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Not that I’d been able to see her while I’d been forced to play dead. At least traitors had a chance to reclaim their lives. Something I was determined to do.
“No disagreement, dear?” She studied me.
“No, I did trade myself for her.”
“You’ve never told me why.”
“It’s not something you need to know.” I lifted my coffee for a sip. The brew was perfect, but then I’d never been served anything while with this woman that wasn’t. “She was of no use to you, and I am.”
“She was useful for keeping Mr. O’Connell in line.” A solid argument. Though they had yet to learn they’d taken Liam’s twin brother, and I wasn’t going to be the one to enlighten them.
“Not for much longer,” I argued. “The threats against her escalated rather quickly and would make him homicidal. Your men are good.”
“But he’s better?” A challenge if I ever heard one.
“No,” I answered, keeping it simple. “I am.”
That earned me a genuine laugh. “Touché, touché, my dear. Very well, I have never cared for leveraging a person’s safety in order to gain another’s agreement.”
“Still, that doesn’t stop you from doing it.”
“No,” she said before taking a sip of her coffee. “Unfortunately,” she continued with a sigh. “This business does not forgive those who are too forgiving or too soft. You have to be willing to crack those eggs, to destroy those who would oppose you, and to burn down the world if necessary. Hopefully, you only have to do it once—but you must still be willing to do it.”
“If once isn’t enough, to do it as many times as is necessary for your enemies to understand.” I understood the nature of that fight very well.
“Exactly.” Then she nodded to my croissant. “Not to your liking?”
I picked up the cloth napkin and laid it over my lap before pulling apart one of the two croissants. It was still steaming hot, but the scent made my mouth water. “I wasn’t particularly hungry before I arrived, but your cooking, as always, is too good to turn down.”
Her snort held just a hint of exasperation.
“I’m only telling you the truth,” I said. “I informed you before that I would not lie to you and if I didn’t want to answer a question, I just wouldn’t answer it.”
“Some men would be far more careful about how they phrased the words and the tone they used.”
“I’m sure some men would, and if you wanted them to do tasks for you, they’d probably piss themselves before, during, and after.” I took a bite, and it held the perfect amount of buttery goodness for the light and fluffy interior.
Laughing, Margareta shook her head as she lifted her coffee cup. A shuffle of steps from the hallway had her glancing up and I slanted a look to see who was joining us. The bodyguard who opened her door stood there, his silence spreading out to fill the room. She glanced at her watch and then sighed.
“Thank you for reminding me, Otto,” she said. “I would have let time get away with me. Can you get the car ready?”
He nodded, then left without a second glance at me. When I returned my attention to Margareta, I found her watching me. Sobriety had replaced the humor in her eyes.
“You know Milo Hardigan?”
Only practice kept me from betraying a reaction. I took a long drink of coffee before I answered, though. “I do.”
“Excellent. I want you to befriend him.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Why?”
“Does it matter?” The challenge was right there.
“It might. He’s not from any of the families in the area.”
“No, but he is developing ties with one of them.” Goddammit. Her smile was almost angelic. “Yes, I have met Mr. Hardigan. I find him interesting.”
I narrowed my eyes.
