That forces him to snap out of it. “You actually saw her?”
“Yes.”
“And she told you this?”
“Yes.”
“Under what circumstances?”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
“She could have been forced to feed you this story,” he suggests. “He would have forced her.”
“No… I… No, Rob. That’s not it. She and Aleks are friends, I think.”
Fury flits across his eyes. “They are not fucking friends.”
“Rob—”
“He took her, and now, he’s forcing her to tell you some bullshit fairy tale to make it seem like he’s innocent.”
“I don’t think—”
“I don’t buy this shit and neither should you, Olivia. He’s a monster and he’s got her. Just like I always knew he did.”
“Rob, please. You’re not listening to me.”
“I got kicked off the case,” he snarls with single-minded passion.
“I know.”
“But it’s not even close to over, Liv. I’m going to end the bastard.”
Fear nearly chokes me as I see the determination in his eyes. I’m not just scared for him, though. I’m scared for Aleks, too. “Rob, you’re off the case. What can you do?”
“I have an ally.”
“An ally?”
He nods. “He’ll help me in a way that the FBI can’t or won’t. Honestly, I’m glad they kicked me off the damn case. This way, I don’t have to do shit by the book.”
“Rob, you’re starting to scare me.”
“Don’t be scared, Liv,” he says, but he’s not even looking at me. “The only one who should be scared is Aleksandr fucking Makarova.”
He wrenches the car back onto the road and mashes the accelerator. It feels like I’m talking to a brick wall. Nothing I say seems to pierce through.
When we reach our turn, Rob makes a left when he’s supposed to be making a right.
“Hey,” I say softly. “The house is that way.”
“We’re not going there. It’s the first place he’ll look for you.”
“But then where are you taking me?”
“Somewhere safe,” Rob mutters.
That dread that’s been seeping into every cell finally reaches my throat. I feel like I’m drowning in it, like I can’t breathe. It’s an acrid taste on my tongue that sets my heart throbbing painfully with every beat.
“Who is your friend, Rob?” I whisper hoarsely. “Who is helping us?”
He grips the wheel, his knuckles going white. “His name is Donald Hargrove.”
TO BE CONTINUED