Page 36 of Lash

Solomon sweeps a hand through his messy blond hair. "So now what?"

Lash shrugs. "Now I go to Lyon."

I frown. "Why?"

"That is where he lives. That is where his family lives. I'll need leverage if I'm going to get close to him."

Scarlett grunts a negative. "I won't harm innocent people, and I won't be part of it."

Lash glares at her. "You do not know me, Scarlett, so you can be forgiven for thinking I would harm his family. ButPugli, however, doesn't know that I wouldn't. He will assume I am like him—willing to murder in cold blood. I will make him think I will, but no one innocent will be harmed, only held against their will temporarily."

"While you kill him in front of them?" I can't help asking.

"Not in front of them, no." He eyes me. "What would you have me do? It is impossible to get into the Interpol headquarters, at least on such short notice. With several months of prep time, I could accomplish such a thing. But we do not have that time. I know Inez can handle herself, but I also know what kind of person Mercado is."

"Won't he be watching all routes in and out of Lyon?" asks Lorenzo. "Won't he post extra security on his family for just such an eventuality?"

Lash shrugs. "Certainly. We will just have to be smart."

"And do you have a smart idea for how to accomplish this?" Solomon asks.

Lash looks at me. "I do."

I frown at him, puzzled. "Why look at me?"

"Does your father still have that small plane he uses for smuggling?"

I shrug. "How should I know? I stay out of his illegal business." I think for a moment. "I think he might, though. He goes on occasional business trips to places around Europe, andI know he doesn't take public transportation. He is too paranoid for that."

"I will need to borrow it, then," Lash says.

I can't help but laugh. "Then why did we leave Zagreb? If he has such an airplane, it will be back in Zagreb.”

He shrugs. "We had to get out of Zagreb before Pugli's men closed in. And your father's."

"Why does my father hate you?" I ask.

Lash shrugs again. "He doesn't hate me. He just…he feels I betrayed and abandoned him after he did quite a lot for me. And that is true, to a degree. He saved my life—gave me work when I was starving and had no future. He taught me many things that I still use to this day. But he began asking me to do things that I simply could not do. He is a complicated man, your father. In some ways, he is good, and kind, and compassionate. He loves you greatly. He is very loyal and generous to those who work for him. But…he is the head of a criminal organization, and he can be incredibly ruthless."

"What did he want you to do?" I ask, fearing I know.

He sighs, finally beginning to eat the food I brought over while he was talking to Pugli; he devours the cheeseburger in a few bites and then answers me. "A certain businessman owed him money. This man wasn’t paying what he owed, which was a lot of money—hundreds of thousands of Kuna. Your father wanted me to send a message—the same message Pugli made for me. He wanted me to hold this man's young daughter hostage and take fingers until he paid. I…" Lash shakes his head. "I could not do it. I refused. If there is a fight against armed opponents, I will fight as viciously and mercilessly as anyone, but I could never bring myself to harm a ten-year-old girl, not under any circumstances.”

I feel my heart clench, twist. "My father—Tata wanted you to dothat?”

He nods. "I am sorry, Tatiana, but yes, he did."

“You didn't do it?"

He shakes his head. "Of course not. And that is why your father is angry with me. I left his employ."

I frown. "So? You quit rather than do something awful to an innocent girl."

He nods, but then shrugs and shakes his head. "Yes, that is true. You do not simplyquita job like that. I knew many important details about his business and how he operates. I could have gone to the authorities and turned him in to save myself." Another shake of his head. "No, you do not simply walk away."

"So…what? He would have killed you?"

He nods. "Yes, of course. Not he himself, probably, but yes, he would have had me killed.”