Shaking her head, she insisted, No, its not like that.
She was close to caving. He would get what he wanted from her. The only way you get out of here is by cooperating. Tell me what it is like. And tell me the truth.
Rubbing at her temples, she said, I cant. He said no police. Hell kill my sister.
So his informant was correct. An innocent womans life was in danger. Now more than ever he needed Lizs assistance. The only way to get your sister back safely is if you tell me everything.
When she remained stubbornly silent, he reined in his frustration and pushed harder at her with his words. You see how this is a sticky situation for you? Blake nodded to the necklace. Youve been caught red-handed with illegal contraband. We could arrest you and put you in jail.
Her eyes grew round with panic. No, if you do that my sister is dead.
He felt no satisfaction in threatening her. Then cooperate with me.
A pained expression crossed her face, then she seemed to come to a decision. She squared her shoulders, lifted her chin and met his gaze again, showing her spunk in the way her eyes sparked. My sister married a man who is mixed up in something bad. Something that neither Jillian nor I have anything to do with. Now shes been kidnapped. She glanced at the stones on the table. Those are her ransom. If I dont deliver them to she frowned but there was no mistaking the unshed tears filling her eyes to Fort George by noon tomorrow, hell kill her.
Anticipation revved in his veins. Who is he?
She wiped at an escaped tear. I dont know, she ground out. We didnt exchange pleasantries.
She stepped closer, her pretty face taking on a pleading expression that jabbed at Blake. He fought off the sensation. He couldnt let her get to him. He wouldnt be that weak. His job was his life. And he wouldnt let anything interfere with his job. Especially not a beautiful, gutsy woman, no matter how much respect she stirred in him.
Please, you have to let me go. My sisters life depends on me giving that stupid necklace back.
I could charge you with smuggling or even terrorism, Blake stated, gauging her reaction. Her distress appeared sincere. But he had to be sure. He had to know she wasnt involved. That she wasnt lying to him.
Her mouth opened, then snapped shut. She seemed to be reeling in her temper. Id never laid eyes on that necklace until last night. Apparently, my sisters new husband gave her the necklace. She slashed the air with her hand. A man broke into my apartment looking for it. He said Travis stole it from someone named Santini. And now some madman has threatened to kill Jillian if I dont give him the necklace.
Santini is a madman. A dangerous madman. Deciding hed pushed enough and needed to proceed with a more gentle manner, he motioned to the chair. Have a seat, Ms. Cantrell. He purposely softened his tone. May I call you Liz?
Slowly, she sank onto the edge of the chair, poised as if shed bolt at any second. He reluctantly admired her grit. Thats fine.
He studied her for a moment, appreciating the delicate line of her jaw and the high jut of her cheekbones. She was really a striking woman. But not in a made-up or pretentious way. Her attractiveness was natural and came from within her. Hed read the dossier on her and knew she ran an antique store left to her by her deceased father. If this were a different situation, hed want to know more about her. Did she like antiques? Or was she keeping her fathers dream alive at the expense of her own? And what did this woman dream about? Who was she deep down inside?
A fighter. He knew that for certain.
Shaking off the uncharacteristic musing, he said, Im Blake. Agent Blake Fallon with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Its my job to help secure the northern border of our country from illegal activities. Activities that Santini engages freely in. Do you understand?
Of course. Im a law abiding citizen. Normally, I wouldnt... I have never broken the law.
Appreciating her attempt at defending herself, he kept his tone soft as he said, Liz, I do want to help you.
She scrunched up her nose in obvious confusion. He was momentarily distracted by the cute motion.
Youll help me? she asked. How?
He took no triumph in having her right where he wanted her. If they were going to see this through, he needed her to be willing to do what he asked of her. Youll need to help me, too.
Her eyes narrowed in wariness. What do I have to do?
Valuing her caution, he placed his palms on the table to keep from curling his fingers into fists. The burn of anger at Santini simmered below the surface, ready to boil any moment. Help me bring down Idris Santini.
A little V appeared between her eyebrows. Who is this Santini character?
Blakes fingers dug into the table. A very bad man. He killed a fellow ICE agent in cold blood.
Sympathy flooded her eyes. Blake tried to look away but couldnt. Her gaze pulled him in, made him want to make her understand the magnitude of the situation. Our intel had put him at the docks in New Jersey. Liam and I were the closest agents. I was in Manhattan, and Liam was in Atlantic City. Liam arrived first and, without back up, tried to prevent Santini from boarding a freighter. When I arrived Santini had Liam on his knees. I watched the man put a bullet in the back of Liams head and toss him off the side of the pier like garbage. Blakes fingers curled into tight fists. Liam should have waited for me.
Would you have waited for him?
The question so quietly asked had the power of a chainsaw and ripped through him, forcing him to confront a truth he hadnt wanted to face. No. I would have done the same.
And then youd be the one dead.
Acid burned in his gut. He wanted to believe he wouldnt have let Santini get the drop on him. But Liam was the best there was. It shouldnt have happened.
Im sorry for your loss, she said, her voice gentle.
He leaned forward. And now Santini is threatening the life of your sister and her husband. We need to work together to bring him to justice and rescue your sister.
Blake vowed to take Santini down if it was the last thing he did. And this woman was the key to Blakes revenge and redemption. He just needed her cooperation.
Why should I trust you? Liz asked with skepticism lacing each word.
Blake stared her in the eye and flattened his hands on the table. You have no choice if you want to see your sister again. In order for us to succeed, we have to trust each other.
TWO
No choice.
Staring at the man across the metal table in the interrogation room, Liz clenched her jaw until her teeth ached.
ICE agent Blake Fallon.
He took the acronym to a whole new level. She didnt doubt ice ran in his veins. Waves of tension rolled off him, adding to her own anxiety. And yet he watched her with measured patience as if he had all the time in the world. There wasnt an extra ounce of fat to him, no softness whatsoever. His lean frame and wide shoulders blocked her view of not only the door but also the exit. He had a strong jawline, defined cheekbones and eyes so dark she could see her reflection.
Could he see how terrified she was? Did he even care? She knew that wasnt fair. His story of his friends death left an impression. He blamed himself for something that was out of his control. Most likely he thought he could have prevented the tragedy. She had a feeling control was important to him.
And he wanted her to trust him because he said so.
Well, that wasnt how trust worked. He had to prove himself trustworthy if he wanted her to believe that he could help her. Because from where she was sitting, it appeared as if he wanted to intimidate her into doing whatever he wanted her to do. To bring down Santini. A man who had murdered his friend. And now held her sister captive.
Under normal circumstances, if a man had acted so domineering shed be out the door and on her way without a backward glance.
But these werent normal circumstances.
And Agent Blake Fallon wasnt just any man. He was the man who held the power to free her sister.
Did he know about the other man who had threatened to kill Liz if she didnt hand over the necklace?
Jillians new, no-good, rotten husband had put Jillian and Liz in danger, not to mention himself. Poor Jillian. Liz prayed she wasnt too heartbroken to learn Travis wasnt the man shed thought him to be. Unfortunately, he was the kind of man Liz feared hed be. Calculated, conniving, a thief.
She blew out an angry breath and forced back the fear that lurked at the edges of her mind. She had to be sensible and think this all through.
One mistake could cost Jillian her life. That wasnt a risk Liz was willing to take. She grew hot beneath her jacket. She unzipped it and let the sides flop open to allow for the mild air of the interrogation room to swirl over her, cooling her thoughts as well as her overheated body.
You didnt answer me, she intoned with a good measure of annoyance she couldnt hold back. What do you want me to do?
He arched one dark eyebrow.
She grimaced. Besides trust you, that is.
For a second amusement danced in his eyes, and she thought he might smile. But no. Just as quickly his stoic expression slid back into place, making the angles and planes of his face hard and unyielding. It must have been her wishful thinking that the man had some other mode besides stony.
We both want the same thing, he said in a slow measured tone. Santini.
She sat up straighter. I want my sister back. Unharmed.
Those were two different agendas.
He inclined his head, acknowledging her words. Thats a given and obviously my priority. But until we bring down Santini, theres no guarantee youll get your sister back. Unharmed.
His response made her stomach clench with apprehension. She wanted to deny the truth in his words. But judging by where she was sitting and who was glaring at her across a cold, hard table, she figured he probably knew more about Santini and situations like this than she did. But that didnt mean she had to like it. Or him.
He told me no police or hed kill her, she pointed out.
Let me worry about that.
Right. Like that was going to happen. You still havent told me what I need to do.
Youll make the drop like Santini demanded. Only well have people everywhere. When Santini shows up to pick up the necklace, well nab him.
Thats your plan? she asked. The man appeared intelligent, but maybe he had rocks for brains. Great. Not inspiring a lot of trust right now. I dont think this Santini guy is going to be dumb enough to walk into a trap. At the very least hell send someone to make the pickup.
Youre right, hes not dumb. Blakes fingers stretched against the scarred metal table. His jaw hardened. Hes a smart, crafty criminal. But hes also greedy. Do you have any idea how much that necklace is worth?
No.
Again he raised an eyebrow. Lets just say your travel insurance wouldnt have covered it if your luggage had been lost.
She swallowed. How much money?
To give you an idea of their potential worth, recently a vivid blue diamond sold for twenty-four million.
The staggering amount left her breathless. That necklace has two...
Exactly. Santini wont risk letting another minion snatch it out from under him again. He has a buyer standing by. Theres a lot of money at stake. I know Santini. Hes greedy and arrogant. Hell come for it himself. He held her gaze, his dark eyes compelling and unfathomable. She grew uncomfortable beneath that stare, yet she couldnt look away. And he doesnt know we have you. Nor will he know youre working with us.
Blake sounded so confident. But she wasnt convinced. She needed him to assure her because he was asking her to place her life and her sisters life in his care. He said Jillians release was his priority. Was that true or just lip service to get her to acquiesce to his plans? How can you be sure Santini doesnt have spies in your department? On your team? Men following me? You say youve been after him but unable to catch him. Have you ever considered the reason might be someone in your organization is working with Santini?
Blakes eyes narrowed. Believe me Ive thought of every possibility. Ive had everyone involved in Santinis case carefully vetted. This IBETs operation is small for a reason. Ive handpicked each member. There is no way any one of them would betray the team.
She wanted to believe him. There was something in his tone that spoke of his determination and frustration. Despite his best effort to control the circumstances, he couldnt. Santini somehow managed to evade capture time and again. And for a man like ICE agent Blake Fallon that had to be driving him mad. Do you know who the man was that broke into my apartment last night?
No. Unfortunately, he wasnt on our radar until after we found out about him attacking you. He didnt sound pleased. Now that we know hes involved and on the trail of the necklace, well be on the lookout for him. Did you get a good look at him?
No. He wore a mask and it was dark. Dont you know what he looks like? How is he connected to Travis? To Jillian? She shuddered, remembering the vile mans voice and the way hed grabbed her. She thought for certain he would hurt her. He threatened to kill me, thinking I was Jillian.
The best we can surmise is this man wants to usurp Santinis throne. My informant gave me a name, Ken Odin, but we cant find him in any databases.
The thought that there were two men out there that wanted to do her and Jillian harm had her pulse picking up speed. She clasped her hands together to keep them from shaking. He claimed Travis bragged about stealing the necklace from Santini.
I doubt Travis understood the magnitude of what hed taken from his boss. If hed had any idea the value of the necklace or the trouble that would come down on his head, I doubt hed have stolen it. Unless he really is that reckless. Blake steepled his hands. But because he did steal it we have an opportunity to use the situation to our advantage.
Which brought them back to the plan where Blake hoped to lure Santini out into the open and capture him. So I go to Fort George with the necklace to wait for Santini.
Blake gave a short nod. Yes.
Shed never done anything dangerous before. Shed lived her life following the rules, making sure everyone had what they needed and picking up the slack where she could. Putting herself deliberately in harms way went against her own sense of self-preservation. But for Jillian she had to. And she had to rely on this man to protect her. And youll be close by watching, right?