Micah scowls. “Why not just kill them? They die, that threat dies with them.”
Rafe smiles faintly. “Tempting.”
“I want them fucking dead,” Micah says flatly, and goosebumps break out over my skin at his tone.
“It’s not that simple,” Adela replies.
“Why not?”
“Because someone else may have access to the files.”
Micah hesitates. “Ah, fuck. Adriana.”
I bite the inside of my cheek.
“If Nolan and Alexei die first,” Rafe says, “the leverage survives. And someone else uses it. Perhaps that Adriana. Who is she?”
“She’s his publicist,” Micah mutters. “Really, she’s a fucking rapist.”
Rafe exhales, gaze dropping for a moment. “What is he using?”
“Oxy. Coke. Meth. Heroin. Mostly.”
“Oxy,” Rafe murmurs. “I know what that shit’s like. If we get him to our property, withdrawal will be brutal.”
“I’m a nurse,” Heather interjects. “I put Micah on Suboxone. We brought some for Jude.”
“That helps forsomeof those things,” Rafe says, then looks at me. “Okay, so we wipe the system and remove the threat. Then we deal with Alexei.”
“And how long will that take?” Micah asks.
Adela glances toward Rafe. He gives her a small nod, like he’s giving her permission to be honest. “It may take time,” she says. “Men like Alexei know how to hide well. He's a very powerful man.”
“But we’ll do it,” Rafe says firmly.
My fists clench. “And Jude?”
“We’ll get him,” Adela says. “But we can’t rush.”
Panic flares sharply inside my chest. “I don’t have time to wait.”
“You will,” Rafe says.
“Why?”
He leans in. “Because rushing gets people killed. And I doubt you want to bury your friends.”
I open my mouth, but he keeps going.
“I know you’re afraid he’ll die before we reach him. I felt the same when my wife was kidnapped and held captive by Russian enemies years ago. It took me too long to find her.” His voice drops. “Trust me. I get it.”
I don’t know what to say. So I say nothing.
She was kidnapped? Oh shit.
Adela meets my gaze, her expression unreadable. “This isn’t a movie rescue,” she says. “Alexei is an influential man with a lot of sway over there. We need to be absolutely sure about what we’re doing.”
My heart pounds as understanding settles in. This is the moment I cross the line. The moment I stop being the woman who only helps others face their darkness. This is the moment I choose to step into it myself.