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Itdoesmake sense for me to testify against Rio for kidnapping me. He did the deed, after all. He may not have ordered his men to shoot Dave, but the reality is they did.
This moment, right now, I have the chance to open my mouth and agree to what Felicity is asking of me.
My mind skitters.Just say yes. Just say yes. Say it.
Somehow, I can’t.
A win-win for everyone but Rio.
It’s like that moment on Rio’s boat on the river when I stared down into the murky brown waters. Why didn’t I throw myself off the boat that day and sink below the surface with at least a partial chance to get away? To escape.
I didn’t then, and I still don’t know why exactly.
“He’d go to prison?” If I betray him. If I testify.
“On your testimony? I’m sure he would. Once you speak up, the others will, too.”
“And you’d what? Put me into witness protection?”
“Yes, like I said.” Felicity’s tone is impatient, and she glances around again. “We’re taking too long. We both need to get back out there, Bree, and—”
“Please don’t call me that.”
She frowns as if confused. “What?Bree?”
“My name is Bianca. Apparently. Not Bree. Even though I never knew that until recently.”
“Well. Okay.Bianca.” She jumps to her feet. “Think about it. Call us. We’ll be waiting.”
As she exits the powder room, I stare down at the white card in front of me. Slowly, I pick it up, considering what to do. I fold it in half, and then in half again. Then finally, I tuck it into my shoe. When I head toward the door, I have the strangest feeling that a brand is being burned into the base of my foot.
And if anyone looks closely enough, they’ll see that the brand clearly states:betrayal.
* * *
Rio
Danelli saidshe entered the bathroom over ten minutes ago. What the fuck is she doing? There are no exit windows, so I know she can’t have escaped, but what if someone in there has hurt her? I should have insisted Danelli roster on at least one female to the security detail. I will ensure he does so in the future.
I open my mouth to order him to go in and check on her when the door opens. A blonde-haired woman in red saunters out and heads across to a waiting male. She greets him with a kiss, and they link hands and wander off.
My gut stirs. Something isn’t right. I trust my instinct implicitly.
“Follow me in. Now!” I shoot the command over my shoulder, but I’m already heading in without waiting for Danelli to follow.
As I barrel through the door, I almost collide with Bianca who is in the act of reaching out for the door handle.
“Fuck!” I swivel, just avoiding knocking into her, then I grab her by the arms. “What the hell took you so long? I thought…”
I break off, hating that my voice and demeanor show anything other than calm control.
Her mouth parts as she stares up at me with wide, scared-looking eyes. Her cheeks are pale, and she looks…petrified, for want of a better word.
“Are you all right?” I bark out. “What’s happened?”
“Nothing’s happened. Other than you scaring the heck out of me. Why would you think something’s happened?” She clutches her purse tight. “I felt a little unwell. Perhaps from the wine? I just needed a few minutes without everyone and their dog coming up and asking me aboutyou.”
“Right.” I narrow my eyes. “Including Carlos Rossi, I hear.”
