one with the ties on the sides; makes it easier for me to take it off.” The tip of his tongue moves along the shell of my ear; every tiny hair on my body stands on end. Then he kisses me deeply, his hands fitted around my arms, holding me in place, stealing my breath away.
“OK…black bikini is practically already in the suitcase,” I say, nearly stuttering.
He smacks my ass when I turn around. I look back to see him grinning at me; I blush hard and exit the room with haste so I can hurry back and get ready to leave.
Victor
The moment the door closes behind her the grin disappears from my face. I stare at the door for a long time, thinking. There is so much to think about, so much to consider. I turn back to the table and flip the latches on my briefcase. Inside is a file folder staring back at me, the one I recently acquired from Dan Barrett. I remove it from the briefcase and set it on the table, sliding my fingers into the photocopied sheets of paper sandwiched inside. I open it to the top page. And then I read Dorian Flynn’s handwriting again for the fifth or sixth time:
I hid the voice recorder underneath the table. I didn’t really expect Victor Faust to order me to kill the audio at any time during our confessions with that bitch, but I’m damn sure glad I had my backup recorder in place when he did. According to Izabel Seyfried, she gave birth to a baby in Mexico, and the father, Javier Ruiz, sold it. Pretty fuckin’ harsh; poor Izabel doesn’t even know if it was a boy or a girl. I know it’s a long-shot finding a random baby sold seven years ago, but if it could be found, it’s just another weapon against them if we ever need it. Seyfried’s adoptive mother, Dina Gregory, is all we really have on her, and I don’t expect her to live much longer, so this baby is an alternative. I’m very fond of Izabel and I’d never want to hurt her, but she’s Faust’s only weakness. I thought his brother was a weakness too, and maybe he still is to a degree, but Izabel, she’s the one who will almost definitely cause Faust to fall. But I think Faust will cooperate with us; as long as we pay him and hold up our end of the deal, which I think is wise because having Faust on our side is better than having him as an enemy. And I happen to like them all—except for Fredrik—so I hope things go as planned.
There is a knock at the door.
“Come in,” I call out, and close the folder.
“You wanted me to report my findings,” Nora says, coming into the room.
I take a seat. “Yes,” I say, and gesture at an empty chair where Nora sits down. “What do you have for me?”
“Niklas did what you thought he would,” she says, crossing her legs. “There was no way he was going to make Izabel play the role of a slave; he probably knew she’d fuck up at some point and he’d be forced to beat her like he did me. Making her his girlfriend, or whatever, gave her just enough leeway to make the mistakes he knew she’d make, and not have to punish her for them.”
I nod; reach out and absently touch the edge of the file folder in my fingers; a nervous gesture I suppose.
“Niklas could’ve used her against you,” she says. “He had every opportunity to take it farther than a kiss.”
“He would not have done that,” I say.
“Because of his loyalty to you?”
“No,” I say, “not because of his loyalty to me.”
Silence passes.
“You know,” Nora speaks up, “I would ask you what you’re doing, but I have a feeling I already know.”
“I thought you might.”
“And I’m not sure if you want to hear this or not,” she goes on, “but I have to say that it looks like it might already be working.”
“I thought it might.”
“But you love her,” she says. “Don’t you?” She seems unsure.
“Yes. I do love her.”
“Then why are you doing this?”
I place my full palm on the folder and slide it away from me. “I’m doing it,” I say, “because I love her.”
“But you’re going to make her hate you, Victor.”
“That is the last thing I want,” I say, staring off at nothing, thinking of Izabel—my only weakness. “But just