“Dmitri, please, let me go! You promised you would let me go.” Beneath my hands, Clara is breathing hard and fast, her body rigid.
“That was before I knew that you werethe mole.”
“The what?” Clara freezes. “Themole? Dmitri, I'm not the mole. Whatever evidence you have, it isn't real.”
“No, what wasn't real wasyou.”
Clara's eyes widen with dawning horror that she's been found out, and she starts to shake as she realizes the true gravity of the situation.
“Oh my God, Dmitri, no! The only reason I'm leaving is because I'm scared. Someone tried to kill me because of my connection with you. I'm not the mole! I have no idea who the mole is. You have to believe me.”
“Then why don't we ask your friend here? This must beEmily.” My tone is menacing, and though the woman is glaring at me, I can see the fear in her eyes, too.
Emily looks to Pavel, standing close enough to grab her if she tries anything.
“My fiancé is in the FBI,” she warns with a tremor in her voice. “If anything happens to me, he'll come after you.”
“That's the problem, then, isn't it? I know that Clara's been passing information to him through you.”
“What?” Both women say at the same time.
“Dmitri, that’s not what’s happening.” Clara curls her hands around my arms. “That’s not what's happening at all. I'm not telling Michael anything. I mean, come on, Emily just told yououtright that he's FBI. You really think she would do that if we were trying to keep it a secret from you? He's not even part of the organized crime unit. He has nothing to do with any of this. It's not the FBI coming after you, it's the police. Their hatred for the FBI probably rivals their hatred of you. They'd never pull them in on this—they want to be able to bring you in themselves.”
“It's true,” Emily says, her voice pleading. “Michael doesn't even know who you are. He doesn't know anything about you. Clara’s my best friend. That’s it, I swear.”
I stop, unsure what to believe.
“Dmitri, I'm telling the truth. Please believe me. None of it was a lie.” Clara’s fingers close around my arms tighter, her eyes pleading. “None of it was a lie. But I can't let myself be in this kind of danger. I was very clear about that.”
Pavel and I exchange a glance, one of unusual uncertainty. For once, I'm not sure what the answer is.
“Dmitri.” Clara reaches up and puts her hand on the side of my face. “I'm not going to betray you. I would never do that.”
Lights turn on down the street, the sound of an engine rumbles in the distance.
She shudders. “I have to be safe. You know what that's like, don't you? Isn't that why you came here tonight?”
“I can keep you safe.”
There’s a pause, then a thin veil of tears that Clara blinks away hastily.
She takes a breath and opens her mouth to reply, just as a car speeds closer. I hear the engine roar as someone punches thegas. I see the window roll down, all thoughts about the betrayal disappearing.
I'm thinking of an easy Sunday morning in the spring, the sky a perfect blue, the trees just starting to flower, alive with birds.
The sound of a gunshot that still echoes in my head endlessly, the spreading crimson pool, and gasping breath, my heart and my life shattering in one horrific, hellish moment.
There’s an explosion of gunfire, multiple shots, splitting the quiet like a lightning bolt. I’m moving before I’m even aware of it.
I will not let it happen again. I will not lose someone I love.
21
CLARA
The explosive sound of gunshots ricochets. I find myself crouched and covering my head, curled up in a tight ball underDmitri’sheavy body. Car tires squeal and an enginerevs, growing louder before itscreechesoff into the distance. The smell of gunpowder mixes with car exhaust in the street.
And then, deafening silence.
