My chest tightened, and I stopped under the awning of a closed bank.

“Adelaide said you were dead,” I whispered.

“Victoria tried,” he said, his voice raspy and strained, accompanied by a wet cough.

“She underestimated what it takes to kill me.”

“What do you want, Julian?” I asked, looking at the passing headlights on the street.

“You have the ledger,” he said.

“Adelaide took it, and I know she gave it to you.”

“I want it back, Natalie.”

“If you give it to the feds, we both lose everything.”

“What are you proposing?” I asked, forcing my voice to sound tired and defeated.

“A trade,” he said.

“The ledger for your freedom, and the safety of that child you are carrying.”

“Victoria is hunting both of us now.”

“I have a plane waiting at a private strip in Van Nuys.”

“Give me the ledger, and I will give you the offshore account details that will set you up for life.”

“If you refuse, I will let Victoria know exactly where you are.”

I closed my eyes, feeling another wave of pressure in my lower abdomen.