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His voice trails off, as the guilt creeps into my chest, but I don’t let it throw me off course. “And?”
“My men discovered the flight attendant while attending to another matter.”
“What kind of matter?”
“It’s been a hell of a night here. Bedlam in all corners of the city. Mostly small problems, but it’s eaten up a lot of manpower.” He mumbles something to someone in the room with him before continuing. “It’s a distraction—a prelude to something bigger,” he adds coolly. “Samantha’s in a secure location, but I wasn’t certain we could get Lexie back and secure before the shit really hit the fan.”
Bedlam in all corners of the city. Jesus Christ. You couldn’t have mentioned this earlier?
“Do you think the mess in London is related to the traffickers?”
“Until I heard about the Russo girl, it didn’t even occur to me. But even now, I doubt it.”
You doubt it? Really? Because it’s fucking suspicious.
“Hours, maybe less, after Francesca Russo was killed, someone wanted on Lexie’s flight bad enough that they murdered a member of the crew.”
“They’re certain it was the flesh peddlers who killed Francesca?”
“Unless the killer left a calling card, I don’t see how they know for sure. Although it’s highly probable.”
“It might have been a different faction. Russo amassed a lot of enemies on his way to becoming prime minister. And my dead flight attendant might have nothing to do with the traffickers either. I have plenty of my own enemies. Don’t draw conclusions without salient facts. The events might be unrelated. It could all be a coincidence.”
“I’m not a big believer in coincidences.”
“I’m not either, but they can’t be fully discounted. When we chase red herrings, Rafael, the bodies pile up.”
He’s right, of course. And he’s not losing his touch. He’s in an impossible situation that I muddied and made more difficult by tracking the plane.
I will find you, Lexie, even if it means breaching the gates of hell.
I will not lose another person I care about.
2
LEXIE
The white noise of the jet engine allows my chaotic brain to focus while I compose an email that lets Valentina know I’m gone but doesn’t give away too much. Ordinarily I would text her, but if she’s awake, she’ll want to chat, and I’m not up to that conversation right now.
Hey gorgeous!
Just want to let you know that my bruised ego and I are on my way to London. Somehow the idea of playing house with Rafael was more glamorous than the reality. Shocking, huh? I’m making a quick stop in Quimper to pick up a wedding gift, and a birthday present for my mom. She fell in love with the bowl you sent her. I’m thinking of getting her a few more and some matching plates. Send me the name of the shop so that I don’t wander the streets aimlessly.
I miss you already. Come see me soon!
xoxo
Lexie
She doesn’t need to know the details of what happened with Rafael, but I have to tell her something. As it is, leaving without saying goodbye feels strange. Even so, I couldn’t face her without bawling, and I don’t want her to feel responsible for something that isn’t her fault.
My mother does love the bowl Valentina sent, and I told my father that I would pick up something nice for her while I was in Quimper. If I show up empty-handed, he’ll ask questions, and it’ll be more difficult to trick his bullshit meter when we’re face-to-face.
I reread the email to Valentina and press Send. It’s the middle of the night, and she probably won’t check her mail until the morning.
Life was simpler before Rafael and Marco and the trafficking ring that weighs on my conscience. We had few, if any, secrets between us.
I sigh deeply and turn my full attention to the real reason I’m stopping in the old city.
