Page 92 of Konstantin
“You think I planned this?”
“No.” He sighs, weariness bleeding through the line. “But you know I can’t help you with this. If the bureau finds out I let you do any of it?—”
“I’d never rat you out.”
He exhales sharply. “I know that, kid.”
“There’s more.” I pinch the bridge of my nose.
“Oh, come on. What else could there be?”
I take a moment before I say it. “He made me marry him.”
A long, dreadful silence wedges between us. “Hewhat?”
“I didn’t have a damn choice. He said it’s for my protection, and now I’m living with him.”
“Jesus Christ, Emilia!”
“I’ll be fine. This is good.”
“Good?” He lets out a dry chuckle. “Only you would call what you just said good.”
“I’m closer than ever to finding what I need.”
“You’re out of your goddamn element. I never should’ve let you do this.”
“Too late.”
He says something under his breath. “Just be careful. I don’t have to tell you what would happen to you if he finds out what you’re reallydoing.”
“He won’t.” I grip the edge of the counter. “But please…just watch out for Nate. I won’t be able to see him for a while.”
“You have my word. I’ll only contact you if something is wrong.”
“Thank you. Talk soon.” I end the call, then immediately phone Riley.
“Hey!” she says. “So happy you called. Great work, by the way. I got into his cell.”
Relief hits me.
I fucking did it.
“But that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about…” Her voice trails, and I don’t like it.
“What is it?”
“So, I was going through Nate’s partner’s stuff again and found encrypted monthly wire transfers tied to some offshore account. This time, though, I traced it back to the DeLuca family, not the Russians.”
I freeze. “So, what the hell does that mean? He was taking money from both of them?”
“Seems that way.”
“What the fuck was he up to? How dirty was this guy?”
“As dirty as they come.”
My head starts to spin and I back up against the wall for stability. “Maybe he crossed the DeLucas and got killed for it. Maybe it wasn’t the Russians.”
