“That’s the way it has to be. If I have you safe, then I’ll be able to go wherever I need to so that I’ll be free, too.”

“While you’re looking over your shoulder and waiting for him to find you? He will find you eventually, Lara. The only value Anton ever had for Volkov was that he could use him to get to you. First with the Trials, and then with the fact that Anton’s family has contacts with cartels all over the world that he can tap for information. That’s how he found us before.”

“But we never managed to get out of Russia that time, only to the Ukraine border. It will be different now. I’ll make sure of it.”

“You’ll try,” Maria said softly. “And if you don’t succeed, it will only be you that suffers. That’s been your philosophy all these years, but it’s going to stop. You’re right, we do have more of a chance now. But we’re not going to waste it with you trying to persuade me to hide away while you go on the run and enjoy that nonexistent freedom you’re telling me about. So we’ll come up with a way that makes sense to me. One that won’t involve either of us hiding away and still being a victim.” Her lips were trembling as she tried to smile. “We’ve had enough of that, haven’t we?”

Lara flew across the room and into her arms. “Yes,” she whispered. “But none of it was your fault. You should let me do this.”

“Let you lose all the joy and the music?” She held her closer and then let her go. “Because that’s what it might mean, and I couldn’t bear it, Lara. So you’ll let me have my way in this. Say it.”

She was silent. “I’ll let you have your way if I can. But only if I can see another path that will keep you safe.”

“Then we’d better start exploring,” Maria said. “And one of the paths might be Tanner. We might not have to trust him as long as we can come to terms with him. I got Nash to talk about him a little on the way here. He respects him. And it wasn’t like the fear of Volkov’s men. What do you know about him?”

“Not much. He’s intelligent. He’s really good at karate. He took down Razov better than I could have. He’s not afraid of Kaskov even though he knows him better than Volkov does. Mallory says he’s always watching and trying to see beyond what you’re seeing, which usually puts him a step ahead. I believe that’s true. And when he promised me that he’d tell me something, he kept his word. He likes control.” She frowned. “I think that’s all.”

“Really?” Maria raised her brows. “I’d say that’s quite a bit for one plane ride. I believe it would be worthwhile to probe a little deeper and see if he can be of use.”