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Chapters (82)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  4. ONE
  5. TWO
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. TWELVE
  16. THIRTEEN
  17. FOURTEEN
  18. FIFTEEN
  19. SIXTEEN
  20. SEVENTEEN
  21. EIGHTEEN
  22. NINETEEN
  23. TWENTY
  24. TWENTY-ONE
  25. TWENTY-TWO
  26. TWENTY-THREE
  27. TWENTY-FOUR
  28. TWENTY-FIVE
  29. TWENTY-SIX
  30. TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. TWENTY-NINE
  33. THIRTY
  34. THIRTY-ONE
  35. THIRTY-TWO
  36. THIRTY-THREE
  37. THIRTY-FOUR
  38. THIRTY-FIVE
  39. THIRTY-SIX
  40. THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. THIRTY-NINE
  43. FORTY
  44. FORTY-ONE
  45. FORTY-TWO
  46. FORTY-THREE
  47. FORTY-FOUR
  48. FORTY-FIVE
  49. FORTY-SIX
  50. FORTY-SEVEN
  51. FORTY-EIGHT
  52. FORTY-NINE
  53. FIFTY
  54. FIFTY-ONE
  55. FIFTY-TWO
  56. FIFTY-THREE
  57. FIFTY-FOUR
  58. FIFTY-FIVE
  59. FIFTY-SIX
  60. FIFTY-SEVEN
  61. FIFTY-EIGHT
  62. FIFTY-NINE
  63. SIXTY
  64. SIXTY-ONE
  65. SIXTY-TWO
  66. SIXTY-THREE
  67. SIXTY-FOUR
  68. SIXTY-FIVE
  69. SIXTY-SIX
  70. SIXTY-SEVEN
  71. SIXTY-EIGHT
  72. SIXTY-NINE
  73. SEVENTY
  74. SEVENTY-ONE
  75. SEVENTY-TWO
  76. SEVENTY-THREE
  77. SEVENTY-FOUR
  78. SEVENTY-FIVE
  79. SEVENTY-SIX
  80. Praise for Blood in the Water
  81. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  82. Newsletter Sign-up

Kit looked around the room. The two men with the automatic weapons shifted, and she wondered whether they understood English. They could kill her instantly if she refused, she knew. It would be risky for Soh to so brazenly kill a federal officer, but he struck Steele as a man who was not afraid of taking significant risks.

“You say that the Carpios are planning an escape?” she asked. Ultimately, that was the main question on her mind. No matter what, she would not allow him to be free again.

“Does that mean that you agree?”

“If you have information like that, then we may be able to work together.”

That was it. For her, it was like a thunderclap. She’d crossed the threshold, and there was no going back now. She’d lost her innocence a long time ago, and she’d never deceived herself about that. But until now, she could fool herself that she was only a little corrupt. If she worked with Soh, she could no longer pretend to be that. She could only hope that the information Soh had was worth it. If it kept Carpio from escaping, in her mind it was.

“There is one more thing,” Soh said.

“Yes?”

“Cormack O’Connell,” he said.

“What about him?”

“He is a thorn in my side. If I am to help you with the Carpios, I will need you to keep him from interfering. He wants to kill me, and I cannot help you if he is successful.”

“What is it, exactly, that you want me to do?”

“I leave that to you,” Soh said. “But if we are to have an agreement, you will have to choose between me and him. That is the only way this can work.”

She knew he was right. She knew that she had to make a choice. Her heart told her that trusting this man was a mistake. She also couldn’t stomach the notion of betraying Cormack. They had been through so much together. They’d helped each other, and she’d begun to feel things that she hadn’t felt in a long time.

And yet Cormack couldn’t help her ensure that Vincente Carpio would stay behind bars, and this little Malaysian man could. He was still looking at her as she considered his offer. His gaze was intense, and the thought occurred to her again that if she rejected his offer, he might have her killed on the spot. Perhaps that would be the easiest way out. Perhaps that would end her pain once and for all, and reunite her with her husband and son. She opened her mouth, still not entirely sure what she was going to say.

“I can take care of O’Connell,” was what came out. She could hardly believe the words, even as she said them.

FIFTY-NINE

Tuesday, February 12