Morello tilts my chin up to meet his gaze. "Have faith in me, Alina. I know it won't be easy, but I mean what I say."
Looking into his eyes, I feel the first cracks form in the walls around my heart. I want to trust this man, consequences be damned. But the shadows of the past lurk close, and, after all, it was only recently I placed trust in a man that led to this very situation.
With a shaky breath, I manage a small nod. I know he wants more, but it's all I can offer for now.
Perhaps, in time, that will change, and I'll have more of myself to give.
Morello
I feel like a hypocrite. Moments after promising Alina that I'll keep her and her daughter safe, I'm forced to renege on my promise and put them both back directly in harm's way.
I feel ill at the thought of breaking the news. But the alternative, in Alina's eyes, would be much worse.
"We tried to get a warrant to storm his place, but the higher-ups aren't signing off on it. We're going to have to do things differently."
"So you're going to go against your superiors? Won't that get you in trouble?"
"I mean, theoretically. I could face disciplinary action for an intentional protocol breach. But I'm not going to just let you sit there in danger for however long, and I know you are terrified of being deported back to Luchenko. All of that aside, my main priority is taking the action necessary to eliminate Gerald as a threat from your and Yara's lives, and that means taking decisive action. So here we are."
"So what do you have in mind?"
"We need to poke the bear. To raise the stakes."
"That sounds dangerous."
"Well, yes. It is. But unfortunately, it's the only way I think we're going to get him at his most vulnerable. With the limited resources available to me, to us, we can't storm the mansion as we ordinarily would. He has a large team, a solid infrastructure with more weapons than he could ever need. That would be too dangerous."
"So the plan is..?"
"We're going to use you as bait. Unfortunately, we may need to include Yara as well. But one thing is for sure—Gerald, in all his twisted ways—seems to have some type of sick obsession with you. In the timeframe we have available, having you lure him outinto the open where we can actually get at him seems like the only option."
Her face twists into a frown, her eyes a window into her mind that mulls over the risks involved.
I feel sick for even asking her, but I know there's no other option.
"What if he… becomes violent? What if he tries to hurt Yara?"
"I'll have some men who I trust with me. We're under-resourced but I won't be completely without backup. We'll have arrangements in place to ensure the appropriate action can be taken if anything gets out of hand."
Her eyes grow large. "You mean—"
I put up a hand to silence her. "The less you know, the better. I've told you too much already."
She takes a deep breath. "Well, this sounds like our only option. And I'm sick of being out of choices. So I'm going to choose to do this. I'm trusting what you're saying—that doesn't mean I trustyou—and it does seem to be the only way to escape Gerald without going back home, which I'm not prepared to do."
"Are you sure?" I ask, quirking a brow. "You're going to have to be braver and stronger than you've ever been, to get through this. And I think you can do it, but you need to believe it as well."
Alina's gaze meets mine and she nods, determination burning fiercely in her emerald eyes.
She throws her shoulders back as if steeling herself for war. "I'm ready to go. Anything for my daughter."
Chapter 36
Morello
The sun dips below the horizon, shadows pooling around the dilapidated warehouse like blood.
I crouch behind a rusted shipping container, my heartbeat thundering in my ears. Not from fear—I don’t feel fear in situations like this anymore.