Roshaan
Her entire world seems to shift on its axis as she stares into this big man’s cruel face.
“No.” Her voice comes out a croak. “No other devices.”
He regards her. Minutes tick by. She feels the motion of the ship as they plow toward Kusadasi.
She tries to swallow. “I-I’m not watching. It’s not me.” And she realizes she’s backed into a corner.
“If not you, who?”
Theo’s voice echoes in her head.
If you turn on me, they’ll kill me. And maybe you. You can’t back down.
She says nothing.
Avi raises his meaty hand. She flinches and turns her face away before the strike lands, but he simply runs his hand over his buzz cut.
Her heart is beating so fast she thinks she will faint.
“Sit,” he orders.
Her gaze flares to the door, to escape.
A hard smile curves his mouth. “Sit, Roshaan.”
Gingerly she seats herself on the edge of the bed.
He pulls up a chair, sits opposite her, leans forward.
“Here’s what I see. A nice-looking woman named Roshaan DaSousa. I think she’s a good woman. A fine employee. Someone who tries hard to do the right thing, always wanting to please others. But sometimes you sacrifice too much for other people. Is this right, Roshaan?”
She glances down at her hands in her lap.
“Maybe someone pushed you a little too far, and now you’ve crossed a line for them and don’t know how to get back—is this how it is, Roshaan?”
She closes her eyes, trying to make it all go away.
“Look at me.”
She doesn’t.
“I said look at me!” He grabs a fistful of her hair, jerks her head up. She gasps as pain sears across her scalp. Her eyes water. Her whole body trembles. Snot dribbles from her nose. She forces her gaze to meet his.
“This goes one of two ways. One—you cooperate. You tell me everything. You give me exactly what I want. You do everything I say. And I let you go. Two—you lie to protect someone. Then I hurt you. I hurt everyone close to you. And I’ll turn you in.
There will be police waiting for you at our next port of call.
There will be news stories around the world about Black Orchid staff spying on clients.
There will be lawsuits. And let me tell you something else, Roshaan, the victims—these guests you are spying on—they’re connected.
They own media empires and control politicians.
They have the resources to crush you completely, and if you still try to escape, I will hound you for the rest of your miserable life.
I will follow you to your death and into the afterlife. Do you understand me, Roshaan DaSousa?”
In her mind she sees Furies—wild with snake hair and bleeding eyes and torches coming after her. The irony of all the mythology is not lost on her—she’s now between Scylla and Charybdis. A rock and a hard place.
Suddenly her own resentment, her own fury, is intense. For Theo. He did this. She hates him. She has to hate him. If she can’t cling to rage, he’ll win again. His power over her—while so subtle, so seductive at first—is immense. She never really accepted it until now. And now it’s too late.
Is this her tipping point? Is this where she goes down with her own con man?
“Is this where I call security, Roshaan?”
She can’t think. She can’t make a decision.
“What’ll it be? Option one? Or two?”