Chapter 12 #2
She shakes her head but shrugs at the same time. “I truly don’t know. At this point, I wouldn’t put it past anyone, but I don’t have a short list of suspects. I know there are syndicates that exist that I couldn’t even imagine.”
“What makes you think they’re American?”
She lets go of me and steps back. Her brow furrows as she considers my question. “The tone of the emails. They’re just not written like they’d come from a European.”
“What do you mean?”
“Some phrases sound more American than they do French.”
“Are the emails sent to you in French?”
“No, they’re in German. It’s how casual they sound. They’re not the correct conjugations for the situation. French has formal and informal types of address. So does German. It’s also the idioms in the threats.”
“Such as?”
“They used a literal translation of there’s more than one way to skin a cat.
Es gibt mehr als einen Weg, eine Katze su h?uten.
We wouldn’t use that. We’d say viele Wege führen nach Rom.
They used the literal translation for keep your nose out of it.
Halt deine Nase da raus. We’d say Seinen Senf dazugeben. ”
Many roads lead to Rome. The English would be all roads lead to Rome. Even I know they wouldn’t use the skin a cat one. The other means to add one’s mustard. It means mind your own business.
The men I frequently trade bullets with wouldn’t make those mistakes. They’re too cosmopolitan, and there are too many people in the various families who speak German. Or they’re well connected enough to have a German speaker check their wording.
This speaks to inexperience. It makes me think it’s not somebody from New York.
“Liesel, can you show me the first email they sent you?”
Her lip trembles as she nods. She steps forward, but before she can reach my laptop, I engulf her in another hug. Her forehead rests on my shoulder as she trembles. I run my hand up and down her back, and she sighs before pressing her right hand over my heart.
“I know this has all been too much today, little one. I know you’re exhausted and terrified, but I need to know all of this.”
I try to keep my voice soft, maybe even soothing. I don’t want her to feel worse than she already does.
“It is not just all of that, Jorge. I feel like such an idiot, but I’ve had no one else I could confide in.
You know my father didn’t support me when I told him I needed help with all of this.
He left me to deal with it alone because I knew I couldn’t trust him.
It’s not like I could tell my sister or mother, and I certainly couldn’t tell Bastian, so I’ve just kept this to myself the entire time. ”
“That’s exhausting, chiquita, but you don’t have to do this alone anymore. Let me shoulder your burden for a little while.”
“You’re already doing so much for me. I don’t know how I could ever repay you.”
“Chiquita, this isn’t a debt. There’s nothing to repay. I’m not doing this with an expectation that you return any favors. I’m doing this because it’s the right thing to do to help you. You’ve been adjacent to this world, but now it’s sucked you fully in. What else have they expected you to do?”
She releases a shuddering breath. I think she’s surprised I suspected there’s more. But if they already have her working for them, they’ll push until there’s nothing left of her to give.
“Insider trading. I received photos of my sister and her boyfriend in Croatia, followed by a demand for information about client contracts.”
“They wanted to know where the investments were going, and you obliged them.”
“How could I not? They were already extorting me and using my bank accounts. Then they sent me photos of my sister and her boyfriend. These weren’t just photos of them at dinner or on the beach.
They were verging on explicit. It was obvious these people had a way to see into the bungalow they were staying in. ”
“Did you tell your father or uncle about that?”
She shakes her head against my shoulder. “At that point, what could they have done?”
“Perhaps your father wouldn’t have done much, but your uncle certainly would have.”
She leans away from me as she looks up, her hands resting on my ribs. “What does that mean?”
“Your uncle is a major importer of marijuana and cocaine into the German market. He’s a man with connections he keeps secret. They’re the type of people who could handle this.”
She goes positively rigid. “How do you know that?”
“Because as many secrets as every syndicate has, there are just as many that never stay hidden. We know far too much about each other’s business.
That’s why there’s never a clear king of the hill.
The power balance only remains balanced because it shifts among us so frequently.
No one stays on top or at the bottom for too long.
My family knows the O’Rourkes retaliated against the O’Malleys a few years ago by stealing a product shipment Clyde was supposed to bring in.
I don’t know what he’s like around family, but he’s one of the most cold-hearted, determined men I’ve met. ”
We also know far too much about one another’s proclivities. As much as we want to think we’re different, we’re the same. We’re all kinky fuckers—literally.
“You said something like that before. I don’t remember if you said you’ve met him. Do you know him well?”
“No, but we’ve been at charity events together, and I’ve heard what he’s capable of. It’s one reason your firm appealed to my family. We didn’t want to get into bed with him directly, but we wanted to know he’d be there to secure any deal that might go awry.”
“All that time, you weren’t really there to interview me. You’d already decided.”
“Not exactly. As you know, I very nearly walked away from that deal. That leak nearly cost you a few million euros.”
“I know. Was it my uncle who made you give us another chance?”
“No, that was entirely you.”
Our gazes lock, and she nods. My forefinger goes under her chin and tilts her head back.
“Liesel, I told you what I want. It isn’t some power play to manipulate you.
It isn’t because we’re forced to stay together in this suite.
It isn’t because I want to torment you or treat you like a toy I’ll cast off when I get bored.
I know you’re serious about Bastian, and that’s why you live with him.
But there’s no denying there’s something between us.
And I don’t for a minute believe it’s purely because of desperation that you turned to me. ”
“Maybe not. Maybe there really is something there, Jorge.”
“I’ll respect your relationship. I won’t do anything to make you a cheater. But you know you want what I said earlier. You want to kiss me. You want to feel me inside you. You ache for it just like I do. You want me to touch and taste every part of you. You want to submit to my dominance.”
Her eyes widen to where it must be uncomfortable. It tells me she isn’t into BDSM because it shocks her. But she wants that dynamic, even if she doesn’t want that type of sex.
“Jorge, I—”
“You don’t want me to keep being domineering.
But you want me to continue to take the lead.
You want to know I’ll do more than protect you.
You want me to take care of you. You want the weight of the world off your shoulders.
To focus on something beyond all this. Even after this, you want to focus on something beyond work and your duties. You need someone who understands that.”
“Bastian—”
“Might be someone whose company you enjoy. You may love his personality and what he does for you. But you know it’s not enough.
If that were the case, you wouldn't be attracted to me. You wouldn't be attracted to a man like me if you didn't want this deep down. Maybe you haven’t recognized that, but it’s there.”
“I know.” She whispers her response, but I see how conflicted she is.
“I told you I won’t do anything to compromise your relationship. But this wasn’t a secret between us. It just needed to be said aloud.”
“I’m not ready to leave a relationship I believed would lead to marriage and a life with him.”
“Believed, chiquita. Past tense.”
She swallows, and tears well in her eyes.
“I’m not giving up on that future for something temporary. You’ll go home, and I’ll just be left behind.”
I can’t demand she move to the U.S. with me, but that’s the only way this will work. I can’t move here.
“Liesel, I won’t leave you behind. I wouldn’t suggest this if I didn’t see this as something more than a quick fuck.”
“You don’t live here. I do. I can’t uproot my life.”
“I know. But I’m not walking away from you if you decide I’m who you want.”