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“Hostage, then.”
“Don’t try and play the victim card.”
“Agent Harper, we both know you have no concrete reason to keep me here. I’m being held against my will. If that’s not a hostage, I don’t know what is.”
I bite the inside of my cheek. I wanted to wait until Peterson got here, but from what I’ve heard, he’s taken the week off to visit his family in Florida. He informed me he’d be on the first flight back to JFK, but I’m practically itching with all this inaction. This is my operation, and I will do what I see fit.
I vacate the observation room, stomp down the hall, and burst through the interrogation room’s door. I shut it firmly behind me, taking a seat across from Luka with a glare. The room is sterile and clinical. Unwelcoming.
“Who were those men who attacked you at the hospital?” I ask.
Luka leans back in his chair. “Straight to business, I see.”
“Answer the question, Mr. Antonov.”
“Please,” he scoffs. “Mr. Antonov is my father. Don’t call me that, it makes me feel old.”
Irritation licks at the nape of my neck. I want to throttle him and that beautiful neck of his. “Take this seriously, Luka. You almost died tonight.”
“But thanks to you, I got out unscathed. We’re even, wouldn’t you say?”
I frown. “What?”
“I saved you from the knife attack, you saved me from having my brains blown out. We’re even.”
“Do you expect a thank you?”
“I’m pretty sure you already said it, but I don’t mind hearing it again.”
I fight the urge to cross my arms and ball up my fists.Ooh, he was a lot less annoying when I was pretending to date him.
“Are you a part of the Russian mafia?”
He throws his head back and laughs. It’s a deep, booming sound that comes from the pit of his stomach. “You disappointment, Agent Harper.”
“Who were those men, Luka?” I repeat. “Were they from a rival Bratva sent to take you out? What did they want with you?”
He shrugs. “Nothing that would interest you.”
“Four hospital workers were critically injured,” I point out gravely. “They left the scene of the crime before the police could arrive. They’re still out there somewhere. If anyone else gets hurt, it’s on you.”
Luka is quiet for a moment. My last comment must have had an effect on him, judging by the way his brows knit together and his gaze darkens. “No one else will get hurt. It was a targeted attack. The only one they’re after is me. Which is why I want to negotiate terms.”
I scoff. “Terms? You’ve got to be kidding.”
“Put together a safehouse for me, as well as my brother Pyotr and his family. Give me a laptop and a steady internet connection.”
I lean forward, resting my elbows on the table. “Who says I even have the authority to do that?”
He leans forward, too, resting his elbows on the table to mirror my posture. “You’re the one in charge, Agent Harper. I know that much. That woman on your team… The one you sent in the restaurant. I know she’s not the boss because she’s far too emotional—”
“Don’t be sexist.”
“Just an observation. And the man working for you. I’ve only seen him once in passing, but he doesn’t exactly screamlarge-and-in-charge.”
“And Ido?”
He smiles.Reallysmiles. I wish he’d stop doing that. It’s distracting. How am I supposed to think clearly when the butterflies in my stomach won’t stop flittering about?
