Page 22 of Vow Of Fire

“You catch on quick,” I said dryly. Too quick.

“But why?” She shook her head. “Why transport drugs in my container?”

“I think the why is obvious,” I said impatiently. “We needed to get them into the country, and you provided the perfect mechanism.”

“I didn’t agree to this,” she whispered.

“Did you give the details to Malakov?” I asked, stepping forward.

She blinked. “Sergei?”

The way she said his name irritated me. I leaned forward so my face was inches from hers. “Yes, Sergei.”

“Of course not. I didn’t even know you were using my container to ship drugs.”

“Are you sure about that? You don’t want to revise your statement?”

“No. Why would I?”

“Because if you’re lying to me, there will be consequences.”

“Are you threatening me?” I could see the pulse flickering in her throat.

I didn’t bother answering.

“Who did you tell about the shipment?” I asked again. I needed to know who killed my men and disrupted the family business, and I was willing to do whatever it took to get that information.

“I didn’t tell anybody,” she repeated. “And it was my shipment. You hijacked it.”

She had guts, I’d give her that much.

Time to bring out the irrefutable evidence. Proof that she was lying.

“You received a large payment from an unknown Russian source into your personal bank account a week before the shipment was due.”

She stared at me but didn’t deny it. “How do you⁠—?”

“Yes or no?”

She scowled and jutted her chin out. “I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

I tensed. So it was going to be like that, then.

For a moment there, she almost had me. She made one beautiful liar.

I gripped her arms, pressing my fingers into her soft skin hard enough to leave bruises. Her eyes widened.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Evelyn. It won’t work.”

“I’m not⁠—”

“I know you received a transfer from one of Malakov’s shell companies ahead of the ambush. There was no corresponding sale.” Vincent had passed us the details.

She swallowed, but I didn’t relax my hold. “That’s not—no. You have it all wrong.”

“I don’t think so.”

“You’re hurting me.” There was fear in her eyes now. I watched it grow.