Page 73 of Emerald

It’s so startling that I almost drop it again.

I see an unknown number on the screen.

And I already know what I’ll hear when I pick up.

But all I can do is answer.

I hit the icon. Hold the phone to my ear, listening silently.

“Your girlfriend is very pretty,” the cold voice says.

My hand is shaking. My whole body is trembling with rage.

“Where is she?” I say.

Each word comes out through lips frozen with fury and fear. I can hardly understand myself. But Remizov understands perfectly.

“She’s my guest,” he says.

I want to scream at Remizov that if he hurts her, if he so much as touches her, I won’t rest until everything he’s ever known or loved is a smoking ruin.

But that would be the stupidest thing of all. He can’t know how I feel about Sloane. That would be signing her death warrant.

“What do you want?” I ask.

“I want the flash drive,” he says.

He grabbed Sloane, whether from Moscow, or from the train. But he doesn’t know why she was there. He doesn’t know that we don’t have the drive anymore. He thinks I kept it.

He wants to trade it for Sloane. Though of course, it won’t be a trade at all. Once he has what he wants, he’ll kill us both.

“Bring it to my house,” Remizov says, his voice soft and quiet. “I assume you got the address from Zima.”

I grunt.

“Come alone,” Remizov says. “I don’t need to tell you what will happen otherwise.”

My teeth are grinding together so hard it feels like my molars are going to crack. The urge to shout at Remizov, to threaten him, is almost overwhelming.

“I’ll get the drive,” I say. “And I’ll be there in an hour.”

* * *

21

Sloane

‘Tis best to weigh the enemy more mighty than he seems.

Shakespeare

After I meet with Alya at theGazetaoffices, I’ve got some time to kill. I booked tickets on the afternoon train back to St. Petersburg, leaving at 4:00 p.m.

I spend some of that time fighting with Ivan, who wants me to hide out here while he slugs it out with Remizov. Obviously, that’s not happening. We agreed to work together on this little project—I’m not going to be a glorified UPS delivery guy.

It’s sweet that Ivan’s worried about me.

But I don’t want him to be worried about me. I want him to trust me.

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