Page 23 of Vow Of Fire

“Then tell me the truth.”

“I am,” she spat. “That’s a reserve, not a sale, and it shouldn’t have—” She let out a strangled sob.

I relaxed my grip, but only slightly.

“How did you get access to my personal accounts anyway?” she asked.

“That’s not important.”

“Was that what you were doing in my office? Looking through my bank statements?”

If they were there, I hadn’t found them. Still, I wasn’t about to blow Vincent’s cover, yet. We still needed him in play.

“Why would a reserve payment be in your personal account?”

“Buyers often do that. It’s a normal way to reserve a piece before it’s released.”

I wasn’t convinced. “It was a large retainer.”

“It was an expensive painting.”

I scrutinized her, looking for cracks in her armor, but she just stared defiantly back.

Guilty people fidgeted. They sweated, babbled, tried to cut deals. Evelyn just sat there, her eyes boring into me like I was the one on trial.

“I hope for your sake you’re not lying,” I warned, releasing my grip.

She let out a relieved sigh but her attention dropped to my gun, tucked into the back of my jeans.

“What would you do if I was? Shoot me?”

I didn’t answer, which was response enough.

“Then you should probably be sure before you pull the trigger,” she said quietly.

I moved closer. Too close.

Leaning over, I gripped the back of her chair, my breath brushing her ear. “You’d better not be fucking lying to me.”

She turned her head just enough that her cheek grazed my jaw. “I told you already. I’m not. Why don’t you call Mikhail and ask him? He’ll verify the retainer.”

I got a whiff of her perfume. Warm. Intoxicating. It hit me like a drug, and I wanted to bury my face in her neck and inhale deep. Angry at myself, I took a step back.

“That’s not an option,” I snapped.

“Why not?”

I leaned in close. “He’s not going to admit to paying you off, is he?”

If only it was that easy. She was right. Mikhail Orlov would be able to confirm what she was saying, but he would also pass that information on to Malakov, who would then know that we were on to him.

“He didn’t pay me off.” She heaved a frustrated sigh.

I began to pace again. It helped me think. There had to be another way to find out if what she was saying was the truth. We just had to find it. Until then, I had to keep her somewhere secure. Somewhere off the grid, where she couldn’t contact anyone.

“If you’re not going to call him, what are you going to do with me?” Her voice wavered. Looked like I’d finally succeeded in rattling Miss Prim and Proper.

I smiled thinly. “You’re coming with me until I can figure out whether you’re lying to me or not.”