Page 60 of The Chosen
“And how do we do that when we don’t know who this person is?”
“I went through Victor’s pockets when I…disposed of him. I found a cell phone. Based on the lack of anything of a personal nature, I’m guessing it’s a burner. But it did have the same secure app that was on that Bratva soldier’s burner. I may not find much, since that app can be programmed to automatically delete messages after a certain period of time, but it’s better than nothing.”
“And if you make contact? What then?”
He was silent for a moment, and I could feel the wheels turning in his head. “We plant a Trojan horse.”
“A Trojan horse?”
“This guy seems careful. Like he doesn’t want anyone to know who he is or where he’s taking the women he buys. It’s why he wants them left in a remote location with instructions to drop them and leave.”
“If he’s that paranoid, I doubt he’d go to the drop location if he felt something was off… Like you being there instead. That’s a dead giveaway something’s not right.”
“I won’t be there. One of my employees has done some undercover work for me like this before. I’ll send her in. Give her a full background similar to the women Victor typically targeted in the hopes he forgets about wanting you.”
I stared straight ahead, considering his plan. It wasn’t horrible. But it wasn’t foolproof either. There was no guarantee this guy would agree to buy this other woman.
But there was one woman I knew he wanted.
“Or you can use me instead.”
Henry shifted around in the tub, his eyes finding mine so I could see the determination within. “Absolutely not, Ariana. My employee is trained in this sort of thing. She knows what to do. How to act. How to protect herself.”
“You said it yourself. Your entire plan rests on this guy agreeing to purchase some other woman instead of me. We don’t know for sure he will.” I paused. “But we know he wants me. Remember what Victor said. I was chosen, whatever that means. If you want to find him, if you want to find Sarah, I’m your best bet.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m not using you as…as…as bait.”
“You agreed to use me as bait to draw Victor out of hiding.”
“That was before. When we thought he was the one after you. He was a known quantity. But this? We have no idea what we’re going up against. I just…” He brought his hands to my cheeks, clutching my face with a fierce grip. “Don’t ask me to do that again. Don’t ask me to risk losing you.”
“Think of all those women,” I countered. “Think of Sarah. She could still be alive. And if you want to help her, you need to use the one asset you have. Me. This guy wants me. You have me. I’m your Trojan horse.”
He shook his head. “I don’t like it.”
“I don’t like it either. Believe me. I’d much rather live the rest of my life in peace. But if this is what it takes to make sure he can’t ever hurt another person, then I need to do this.”
He raked his gaze over my face, studying each of my features. From my eyes. To my nose. To my lips. As if imprinting them all to memory.
“You are so damn stubborn.”
“No more stubborn than you,” I reminded him.
“True.” He sighed, resting his forehead against mine. “But you’re also so damn brave.” He pulled back, his eyes locking with mine. “A fucking warrior, Ariana.”
“Then let me be a warrior. Let me do this.”
He didn’t immediately say anything. Just stared at me. I could physically see the turmoil in his expression. The ever-present need to protect everyone he loved and keep them free from harm.
The guilt he still battled to this day for failing his brother. His mother.
Sarah.
I knew I was asking a lot of him.
But I also knew this was something I needed to do. Knew I’d never be able to live with myself if I sat by and didn’t try to help.
Finally, he released a long exhale filled with frustration and resignation. I half expected for him to insist on his original plan.
