Craving Oblivion (New York Billionaires Book 3)

22| Jealous

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Jealous

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Chapter 22: Jealous (Logan's POV)

"Remind me what that waitress looks like," Zarah said as both of us remained in the car, still in the parking lot of The Dove, watching the crowd enter and exit chaotically. 

"You don't need to worry yourself with that. It would be better if you had no idea who she was." 

"How so?" 

"If you end up interacting with her and she figures out that you know who she is, chances are, we'll lose her." I turned to her. "We need to find her and find a way for her to spit out what she knows." 

"And you plan to do that, how? By intimidating her?" She turned to me, knocking my elbow off the console. "Intimidation tactics don't always work, Mr. Markov. You'll scare her away." 

"Then I plan to give her nowhere to run to." 

She stared at me in disbelief before shaking her head. "Have you ever tried to just... ask? Just nicely ask someone." 

"Do you truly think that works in the world we live in, Draga?" 

"I think you should try it before deciding that violence and intimidation are the answer to everything. Chances are, she didn't even know she was tipping someone off to kill me. If you make her understand the risks and severity of the situation, she might even cooperate." 

"Or she might not and that would only further put your life in danger." 

"She's more likely to cooperate." 

"She's more likely to make the situation worse by telling the people who gave her the orders, which will result in more people chasing after you." 

"No, she's not," she argued sharply. "The Prisoner's Dilemma, it fits the theory." 

"The Prisoner's Dilemma, Ms. Romano. Do you truly think you understand it better than an attorney?" I lifted a brow at her. 

She rolled her eyes at me. "It's a pretty simple theory and it's math. Just because it's mainly used in law enforcement, doesn't mean it's limited to the law. Cornering her with a threat makes her more likely to defect. She won't tell you anything if she's scared. Encouraging her to cooperate with a reward makes her more likely to give us useful information," she rambled intensely, her hands moving as she spoke in gestures. 

"If she's rewarded for telling us, she'll keep confidentiality and won't tell the people who gave her the orders. If you scare her to get answers and then let her go, she'll run off and tell them and that will send more people after me." Letting out a huff, she met my gaze again. "Wouldn't you agree, Mr. Markov?" 

I watched her, deciding against my better judgment to not speak my mind. 

"And you have to let her go," Zarah added sternly. "I truly hope you don't kill people for a living but even if you did, there's no need for that. She's not even the middle man, she's equivalent to a pawn. You can't just kill her for helping the people coming after me, especially if she didn't even know the true reason."