Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 61142 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61142 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
“He said that his order was to take me and ‘the kid’. He said he didn’t want to hurt us.”
“Vasily knows, Kat. He knows who you are.”
“Which means he won’t want to kill Josh or me? Even though he killed my mom?”
“He’s a sick bastard. I don’t think he’d let you live out of any kindness, and as long as Gleb doesn’t know you exist, all bets are off. But if Gleb found out…”
“But that could lead to a whole other scenario and possibly not a good one.”
“I think he’d want to protect you and Josh. It’s just my gut feeling.”
“What if he doesn’t believe it?”
“After seeing you, he’ll at least be willing to listen. You look exactly like her. He could run a paternity test if he wanted to. And either way, he has no reason to want you or Josh hurt.”
“I’ve seen what’s on that drive.”
“And I wonder what he’ll make of it when he sees it.”
“What if he does accept that I’m his daughter and that he should protect us but then wants us to be a part of that life? Wants Josh to be a part of it?”
“You’ll drive yourself insane going in circles like this. We have to wait and see.”
“And what about you? Will he protect you from Vasily?”
“Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself.”
He brushes a strand of damp black hair off my face. “I want my hair back. I want to keep looking like her. It’s the only piece of her I have.”
“Soon. I promise.”
“Do you think it’s true? That Vasily killed her himself?”
“I don’t know, Kat. But Maxim has no reason to lie.”
“He tried to help her. At least she had one friend in the end.” I look up at him and realize how selfish I’m being. He lost his mom too and to the same murderer. “Tell me about your mom.”
He takes a deep breath in, and his eyes alight on the small jewelry box that I set on the table when fishing for Josh’s pajamas.
“She was kind and gentle. She never wanted anything from my uncle. And when I think back now, I see things differently. I see how she tried to shield me from him. See how she was when she was around him, jittery and skittish. I think she was always afraid of her own brother. Maybe she knew what he was capable of all along even when it came to his own blood.”
His expression changes, growing darker.
“I need to do something. Stay here.”
I clutch his arm. “Don’t leave, Lev. Please, just tonight. I need you to stay.”
He leans down, cups my cheek, and kisses my forehead. “I’m not going anywhere, Katya.” He gets up off the bed. I watch him walk across the room, the muscles on his bare back working, making my stomach flutter.
“What are you doing?” I ask, sitting up to watch him dig his phone out of his jeans pocket.
“William von Brandt had a contact at the FBI.” He sits on the edge of the sofa, pushes a few buttons, and holds the phone out in front of him.
“Lyoshenka.” I recognize Alexei’s voice.
“Alexei,” he says. “Sorry to call so late.”
I’m surprised he doesn’t switch to Russian.
“It’s all right. I would have called you tomorrow anyway.”
“You have the information then? William von Brandt’s contact at the FBI, did you find his name?”
“Of course. It took a little work, but I enjoyed the challenge. But Lev, I’m concerned—”
“Send it all to me. Everything.”
“What are you going to do with it?”
“I think you know.”
Alexei draws a sharp breath in. “You know what that will make you?”
“Yeah, I know.”
“It won’t be only Vasily coming after you.”
“I’m willing to take that risk.”
“What?” I ask, every hair on my body standing on end.
“I have to do this, Alexei. It’s him or me, and even if it weren’t, I owe him for my mother’s murder at the very least.”
“I advise against this.”
“I’ll keep you out of it. You and your family won’t be linked to this.”
I can almost hear Alexei’s disapproval in his silence. “You’ll have it in a few minutes.”
“Thank you, cousin.”
He disconnects the call, then walks to the bed to sit on the edge of it as he dials another number. When I open my mouth to speak, he puts a finger to his lips, and I hear a woman click on.
“Philadelphia Police Department.”
“You have a pen and paper?”
“What?”
“A woman went missing from Club Delirium a few nights back. You’ll find her body at a house owned by Andrei Stanislov. He just planted a new garden.” After rattling off an address, he disconnects the call, takes a deep breath in, then lets it out, and sets the phone on the nightstand.
“What did you just do?”
He turns to me, closing his big hand over my knee. “I’m just keeping Vasily busy for a day or two. I need time. Get some sleep. I have to make a few more calls.”