Page 482 of The Sinner: James

I have no doubt.

He pauses.

“They’ve already considered using a few people connected to him as a bargaining chip.”

I know a couple of them.

That woman, Abby Newtown, is one.

And then, my mother.

“What are they waiting for?”

“They want to find him first.”

“What makes them think they will?”

“Sooner or later, he’ll want his money or get in touch with someone and ask them to retrieve it. If he fights in St. Petersburg, the brothers will know. He couldn't be more wrong if he thinks he can get away with it. This is a small world in which everybody knows everybody. A fighter like him doesn’t go unnoticed, no matter how hard he tries to cover his tracks. And since he doesn’t have any money on him, his days in hiding are numbered, so in the end, it’s a matter of waiting for him to surface again.”

I keep my eyes pinned on him until beads of sweat pop up on his brow.

“Take the money,” I say.

He looks at me hesitantly.

“Take it.”

He sweeps it off the table and shoves it into his pocket.

“Why are you looking for him?” he asks.

“He owes me money, and it’s more than he owes them.”

He looks at me, puzzled.

“I want a meeting with the brothers,” I say.

The blood drains from his face.

“They’d know I talked to you,” he says, tense.

“You’re doing them a favor.”

“They won’t take it that way.”

“Leave that to me.”

He observes me.

“You’d get twice as much as you’ve earned this evening if you arrange a meeting with them within the next twenty-four hours.”

His expression changes as the scale begins to tip.

“And no word about the money that you’ve given me?”

“Do I look stupid?”

He bites back a retort.

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