“They’re using you,” Declan comments as if speaking to Renne.
A long pause while Renne gathers her wits about this. I take a sip of my coffee. “My belly feels funny, Dec.”
“Those are butterflies, Con.”
“They feel like fire-spitting dragons.”
“Whatever works.”
“That man is Connor Crossbow,” Renne says, her voice shaking a bit.
Declan squeezes my shoulder.
“I’m okay,” I tell him, even though I’m unsure what I am. My body’s reacting to this. My chest feels heavy. My gut burns.
“We weren’t sure which one of the Crossbow twins it was,” the man says.
“The other one is going to marry my best friend,” Renne says. “What do you mean you weren’t sure?”
“We never know.”
“That’s awful that you think I would take her man. But now that you know it’s Connor, are you going to extract me?”
“Actually, no. The orders are that you stay.”
“On the phone, you told me you would move me. You promised me safe haven. How is the Crossbow manor a safe haven for someone like me?”
“Well, you seem to be in a relationship with him.”
“We fuck.”
“We fuck really good,” I say.
“Spare me,” Dec comments.
“Connor is untouchable. Unapproachable. He’s the genius behind the entire criminal network. His intel and surveillance run half of this world’s underground market. If we get him, we can take down the entire network. We’re talking people at the top of the food chain. Cripple them for good.”
Renne stays quiet.
But Declan doesn’t. “Told you, you’re a genius.”
I roll my eyes.
“Wait, you want me to spy on him?” Renne asks.
“We’ll take out a life policy on you so your daughter will be taken care of.”
“Life insurance? Oh my God. You think life insurance is going to help her if Connor finds out I’ve lied to him?”
“You’ve already lied to him. If they find out who you are, and they will because the image was sent with a request to identify the woman in the picture, the Crossbows will take you out into a cornfield, and we’ll never find your body.”
Renne pauses again. “Connor wouldn’t do that.”
“That’s my girl. I told her I wouldn’t.” Cornfield. Pfft.
“Let’s say that I—” Renne starts, but the man interrupts, sounding agitated.
“You don’t have much of a choice. If we can get into the Crossbow organization, we can take out both them and the Macarleys.”