Page 62 of The Chosen
“I know you. Something’s bothering you.” He lowered his voice. “Did you get more information about Victor’s buyer?”
While Ariana was cooking dinner this evening, I told Blake everything I’d learned from Mikhail about Victor’s operation. Which wasn’t much. But I didn’t tell him about my plan to track down this mysterious buyer.
Because I still hated it.
“No. But I was able to access Victor’s phone. And the app he used to communicate with his buyer. There aren’t any messages, but since there’s only one contact, chances are it’s him.”
“What’s your plan?”
I exhaled a long sigh. “I’ll reach out pretending to be Victor. No one knows he’s dead.”
“Smart.” He furrowed his brow. “So what’s bothering you?”
“My original plan was to use Jenna. Put a background together. Make this guy think she’s another one of Victor’s girls, hide a tracker on her in the hopes she’d lead us to where he’s keeping Sarah.”
This was based on the assumption she was still alive. Which was a big fucking assumption. Especially considering we knew absolutely nothing about who this guy was and what he wanted with any of the women he’d bought from Victor. Still, I refused to give up hope that Sarah was still alive. Not until I had proof she was no longer breathing.
I’d made that mistake once before.
I wouldn’t make it again.
“It’s not a bad plan,” Blake offered.
“But…,” I prodded, sensing more.
He opened and closed his mouth, hesitating.
“Just say it, Blake,” I demanded, certain I already knew what he wanted to.
“Do you promise not to shoot or stab me? Normally, I wouldn’t care, but I’m still not back to full strength just yet.”
I rolled my eyes. “I promise not to murder you.”
He nodded, taking another gulp of scotch before shifting his attention back to me.
“Your plan is good, but it’s not great. If you ask me, there’s a better course of action here. Something with less…uncertainty.”
“And what’s that?”
He pinned me with a glare. “You know what.”
I didn’t move for several long moments. Simply stared at him. Then I leaned back against the couch.
“Ariana,” I exhaled.
I knew he was right. Hell, even before Ariana suggested it herself, it had crossed my mind.
But I quickly dismissed it, refusing to do anything that might put her life in danger.
“I know you don’t want to hear it, but she’s a better option than some random woman Victor supposedly found. I mean, we don’t even have the details of how Victor arranged any of this shit. All we know is what you were able to learn from Mikhail. That the Bratva’s involvement was just acquisition and transportation. Victor dealt with the buyer. We don’t know how Victor approached him. Or if he approached Victor. But we do know one thing.”
“He wanted Ariana,” I said, albeit reluctantly.
“I’m sorry, Henry. If there were any other option, I wouldn’t be suggesting it. We may only have one chance at nailing this guy. And Ariana? She’s your best shot.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, all the conflicting thoughts and emotions that had been plaguing me all day swirling in my mind.
“I feel like I lose no matter what,” I admitted through the tightness in my throat. “If we do this and something happens to her…” My chest ached at the mere thought. “I don’t know if I could live with myself, Blake. It’s crazy, considering I’ve only known her a few weeks, but I just…” I shook my head, attempting to get a handle on everything.
