Cara spoke up. “They’d want revenge.”
Maher nodded. “That’s right. Smart girl. The Lionettis think their victims will go on the offensive if they no longer have their magical file.”
“Fucking idiots,” I said softly. “I can’t believe they didn’t make a copy.”
“Would you?” Maher raised his eyebrows. “Actually, don’t answer that. Of course they didn’t make a copy. If that stuff leaked, the game would be over. Safer to have one master file with everything in it, protected as best they could. Who knows how a dumb fuck like this one’s father ever got his hands on it, no offense, sweetheart.”
“None taken.” Cara stepped closer. “That’s why they’re so desperate then. No copies, no nothing. They think if they don’t get the files back, they’re finished.”
“That’s it then. The girl’s a winner.” Maher looked at me and I could see the rage and hurt deep in his gaze. “I took the Lionetti job because I thought I could grab it from you, no problem, but you turned out to be a real pain in my ass.”
“I want to say sorry, but I’m really not.”
“Yeah, well, here we are. I fucked up, my family’s thrown me out, and the Lionettis are still going to come for you. So what do we do, huh, Luke?”
I stood up slowly and stared down at the half-dead bastard. He’d been such a pain in my ass for so long, and yet I still couldn’t see him as anything other than the guy I grew up with, the friend I used to have. All my bitterness and anger dissipated as I stared down at him and I slowly sucked in a breath and let it out.
“You need a doctor. When you’re patched up, I’m going to give you some money and you’re going to leave town.”
Maher’s eyes widened. “What?”
“You’ll leave town, go start over somewhere else. I don’t give a fuck where you go. California, Mexico, Colorado. Go start over somewhere else, Maher.”
“You’re going to save me?” He shook his head. “I don’t get it. I’ve been trying to kill you.”
“You’re already beat. What’s the point of putting a bullet in your head now?” I leaned toward him and could smell the sickly-sweet scent of his rotting wounds. “You’re fucked. You might still die, who knows, but you’re finished. I owned you and you know it. Now I’m going to let you go, and that means you owe me your life. You understand that, right?”
He nodded slowly. “I don’t want to die.”
“Good.” I stood up and walked to the door. Cara stared at me with shocked eyes. “I’ll send a doctor and cash. Then you’ll leave town. I’ll give you five days to heal up, then I’ll check back in. You understand? Five days.”
“Send the doctor and I’m gone. I don’t need the cash.”
I nodded and rapped my knuckles on the doorframe. “Five days. Good luck, Maher.”
I walked out of there. Cara hurried after me and didn’t say anything until we stepped out onto the street. Cara touched my arm and went to speak, but I held up a hand as German approached.
“It’s done?” he asked.
“Get Dr. Fisher in there. Make sure he understands Maher should survive.”
German didn’t react, but Yuri scowled, clearly unhappy with that.
“I’ll make the call.” German turned away.
“Why would you spare him, boss?” Yuri didn’t move to follow German. “That guy doesn’t deserve it.”
I glanced back at the house. How could I explain this to him? Yuri was a good soldier, but he was a simple man, didn’t think beyond his own little world, his wants and his needs. Maher thought I was stupid, nothing more than a pair of biceps and a loaded gun, but that wasn’t true. I saw further than most guys on the street, which was how I got to where I was.
“He’s more use to me alive.” I stared at Yuri. “You gonna make trouble?”
He stared back then shook his head. “Nah, boss. I trust you.”
“Good. Go help German.”
I walked off, back to the car, and Cara followed. Once we were inside and I started the engine, she leaned toward me.
“You couldn’t do it, could you?”
I hesitated as I put the car into gear. “There’s a difference between not wanting to do it and not being able to do it.”
“I know. That’s not what I asked.”
I stared at the road as I slid slowly back toward home. “I’ve known Maher a long time. We’ve been enemies for most of that, but for a while we were friends, back before we got involved in all this shit. If I had to kill him, I wouldn’t hesitate to put a bullet in his head. I’ve pulled the trigger before and I’ll pull it again. It’s only luck that he survived.”
“So why spare him then?”
“Because he really is more useful alive. I don’t know if he’ll ever be in the position to help me, but I know him, and he won’t forget about this. Maybe one day I’ll need him.”