Emily stood rigidly near the entrance of the structure, her coat pulled tight around her. Her eyes never left the man in front of her—Raymond Artair. Her former client. Her friend. Her betrayer.
His hands were stuffed in the pockets of his wool coat, face unreadable.
“I didn’t want it to go down like this,” he said, voice low. “You weren’t supposed to be collateral.”
Emily’s breath caught in her throat. Her jaw tightened. “Collateral?” Her voice cracked, half in disbelief, half in fury. “Is that what I am to you? After all these years?”
Raymond exhaled through his nose. “You don’t understand the full picture.”
“No. I don’t,” she said sharply. “And you’re not giving me a damn thing to help me understand. I vouched for you. I fought for you. You were like family, Raymond!”
His eyes fli
