No Place to Run (KGI #2)(51)

She sucked in her breath, and her shocked gaze went to Sam. He’d sold her out. He’d actually sold her out! Sam frowned and reached out for her, but she flinched away, putting half the room between them.

For a long moment she stood, fists clenched, facing away from the occupants of the room. When she turned, she refused to look at Sam. She directed her gaze at Resnick and asked in a cold voice, “What do you want to know?”

Resnick moved toward her, and she took a quick step back. Her chin went up, and she forced calm she didn’t feel.

“Where is he now?”

“I don’t know,” she said truthfully.

“Okay, where is he likely to be? If you’d give us information on his holdings we can match it to what we know of him. Maybe we’re missing something.”

“I don’t know.”

Resnick made a sound of frustration. “What can you tell us, Sophie? If you cooperate fully, we’ll make allowances for you.”

A chill went down her spine.

“Resnick,” Sam growled.

Sophie ignored Sam and stared straight at Resnick. “Allowances? What sort of allowances should I expect? What is it you’re threatening me with?”

Resnick held up his hands. “I’m not threatening you. I’m merely pointing out that we can do more to help you if you cooperate with us.”

“Oh nice,” she said bitterly. “What you’re saying is I’m on my own unless I play nice with the FBI or CIA or whoever the hell you are. You know what? I’m fine with that. I never should have relied on anyone but myself anyway.”

“Sophie,” Sam cut in, his voice hard enough to direct her gaze toward him. “He doesn’t speak for me.”

“You’re wrong, Sam.” She pressed her hands to the sides of her legs to keep them from shaking. She stared at him unflinchingly as she delivered her judgment. “The moment you brought him here, he spoke for you.”

“Sophie, damn it.”

She looked away again, anger vibrating in her throat. She wasn’t getting into this with him in front of others—or anytime.

“I’m asking you to help me,” Resnick said. “He’s hurt a lot of people. As his daughter you know this. We think he’s trying to put together technology to build a nuclear weapon and auctioning it to the highest bidder. He has to be stopped.”

“He never—that is he doesn’t—confide in me. I’m not privy to the details of his business dealings,” she said stiffly.

“Okay, yes, I understand that,” he said in a placating tone. “But there are things you can tell us about him, small details that you might not think will help.”

“Tomas is who you should be looking for.”

Resnick blinked in surprise and then looked at the others, as if gauging their reaction to her statement.

“Why is that? We were led to believe that Tomas had no power whatsoever.”

She stared coolly at him, her hands still tight against her sides. “You asked, I told you. He wants me dead, but maybe you don’t care about that.”

Resnick stared intently at her. “Is he dead, Sophie? Did Tomas kill Alex in an attempt to seize power? Is that why he’s after you now, because you’re Alex’s heir? Or do you have something he wants?”

The blood left Sophie’s face. She willed herself to keep it together. Her stomach revolted, and now her skin felt hot and clammy.

“If you’ll excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom.”

She bolted, ignoring Sam’s worried question as to whether she was okay. Okay? How could she be okay when she’d been played for the biggest fool ever?

God, when was she going to stop being so damn trusting?

Hearing footsteps behind her, she slammed the bathroom door behind her and locked it. Last thing she needed was Sam hovering over her.

“Sophie,” he called through the door. “Damn it, Sophie, open the door so I can see if you’re all right.”

She leaned over the sink and breathed deeply, sucking air through her nostrils as she fought the urge to puke. She sensed Sam’s presence for several more seconds before she finally heard him retreat and walk back down the hall.

She splashed water on her face and stared at her reflection in the mirror until she was sure she didn’t look like she was about to fall apart. She looked down at her hands and raised them in front of her and waited for the shaking to stop. When she was satisfied she could hold it together for however long this “questioning” lasted, she opened the door and quietly walked back into the hall.

When she reached the end, Resnick’s words stopped her cold in her tracks.

“I have to take her in. You know that, Sam. She’s too valuable to let go. She knows something. Even you can see that.”

Fear nearly knocked her to her knees. A dull roar started in her ears as her blood pounded furiously. Hell if she’d escape her uncle only to fall prey to some government lackey who was eager to put a notch in his belt by taking down the Mouton family.

She didn’t escape one prison only to enter another. Her child would have a better life than she had, and she’d do anything to ensure that. She already had.

She turned, her mind working frantically for an escape route. There were windows in the bedrooms, but she certainly hadn’t inspected them to see if they opened. Now seemed a good enough time.