Page 43 of Savage Redemption

“Yes,” I whisper. “I do know.”

“So, I spent a year in Kaminski’s dungeon while he tried to screw some sort of a deal out of my family. It wasn’t happening, so he had a problem. What to do with me. Killing me would have been Kaminski’s preference, but Bartosz had other ideas. He came up with the plan that I should work for them. Making money and paying it to them, in lieu of a ransom. In exchange, I hung on to my life and got my freedom.”

“You took the deal?”

“Of course. Would you not have done the same?”

“I suppose I would. But how did that concern me? Or Erin?”

“I owed Kaminski five million euros, and he wanted some sort of insurance to make sure I paid. What was to stop me simply disappearing and paying them nothing?”

“Would you have done that?”

“Actually, no. I have always honoured my deals, even those made under duress. And I had my eye on a longer-term strategy. Kaminski would make a decent business partner, in other circumstances. It was always my intention to pay off the debt, then continue to do business with him. We could both make good money from such an alliance.”

My head is reeling. How could he seriously consider a business arrangement with a man who shot him and imprisoned him for year? A man who actually wanted him dead.

Adan continues. “I can see from your face you find all of this… astonishing.”

“Yes. Just a bit.”

He chuckles. “As I say, business is business. But, as I mentioned, Kaminski and Bartosz did not trust me to keep my side of the bargain. So, they threatened to harm you and Erin if I did not comply. If I missed any payments, or otherwise defaulted on the deal.”

“But he saidyouwere the threat.”

“He lied,” Adan replies simply. “He was relying on that threat to keep me in line, and it worked. I was not sure if he would carry out the threat or not, but it was a risk I could not take. So, I worked, and I paid.”

“I still don’t understand…”

“My guess is this. He knew I’d track you down easily enough, and I had a motive to do that once I knew about Erin. It would make sense, or so he thought, for me to snatch Erin to keep her safe from him. Maybe he even genuinely believed I would do that, and he took precautions to put you out of my reach.”He pauses, gestures to the rugged scenery around us. “And, here you are.”

I can only stare at him. “You, you’re saying he tricked us? Made my family think you meant us harm, when all the time, it was him?”

He shrugs. “As I said, that’s my guess. It makes sense.”

I can’t believe what I’m hearing, but he’s right, thereisa weird logic to it. I reach for Erin. “I need to think. Get my head straight.”

“Yes.” He hands her back to me. “And I need to get back to the construction site. Before I am missed.”

“The… Oh, that’s how you did it. How you got here. You’re pretending to be a builder?”

His dazzling smile washes over me once more. “Carlos di Santo, plumber. At your service.”

“That’s not your name. And are you really a plumber?”

He winks. “What do you think,querida? And now, if you will excuse me…?”

He starts up the path.

“Wait.”

He pauses, looks back at me over his shoulder.

“Will I see you again?”

“Oh, yes,querida. You may rely on that.”

CHAPTER 12

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