“I’m sorry to scare you in this fashion. I had to sneak in or I feared you would react the way you did last time.” Biondo didn’t have the same problem as Remy. He was holding a semiautomatic in his left hand, pointed right at Remy’s chest.

In the distance he heard someone pounding on the front door.

“They’re here and if we allow them to take her, they’ll get the information they need and disappear, and we’ll be left with her body. They will ensure it looks like someone else kills her,” he said, his Italian accent thick. “They are…how do you say? Pretending. The paperwork will be perfect, but tomorrow the real police will show up and the whole thing will be blamed on criminal elements such as myself. They will blame Vallon or me. They will say we wanted to shut the witness up forever.”

He turned to the door as he heard Lisa yell something. Something about the sheriff. Remy’s stomach turned. “I need to get out there. I can’t leave her alone with them.”

“I agree, but you have to be calm, Mr. Guidry. She is not alone. Your sheriff is there. He doesn’t understand the situation though. Of course, you don’t either. I am not the enemy,” Biondo said. As though realizing his actions didn’t match his words, he lowered the gun. “I’m sorry, but after last time, I have to protect myself. You were not interested in talking.”

“You tossed my girlfriend into the trunk of your car,” he growled back. “You were about to leave with her. No, I wasn’t interested in talking.”

“I did not handle things with as much finesse as I should have. What can I say? I’m used to shooting people, not kidnapping them. And by kidnapping, I was only borrowing her. I would have brought her back safe and sound after I got what I needed.”

Well, of course. “The account number.”

He put a hand on his chest. “My account number. I used Vallon for years, and trust me, he’s going to have a visit from me to speak to him about his business practices. He will not enjoy how this meeting will go. But for now, we have to get her away from these men. As I stated before, they look like police, but they are not. This is an intricate game and your woman is always the pawn. They are going to sacrifice her tonight.”

“Why should I trust you?” He shouldn’t trust the other man. Not for a second, but Remy knew what the answer would be.

“Because you have no other choice, my friend,” Biondo replied. “You might not believe me, but I have a code of my own. I turn down more assignments than I take. I only take assignments where I decide the target deserves to meet me.”

“An assassin with a conscience?”