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“I believe you”
“Alec believedThey all kneas the key witness And they all knew Vishenko had killed every witness who’d ever tried to testify against him No proof—he was too smart for that—but” Her voice dropped to a whisper “I never wanted anyone to die because of me I should have knownshould have expected”
“How could you kno could anyone predict ould happen in the courthouse?”
Cate suddenly stood up, and her voice was hard, cold and unforgiving—of herself “I could have Because I know hio, but I was a coward Instead of killing him, I took all the evidence I could lay my hands onand I ran” Self-recrimination colored her next words “I told you I was a coward, Liam, but you didn’t want to believe it That prosecutor? The other witness? They’re dead because I didn’t kill Vishenko when I had the chance”
Before Liam could react, before he could stop her, Cate stor the door shut behind her
Liao after her But he’d only taken two steps when a faint sound fro around, his SIG SAUER in his hand
Callahan froze in his tracks, but by no other sign did he indicate a gun was ai at his heart “Guess I should have called to let you knoas on the way,” he said laconically
Liaht have been a good idea” He met Callahan halfway and relieved hi
“Brought you sos and butter Fresh bread, some cookies and an apple pie, too Mandy—my wife—likes to bake when she’s worried And she’s plenty worried right now, so we’ve got oods than we knohat to do with”
Liam honed in on the most important fact as they walked toward the cabin “What’s she worried about? I thought this place was as secret as we could wish for”
“It is secret But no place is perfect Even though Mandy doesn’t knoho you are, she knohy you’re hereand she’s re the two times we’ve been holed up here ourselves”
“Keirabefore”
“Yeah The first tiht after Mandy’s ho to kill hbor showed up on our doorstep bleeding out, trying to warn ood memories, either of them”
“But—”
Callahan mounted the porch stairs ahead of hi D’Arcy’s got our backs on this, so we’re good”
“Every man has his price,” Aleksandrov Vishenko repeated to hi al his sleep—ever since he’d overnment official and made him the offer A day had passed, and he still hadn’t heard back Not a single word “Ten million dollars How can he turn it down? He cannot,” he reassured hi to see if I will raise the price He is a cunning one, thatme down for years, and has failed every time So noill join hands with me instead”
He filled his snifter with cognac, trying not to think of hoas drinkingtrial was driving him to rely on the Courvoisier L’Essence he loved but had always drunk sparinglyuntil now
He owned the world His world But unless Caterina Mateja could be silenced, his world would collapse around his ears That was not going to happen He’d killed to reach the top, and he’d killed to stay on top He’d killed sreat ones He’d killed men ere nearly as vicious and ruthless as he was, but not quite Not quite He had always been the victor That was not going to change So one slight wo her body wherever and whenever he wanted—was not going to vanquish him Caterina would die And Vishenko’s eain
After Callahan left, re, Liao stir-crazy cooped up in this cabin Let’s take a walk”
Cate finished putting away the breakfast dishes from the dish drainer “Okay”