Page 54 of Collin: Episodes 13-15
“Like hell it doesn’t, Mikhail. Your mark’s on the house where she was staying.”
Mikhail narrowed his eyes and spat a long string of Russian to someone Collin couldn’t see. Then he crouched down in front of Collin and grabbed him by the front of his shirt.
“I killed your father, boy. And he was asset. Bad asset but asset. You only incidental result of operation. So, stop pretend. Took me years, but I know you take record. Where it be?”
“Why are you mixed up with Dana Reevesworth? Is she an asset too?”
“Asset, yes. My asset, no. Only job. Where record?”
“Why would I tell you anything, Grandfather, when I know you’re just going to kill me?”
Mikhail waved to the driver of the car, and it rolled backward. On the other side, on his knees, gagged, was Émeric. They still had him blindfolded, and wherever they had grabbed him from, he’d still been wearing his coat.
“He not see me yet. You give me record, he live.”
“Yeah, fuck. That math figures.” Collin closed his eyes. “Why do you think I have it, Mikhail? I was like thirteen, fourteen, when you left.”
“Your dad smart. Record only disappear when you angry ’bout lessons. Alice lessons. No one else have record who come in house. No one but your father know ’bout record. So, you have record. Is your father’s plan.”
“Why come for it now?”
“Reevesworth job. Get me in country. Two birds, one stone.” Mikhail clicked the safety off his gun. “Now tell me where record is.”
“You don’t have to talk like that.” Collin glared at Mikhail. “You speak English perfectly fine.”
“But don’t want to.” Mikhail grinned. “This more fun. Less thinking. Now, record.” He pointed the gun at Émeric.
Collin lifted his chin. “I’ll give you the record. But I won’t tell you where it is because then you’ll just kill him because you won’t need him. Exchange. You free Moreau, you get record.”
“How?”
“Phone call. I left it with someone. They don’t know what they have. But they can bring it.”
“Who?”
“My boss.”
“Your boss? More like your john. He buy you pretty suits. You suck his dirty cock. My grandson is a whore.”
“Says the man who married off his daughter like a man hands over a gun,” Collin spat.
Mikhail backhanded him again. Blood spilled in Collin’s mouth.
He laughed and swallowed. “Want your record or not? We both know you’re going to kill me.”
“You not afraid? No beg for your life?”
“What’s there to be afraid of? I’ve known you could come for me since the day I took it.”
Mikhail raised an eyebrow. “Maybe you do have some of my blood in you.” He scrolled through his phone and dialed, then put it on speakerphone. It rang twice.
Bruiski answered. “Reevesworth Industries, good afternoon.”
“Hello, put Richard on the phone. Tell him I have something he wants,” Mikhail said, his accent smoothing out into perfect phrasing.
“One moment, sir. Let me see if I can find him.”
Mikhail raised both his eyebrows. “He not know you’re gone yet, boy?”
