Page 11

This meeting was supposed to give me the rest of the information I needed to lock Katerina up and convince her to turn on her own organization.

According to our intel, Katerina is a medium-sized fish in this industry. The kind with something to prove, but not enough power to prove it. The kind we like to flip or at least be satisfied in taking down.

But these men are acting as if she’s nothing.

“You stole from Fox,” the biggest man says.

Fox. My ears perk up at this. No one in the Bureau has been able to identify who “Fox” is, though they’ve been trying for years. If I could get to Fox, then Katerina, as well as the rest of the corporation in the southwestern U.S., would be as good as gone.

Katerina scoffs. “I stole nothing from that monster.”

“Where’s the money then?”

“I gave it to you.”

“Not all of it,” the smaller of the two says. “Three million was missing.”

“You’re crying over spilled milk.” Katerina laughs.

“Before that, it was four, before that two.”

Katerina just shakes her head. “Fox pays me pennies for all I do. A girl needs to live. So I gave myself a raise.”

She needs nine million tolive? I despise this woman. But I don’t let it show on my face.

“Fox may not have noticed.” The big guy glares at her. “But you got greedy stealing the Framework.”

My shoulders tense. The Framework. We were under the impression Katerina didn’t have access to it. But if she does…that changes everything, the whole mission. Between the Framework and Katerina? It’s not even a choice. The Framework is a chip with access to every government agency system. Agent names and codenames, ongoing missions, top secret locations, you name it, it’s all there. Whoever has the Framework needs to be found and if Katerina does… I have to get it before these guys do.

“Where is it?” the big guy asks.

Katerina shrugs. “Nearby.”

The big guy cocks his gun, holding it up to her temple. “Take us there now.”

For the first time all night, Katerina looks almost frightened. “Calm down, it’s safe. But only I can get it. I’ll get it and bring it when I meet with Fox tomorrow.”

So that’s what she wanted. A meeting with the big dog. Risky.

“I don’t think so,” the man says, pressing the gun harder into her temple.

“You can keep my bodyguard to make sure I come back.”

I clench my fists at my side. I’m going to kill her. If these guys don’t do it first.

The big guy laughs. “I don’t want him. Nobody does.”

That was a tad cruel.

“But let’s see how useful he is.” He turns, looking at me. “Go, retrieve the Framework. Bring it back tomorrow by eight a.m. or Katerina dies.”

I pretend to look concerned. But I’m not. This is Katerina. A woman who sells and smuggles drugs and weapons for the Russia mafia. I don’t want her back. But he just gave me exactly what I wanted.

“But he doesn’t know where it is,” Katerina grumbles. The fact that the man hasn’t hit her yet, only threatened her life, is suspicious. Her stealing the Framework was personal. Maybe she stole it from him. No way Fox would be coming to Vegas to meet with a lowly smuggler. She’s here for the chip. Whichhewas supposed to have. Until Katerina played him for it.

“Let’s hope he figures it out,” the man snaps at Katerina. “You and I have some unfinished business.”

Katerina rolls her eyes, but I see beneath her razor sharp veneer. She's worried. That doesn't bode well.