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“No, she’s not. She told me what was bothering her. She’s not keeping anything from me. And, if I were you, Killian, I’d keep Nina’s name out of your mouth. Otherwise, you might make me thinkyou’rethe spy.”
“I’m no spy,” he spits out.
“No? I met you and Petrov around the same time. You both approached me wanting to make a deal. How are either of you so different?”
“I was with you the night we killed Alfonso. If I were a spy, do you really think I’d let you kill Franco’s second-in-command?”
I shrug. “Maybe you realized there were no other options without getting caught.”
Killian shakes his head, chuckling darkly. “This is messed up, man. Antonio, I’m here for you. I’m honest. If you want to be so caught up in your revenge against your uncle that you can’t see the truth in front of you, that’s on you. But Petrov messed up tonight, and that’s something to look into at least. And you know it. Now, get out of my car.”
“It’s not your car,” I growl, getting out anyway. “We literally stole it tonight.” I slam the door and head inside to my apartment.
I find Nina still in bed, now asleep. I take a moment to look at her peaceful form. There’s no way someone as sweet as her could be a spy. I just need to talk to Petrov and get to the bottom of what happened tonight.
I slide in beside Nina, wrapping her into my arms. She stirs and looks over her shoulder at me, relaxing. “You’re all right. How did it go?”
“My uncle is still alive,” I mutter. “Otherwise, I don’t want to talk about it. I just want to hold you.”
She nods and turns away from me, snuggling into me. I breathe in her vanilla scent and shut my eyes, telling myself everything will be all right.
* * *
I showup at Petrov’s house the next day. He called me and told me they got the bullet out of his shoulder and to come meet him.
I can’t get Killian’s words out of my head. None of this makes sense.
Petrov welcomes me inside, this time with his arm in a sling.
“Does it hurt?” I ask, nodding at his arm.
“Only a little.”
“I didn’t mean to shoot you,” I tell him, settling down on his couch. “I was aiming for Franco.”
“I understand. What happened last night didn’t go according to plan. Antonio, you need to know I tried to get him there alone. I didn’t know his men would show up, but we should have planned better for it.”
“I agree.” So that answers one question. “But there’s something else I need to ask you about.”
“Go ahead.” Petrov settles into his seat.
“We went over this before. You were supposed to make sure Franco was in the right position so I could take a shot at him. But you were in the way. What gives?”
Petrov shifts in his seat, looking uncomfortable. “I was trying to get him into position, but I didn’t want to make Franco suspicious. You should have waited a few more minutes before trying to kill him. I maybe could have gotten him where he needed to be. I’m sorry, Antonio. I let you down. But we can always try again.”
“How? Now Franco will be even more suspicious of you. How will I ever get him alone to kill him?”
“You’re a bright young man. You’ll think of something.”
“I hate to say this, Petrov, but … Killian thinks you were in on it. That maybe you’re working for Franco. That’s a crazy idea, though, right?”
Petrov chuckles. “That is crazy. I have no desire to work with a man like that. But why would Killian think that about me?”
I tell him Killian’s accusations against him.
“Ah.” Petrov clears his throat. “Well, I think the real answer is right in front of you. Why is Killian making accusations except to keep them off him? Maybe he told Franco you were coming that night. Maybe he was even the one who told Franco about your plan to blow up one of his drug shipments. I seem to remember Franco not being there when he should have been. Perhaps it’s young Killian spying on you for Franco.”
“But I trust Killian …” Or do I? Hewastrying real hard to place blame on Petrov and Nina. Petrov, I understand. But Nina? She’s my wife. And any man who tries to hurt my wife is an enemy in my eyes.
