Pia snorted. It seemed that the only person who could save her was her father, the least likely person on the planet, the person she trusted the least and hated the most, the man who was the cause of all her travails. In a situation that defied comprehension, Pia tried to think dispassionately. The drug wasn’t completely out of her system, she could tell; she was more fatigued than she could ever remember being, and frightened and upset and angry. Yet she had to think.

In order to live, Pia would have to promise to stop investigating, but could she do that? There was very little left to investigate. At the OCME, she had proved that polonium was involved in Rothman’s and Yamamoto’s deaths and she was certain the MEs would be looking into what she had found. The police would surely be all over Columbia, searching for Will’s killers and her kidnappers. There was nothing more she could contribute to the investigation, other than providing evidence, and he hadn’t mentioned anything about that. Her work was finished.

“As if you care about family honor,” she said.

“I do. But if you don’t believe it, take my word that I care about my honor.”

“And that’s all I have to do, stop investigating?”

“But you really have to stop—maybe go away for a while. You have to believe me, they will kill you otherwise. Whatever you think of me, you have to look at the alternative. You have to stay as quiet as you can. If you lead the police to Buda, there’s no chance that you would ever testify against him.”

Pia realized she had no choice. But perhaps there was something her father could do for her and right some of the wrongs she had suffered. Pia turned to face him.

“Okay. But you should know, not all these men have been exactly honorable with me.”

“I’m glad you agree, Pia. But what do you mean?”

“When I got here I was drugged. But I remember one of them at least forced himself on me, the young one for sure. Maybe all of them.”

Burim reacted the way Pia had hoped. He looked at her for a beat, with his face empurpling, then leaped up and threw open the door.

“Mr. Buda! I need to talk to you.”

Buda could see Burim was spoiling for a fight, flashing angry looks at Neri. The girl must have told him what had happened in the house. Everyone in the room stood and the tension was immediate. Buda took Burim by the arm into the kitchen. The packages of takeout sat unopened on the stovetop. Burim spoke quietly but with suppressed fury.

“She is indeed my daughter. And she says she was raped. By the youngest one for certain, maybe more of them. Did you know about this?”