Page 113 of The Killer’s Mark

‘What then?’

‘You said we were to do whatever it takes.’

‘I did.’

‘And you meant it.’

‘I won’t second-guess your decisions, Poe. I meant it.’

Poe held her gaze. His jaw hardened. ‘Then we do whatever it takes,’ he said.

He reached for his mobile. Found Special Agent Melody Lee under ‘Recent Contacts’.

Bradshaw tilted her wrist, checked her watch. ‘It’s still early in DC, Poe. She might have her phone on silent.’

Poe snorted. ‘I reckon she’s a worse sleeper than me.’ He pressed the call icon. Melody Lee answered on the first ring.

‘The fuck you want now, Poe?’

‘Your help again.’

‘Tough shit, my friend. I get paid to help the US of A. I do not get paid to help some upstart ex-federale. In fact, they’d can my Black ass if they even knew we were—’

‘They’ve abducted someone very close to me, Melody,’ Poe said.

Which stopped her mid-rant. ‘Who has?’

‘The Red Chamber.’

‘Who’ve they grabbed? Poindexter or the pathologist chick?’

Poe briefly explained that the person who had hired him to find Océane Blue was her daughter.

‘Holy shit. That’s why you had me check all those private clinics. That fucker du Buk had a kid with his concubine.’

‘Seems so.’

‘And they’ve abducted her?’

‘They want the mother. Said it’ll be a straight-up swap.’

‘You know where she is?’

‘I do.’

‘How?’

‘That’s not important.’

‘You gonna give her up.’

‘How can I? The Red Chamber aren’t big players, but they’re still triads. They’ll kill the mother, then they’ll kill the girl.’

‘That’s some cold-hearted shit, Poe.’

‘I can save Océane; I can’t save Esmerée.’

‘But?’