“One of Edmond’s offshore accounts has been flagged. Ramirez is worried it’ll draw attention to any large transactions.”
“By whom?” Seth asks, a little more alert now.
“They didn’t say,” I admit. “But any new transaction—especially a large one—will likely lead back to Ramirez. And after tonight, I think he might be willing to cut Edmond out of the deal completely, but it will come at the cost of bringing in a more concerning investor.”
“Like Sam Baird,” Ruby offers.
“Or Milosh Kamarov,” I add. “I know tonight didn’t go as planned, but in a way, I think it’s revealed a bigger threat. I’m not sure getting the RICO evidence is our priority anymore. It’s the deal. We need to figure out what Ramirez is selling and why an ex-KGB member like Kamarov and an international broker like Baird are interested in it.”
“AndMs. Langford.”
I swing my gaze to Ruby, and she looks unapologetic. “What?”
“If she’s gathering intel on Ramirez, it might not be for Edmond. We might need to consider she has her own agenda.”
“Like what?” My question comes out like a demand, but Ruby doesn’t flinch.
“I know you want to rule her out,” Ruby continues. “But we know thatsomeonewas trying to get into the museum library before the meeting with Ramirez and Edmond. A meeting where they were supposed to discuss the deal and where Ms. Langford disappeared from the gala at the same time. In Italy you were concerned you were being followed, and I don’t know if you noticed, but Cybil was nearby in every instance. Tonight you caught her eavesdropping in the hallway, and that was after she was talking with Kamarov, right?”
I don’t like the direction this is going. “What are you saying?”
“Maybe Cybil’s a pawn. Maybe she’s not. But she’s gathering information, if not for herself, then for someone, and if we’re going to change the scope of this mission, then we have to assume everyone involved is a potential threat.”
I run a hand through my hair, gripping the back of my neck. My brain can’t find an argument with what Ruby is saying, but my heart? My heart doesn’t want to accept it. Not when it’sher. I know Cybil’s been lying to me. But the weight in my chest doesn’t come from betrayal—it comes from the terrifying realization that I might love her anyway.
Falling for the woman who kidnaps FBI agents? Yeah, I think I skipped straight to advanced-level Stockholm syndrome.
“I’m not saying she’s innocent in all of this,” I concede. “But Cybil Langford is the kind of girl who would go out of her way to protect others. People don’t just wake up one morning and decide to spy on a dangerous crime boss like Ramirez. If she’s involved—trulyinvolved—there must be a good reason.”
“Then we find out what it is,” Katherine says, finally speaking. “While I don’t condone setting restaurants on fire, I think it’s importantwe determine Ms. Langford’s intentions—and possibly how we can use them.”
“Use them?”
“We need to uncover information about Ramirez’s deal, correct? As Edmond’s assistant, she has better access than we do, and something’s motivating her to go up against Ramirez. If we find out what that is, what she knows, we might be able to use that information to take him down.”
I know she’s assessing this situation through a level of experience I can’t begin to comprehend, but I want to make sure I’m hearing her clearly. “You want to turn Cybil into an informant?”
“Given the outcome of tonight, I don’t think you’re going to get anywhere near the YubiKey or Ramirez’s accounts. Nobody wants him to pay for what he did to Danny Morales more than we do, and Ms. Langford might be our best and only chance to do that.”
I’m about to argue when a knock on the door stops me. Katherine rises to answer it. A man on the other side whispers something to her, then hands her a cell phone. She turns, locking eyes with me.
“Your grandmother.”
Every muscle in my body tenses. Gran wouldn’t call at this time of night unless something wasreallywrong. I stand and take the phone. “Gran? Is everything okay?”
“Yes, of course, honey,” she says lightly, oblivious to the near heart attack she just gave me. “But I have a question.”
“Gran, it’s late,” I say, glancing over my shoulder to find the team watching me with barely restrained amusement. “And I’m working. Can it wait?”
“How exactly does one perform a citizen’s arrest?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Gran—”
“There’s this new fella, just moved in, and I don’t think he’sjusthere for the shuffleboard and early-bird specials, if you know what I mean.”
I don’t.
“Bernie and I saw him sneaking out the back gate with a suspiciouslyheavy duffel bag. We would’ve followed him, but Bernie just had hip surgery and—”
