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her hands were tied behind her back and the rash was visible. “See? I’m telling you the truth.”
    “Is STD,” the man said, grimacing.
    “I don’t have—”
    “Where is jacket?” the man said, cutting her off. He stepped forward with gun raised to hit her as he had Ravi. The blonde moved between them and blocked his path. He could have stepped around her but he didn’t try.
    “Where is sister?” the woman said, turning back and staring hard into Heather’s eyes.
    “She bought the jacket for her trip. She’s gone. This is her apartment. I’m housesitting until she comes back.”
    “This her apartment?” the man said, shaking his head.
    He said something in Russian to the woman. To Heather it sounded like “Mush-bow-cratch-noz.” Then he headed for the kitchen and the cute, fifties-style refrigerator. The door was decorated with magnets and family photos and a copy of Cat and Vincent’s travel itinerary. The man found the itinerary and pulled it down, sending the heart-shaped magnet skittering across the floor. “Cruise to Hawaii?” he said, shaking the paper at her accusingly.
    Heather didn’t know how much to say, but she had to say something. “It’s their honeymoon.”
    “Did you touch pocket of jacket?” the woman asked. “Put one thing in pocket? Take one thing out of pocket?”
    “No, I didn’t know anything was in there.” She looked at Ravi and added, “He didn’t tell me… anything.”
    “She didn’t know,” Ravi piped up. “She doesn’t know about the deal…”
    The man turned towards her and with obvious pleasure said, “Your boyfriend is liar and thief. And he is greedy. Five million of dollars not enough for him. And now he get five million of nothing. Chip very small, smaller than stamp, maybe in so small plastic case. You didn’t find?”
    “I didn’t touch the pocket. It wasn’t my jacket. It was new.”
    “Okay,” the man said, “we search apartment. You don’t move.”
    The two Russians left the room. Heather couldn’t budge with her wrists attached to the chair back. Ravi, on the other hand, could have gotten to his feet and hopped to the front door, but apparently he wasn’t brave enough to try.
    They were left alone while the Russians ransacked Cat and Vincent’s bedroom. She cringed when she heard glass breaking and presumably emptied drawers hitting the floor.
    “I’m so sorry,” Ravi said, trying to catch her gaze.
    Heather looked away. Ravi was posed like a man about to be executed; she was tied to a chair. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She was a terrible judge of men. Always looking for Sir Lancelot and seeing him where he wasn’t. This was the second guy who had put her life in jeopardy because he was a selfish bastard. Darius Bishop being the first.
    As expected, the man and woman came back from the bedroom empty-handed.
    “Jacket not here,” the man said to her.
    “My sister took it, I told you. To Hawaii with her.”
    “Look, you know where the chip is now,” Ravi said. “You don’t have to hurt us. We’re telling you the truth.”
    “We know only where you say it is,” the woman said.
    “If chip where you say, we don’t need you,” the man said. “If sister has, we only need her.” With that he quickly grabbed a fluffy pillow from the sofa with his free hand and jammed Ravi’s head face down on the sofa cushion with it. The other hand held his pistol.
    The blonde reached out to stop her partner, then let her arm drop as if she knew trying to restrain him was useless. A sadness flitted through her eyes; it was only there for an instant, but Heather saw it clearly. It made her look ten years older. Without a word she stepped into Heather’s line of sight, blocking her view of the sofa.
    “No, please!” Ravi cried into the cushion.
    Muffled by a silencer, two gunshots fired.
    Heather jolted on the chair at each one. Ears ringing, she began to shake uncontrollably. The plastic ties cut deeply into her wrists. It had