Page 80 of Bride of Vengeance

Harrison stands, walking around the table. I force myself not to tense as he approaches.

"You know what I think, Agent Castillo? I think you're lying."

My heart pounds. "I'm not—"

"Not about all of it, of course. I believe he manipulated you. He must be an expert on that, I’m sure. But I don't believe you're ready to betray him."

"Then why am I here?"

"Desperation. Fear. But…" He stops directly in front of me. "You still have feelings for him."

"That's not—"

"Don't lie to me!" His hand slams on the table, making me jump. This time it's not acting. "You married him. You let him touch you. You've been gone all this time, alone with him, with nothingand no one else. I'm sure at some point you must have thought you'd actually fallen in love with him."

"I don't—"

"But I can help you with that. I can help you get rid of any feelings you still have for him. What if I told you he's been lying to you from the beginning? That everything between you was orchestrated?"

"What do you mean?"

"Ghost doesn't work alone. Never has. He's been Pavel Volkov's weapon for years, and Pavel aimed him directly at you."

"Pavel Volkov is dead."

"Is he?" Harrison smiles coldly. "Or is that just what Ghost told you? Think about it—why would the most wanted man in New York risk exposure to save an FBI agent? Why marry you after such a short time? Why the sudden desperation to protect you?"

"Because—"

"Because Pavel ordered him to. You were getting too close to the truth about the trafficking network. So they gave you a different truth—a romance with a dangerous man, a corruption narrative that destroys your credibility."

Through my earpiece, Mikhail's voice is tight: "Stick to the plan. Let him think he's winning."

"That's insane," I say, but I let doubt creep into my voice.

"Is it? Has he told you he loves you?"

"Yes."

"Has he claimed you're his? That “you belong together”?"

"Yes, but—"

"Classic manipulation tactics. Make the target feel special, chosen, irreplaceable. Meanwhile, he reports everything back to Pavel."

I shake my head, but Harrison sees the doubt he's planted. "I need proof."

"Work with me, and I'll give you proof."

"Work with you how?"

"Publicly, you're still with Ghost. My corrupted agent turned by the dangerous criminal. But privately, you feed me information. Help me bring down both Ghost and Pavel's entire network."

"You want me to be a double agent."

"I want you to redeem yourself. If you want your name cleared and your mother safe, you'll have to do it yourself."

"What if he finds out? He will kill me."