Page 96 of Enigma
Before she could respond, a familiar voice spoke from the shadows. “That’s enough, Elena.”
A man stepped into the light—tall, distinguished, with graying temples and wearing expensive clothing. Olive’s breath caught as recognition hit her like a physical blow.
He was the same man she’d once seen her father meeting in secret when she was eight. She’d had a bad feeling about him then.
Seeing him in person now made all the pieces click together in her mind.
This washim.
CHAPTER 62
“Anton Karakov,” Olive breathed.
He smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Hello, Olive. You’ve grown into quite a beautiful young woman. Your father would be proud.”
She bristled. “Don’t speak as if you knew my father.”
“Your father was weak. He let sentiment cloud his judgment.” Anton stepped closer. “But you—you have potential. Sarah has been watching your career with great interest.”
“What do you want from me?” Olive kept her voice steady, despite the tremble that wanted to claim her entire body.
“I’m glad you asked.” Anton pulled out a tablet and swiped to a series of surveillance photographs.
Olive’s blood turned cold as she recognized the subject—Tom Greer walking out of what looked like the FBI field office, getting into his car outside a restaurant, standing in his driveway.
“Your former guardian has been asking uncomfortable questions.” Anton’s voice carried the casual menace of someone discussing the weather. “Tom Greer has been reviewing your family’s case files and making too many inquiries about things.”
Sarah stepped closer, her expression hard. “He’s gotten too close to the truth about what really happened that night.”
“What are you talking about?” Olive’s throat felt dry.
“He’s been building a case against us. According to our sources inside the Bureau, he’s closing in, and we can’t let that happen.”
Anton swiped to another photo—Tom sitting at his kitchen table with files spread before him, clearly taken through his window. “We need you to call him. Tell him you’ve found evidence about your mother’s survival and that you need his help urgently. I need you to convince him to meet you at coordinates we’ll provide.”
The implications slammed into Olive. “You want me to lure him into a trap.”
“We want you to help us have a conversation with him,” Sarah said. “Tom Greer has been like a father to you. He trusts you completely. One phone call from his beloved Olive, and he’ll come running to help.”
“And then what? You’ll kill him?”
Anton’s smile never wavered. “That depends entirely on how helpful he is. And how convincing you are when you make that call.”
Elena appeared beside them, holding a burner phone. “You have ten minutes to think about it. But remember—if Tom Greer exposes our operation, a lot of people are going to be very unhappy. And unhappy people tend to make poor decisions about things like keeping trafficking victims alive.”
Olive looked around the warehouse at the dozens of people huddled in the holding areas, then back at the photograph of Tom—the man who’d taken her in when she had no one, who’d helped her build a life after her family’s murder.
“I won’t do it,” she said.
Sarah’s expression hardened. “Then you’ll watch him die anyway. Because he’s already too close to the truth, and we know exactly where to find him. The only question is whetheryou want to give him a chance to survive this conversation or guarantee that he won’t.”
Elena set the burner phone on the desk. “Your choice, Olive. But choose quickly. Tom’s about to leave his office, and if you don’t call him in the next five minutes, we’ll have to use . . . less subtle methods to arrange our meeting.”
Olive stared at the phone, her mind racing. If she made the call, she’d be betraying the man who’d saved her life. If she didn’t, Tom would walk into a trap anyway—but without any warning or chance to prepare.
Either way, she was about to become complicit in destroying someone she loved.
As they walked away, leaving her with two guards, Olive stared at the phone.
