Page 92 of Stolen Empire
Her defiance cracks.
She sags in my grip, her eyes filling with tears.
"Three lines. Maybe four. I don't know. It all happened so fast. He had the gun on the table and those men were watching and I couldn't… I couldn't think of another way."
"Shit… Coke?" I ask her, and she nods as she sobs.
I release her shoulders, my hands moving to her face to wipe away tears.
"What else did they say?"
"They want me to deliver the message. To you. That your time is up. That they're coming for revenge." Her words tumble out, frantic.
"They'll pay me forty million rubles. They said if I do it right, they'll give me more work. Better work."
"Yes, you told me that…" I'm frustrated, but it's not her fault her mind is scattered.
"And you believe him?"
"I don't know what I believe. My head is fucked. Everything is fucked."
She pulls away from me, pacing the small room.
"But I have to do it. I have to deliver the message or they'll know I'm lying."
And now she's not making sense again.
She's already delivered the message to me, but the panic remains, a sure sign it was definitely the good stuff.
I've had it a few times myself and I know exactly how fucked up she's feeling.
I watch her move, her gait uneven, her breathing too fast.
She's gonna crack and fall apart, and if I send her back to them now, they'll see it.
They'll know something's wrong.
"I'm pulling you out," I say.
She stops, turning to face me.
"What?"
"You're done. I'm pulling you from the operation."
"No."
Her voice is low, dangerous.
"You can't."
"I can. I am." I move toward her.
"This has gone too far. They forced drugs on you. They threatened to kill you if you didn't do those drugs. I won't send you back into that."
"You don't get to decide."
She steps forward, closing the distance between us.
