“The interesting part is what comes after. The numbness that spreads up through the hand. Phantom sensations will wake you in the dead of the night for years—burning, tingling, the ghost of a finger that works but doesn’t, not really, not ever again.”
The whole room seems to tremble with his violent shaking.
“So here are your options.” I ease the pressure on his hand just enough for him to feel the blood rush back into his fingertips. “Option one: You help me bring down Aleksei. You gather the evidence, you play your part, and when it’s over, I personally ensure you enter witness protection. New identity. Enough money to start over somewhere his reach doesn’t extend. Maybe Costa Rica. I hear the weather’s nice.”
His breath hitches. Hope is a dangerous thing to offer a drowning man.
“Op
