightly. “I assume you wanted to discuss your debts. Tuesday you lost big. Again. Two hundred and fifty thousand you owe me, Yuri. My men have been trying to collect, but apparently no one’s been answering.”
“I want my debts cleared,” he said. “All of them.Andan additional hundred thousand.”
I burst out laughing.
“And why the hell would I do that?”
“Because I know wheresheis.”
The laughter died instantly. My eyes narrowed.
“And who would that be?”
“Lena,” he said. “The omega you’ve been looking for. The one you’ve put a bounty on.”
My reaction was immediate. I reached for the gun tucked into the waistband of my belt, whipping it free and pressing the barrel to his temple.
“Talk,” I snarled. “Right now. I’ll clear the debt, but there’s no fucking way I’m paying you a cent. Walking away alive will be your reward.”
“You’ll need me if you want to get to her!” he blurted. “She’s deep in Arca territory, surrounded by armed guards.”
“I suspected Arca had her,” I said coldly. “No one else has the resources to keep her hidden from me. How do you know where she is?”
“Because I’m one of the guards assigned to watch her! My bosses run a special AIED unit. They’ve got her locked in a safe house and they almost never leave her alone. Except once. And when they did… they left her with me.” His voice shook. “If you want any chance of getting her back, you need me.”
“Why exactly do I needyou?” I asked. “I already have plenty of Arca rats on my payroll.”
“Because my bosses are paranoid,” he said quickly. “I’m the only one they trust with her.”
“Andthat,” I said quietly, “was their mistake.”
Shame crept across his face.
Lowering the gun from his temple, I studied him carefully.
I had made overtures to Alex Yuri before, subtle ones. He always shot them down. AIED was one of the last departments still clinging to integrity and loyalty. Getting an informant inside it had been nearly impossible.
What Officer Yuri didn’t realize is that I had been turning him for months.
Ever since the night he walked into one of my brothels.
