He said, “I told you in Houston you were going to need an ally, told you I wanted to be your friend. That’s what I’m doing here. I tagged along as an extra set of eyes and an extra rifle in case shit went sideways. Figured if you got lucky, if everything turned out on the level, I’d say hello, say good-bye, and bow out unless invited to stay. But the venue changed and you two split up, and the only way to find the next rendezvous was by following one of you to it.”

She cast him a side-eye glare.

“I’m already on your shit list,” he said. “Thought I should put it all out there in one go. Yes, I followed you into France. No, I didn’t mention your little detour to your brother. He spotted me in Frankfurt, confirmed me again in Savignyplatz, knew I was following you, and used that to find me once you got to Prague.”

“Let me guess,” she said. “He told you what was going to happen. Said he had to do it alone because he couldn’t trust me, and you went right along with it, because what kind of a dick would you be if you didn’t show up?”

Holden sighed.

She coughed out a mirthless laugh. “Dangle a princess, threaten some dragons, and the big dumb knight goes charging in. Goddamn story of my life. My mother, brother, now you . . . everyone making decisions on my behalf, choosing what they think is best for me like they’re God’s gift to an incapable half-wit.”

Holden looked at her funny.

She could read the hurt right off him.

He said, “You think I didn’t see your brother’s bullshit and call him on it?” The tone in his voice edged up. “We could have gone in circles, playing I know you know all night. I didn’t do this for you or for him. I did it for me.”

His word choice threw her, forced a pause.

She said, “I never took you for a sadist.”

“And I never took you for an idiot.”

She kicked the bed and thrashed, left, right, left, attention-drawing racket that forced the legs up off the floor and scooted the frame out of place.

He watched impassively, as if she’d finally given him what he expected and now he waited for her to tire herself out. She didn’t care. He’d said his piece, he’d made his promise. Either his word was good or his word was trash. It made no difference, because the two things she could count on were that big boy here wouldn’t kill her, and that he couldn’t keep her tied up forever.

Holden pulled a knife off his belt and waited.

She slowed and stopped, out of breath, out of strength.

God, she hated the way sedation messed with energy like that.

He said, “You finished?”