Ramirez steps back toward the car, giving me one last glance. “If Mr. Holloway is still interested in my business, tell him to come with his checkbook. I’ve decided”—he pauses, a slow smirk curving his lips—“I’m opening the deal to the highest bidder.”
That’s worse. A lot worse.
“What about Mr. Edmond?” I ask, keeping my voice steady. “Is he still involved?”
Something crosses Ramirez’s face, but all he offers me is a shrug. “Up to him.”
I don’t know how to take that. “Will you still be needing my services? If you’re talking different countries, I’ll need details to get the appropriate paperwork prepared for the transactions.”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Miller.” Ramirez slides into the back seat of the car, his voice flat. “You’ll have everything you need.”
Something twists inside of me. This isn’t good. I need to find Seth, get back to Ruby, and call Katherine Scott in to regroup. But before I can move, my comm crackles to life in my ear. Ruby’s voice is tight with urgency.
“We have a problem.”
Chapter 28
Cybil
Dallas, Texas
Saturday night
As I speed away from the restaurant, gripping the steering wheel like it’s the last solid thing in my life, two things are abundantly clear—I amnota spy, and I should’ve passed on the fettuccine ravioli appetizer.
I swallow back the nausea and repeat myself to Athena. “I’m in trouble.”
Athena’s calm voice comes through my speaker. “What happened?”
The words spill out, rushed. “I think I’ve been compromised. Ben was questioning me again and I needed to get away from him”—and the feelings he was stirring up in me.“I went to the bathroom, but there was this guy and—”
“Take a breath, Cybil.”
I suck in a breath. “I overheard something, just a few words, but it was Ben talking to Ramirez and Rook. They said my name. And then they caught me.”
My pulse pounds in my ears. I can still feel the weight of Ben’s stare when he found me in the hall, the way his expression shifted. Like heknewwhat I was doing.
“Whocaught you?”
“Ben. And Rook, Ramirez’s lawyer.” My mind was spinning, replaying every second of the night in an endless, stomach-churning loop.“Athena, what if he sold me out?” My voice cracks. “What if Ben figured out what I’ve been doing and he—”
“Breathe,” Athena reminds me again, her voice steady as ever. “Where are you now?”
I blink. I’ve been so consumed in getting as far away from the restaurant as possible, I haven’t paid attention to where I’m driving. The city lights have faded behind me, replaced by dimly lit streets lined with aging brick buildings and low-rent office spaces. A few neon signs flicker overhead, casting eerie glows onto the cracked sidewalks. Most of the storefronts are dark—insurance agencies, bail bond offices, a payday loan place with bars on the windows. Exactly the kind of place where no one asks questions if they hear gunshots. My paranoia spikes. “Somewhere near downtown.”
“How far are you from your apartment?”
I open my mouth to respond when something shifts behind me. A faint rustling that causes the hair on my arms to stand.
“Athena,” I whisper. “Something’s wrong.”
Another noise—heavier this time, like a shuffle of weight against fabric. I twist my head, looking at the back seat, and my breath catches in my throat. Amanis in my back seat.
I scream. The car swerves violently, tires screeching. My seat belt locks as I yank the wheel, barely managing to keep my car from crossing into the opposite lane. My tires smash against the curb with a jump and I throw the car into Park.
“What’s happening?”
I can’t get out of the car fast enough... but my stupid seat belt is determined to keep me trapped. “There’s someone in my car!” I shout, still clawing at the buckle.
