There was a third option, one that required both of them to remain standing just long enough to destroy each other.

“I will give you the first half of the ledger,” I said.

Julian’s face hardened.

“That was not the deal,” he said.

“The first half contains the shipping routes and the customs contacts,” I said. “It is enough to secure your cargo for the next six months.”

“And the rest?” he asked.

“The rest stays with me until I am safely out of the country,” I said.

Julian stood up from the counter.

He was taller than Arthur, but he lacked Arthur’s physical volatility.

Julian was cold, calculated, and slow to anger.

He walked over to the table and stood looking down at me.

“You are playing a very dangerous game, Clara,” he said.

“I am not playing,” I said. “I am managing my risk.”

“I could take the drive from you,” he said softly.

“You do not know where it is,” I reminded him. “And the encryption key is in my head. If you kill me, you get nothing but a collection of random characters.”