“I have a list of Clayton’s brothers—Jermaine, Dane, and Earl—but no other information.My father usually kept better files, but those three seem to have disappearedinto the ether.There is no record of them anywhere in New York.”
“That’s because they’re dead.Your father tangled with the Norris clan a few times back in the seventies, but they were dwindling fast by the time you were born.Clayton was the only remaining living child of his parents, and allying with Eldridges through marriage was their last-ditch effort to remain relevant—and it failed.”
Damn it.If the brothers were dead, so was his lead.“You said she didn’t kill him.Who did?”
“She was supposed to—her mother wasn’t a fan—but ended up backing out at the last moment.Instead, she bought off his debts with my uncle and Clayton disappeared.We thought she’d sent him away, but there was a rumor a few years ago that he was back—if notback.You understand?”
He’s alive.Adrenaline surged, and Dmitri had to pause a moment to get control of himself.Got you, Alethea.“One last question.”
“Naturally.”
He ignored that.“Does he have any known pseudonyms?”If anyone would know that, it would be the people he gambled with.Ivan’s uncle had a reputation for being incredibly thorough when it came to people who owed him money.
“Just the one—John Cash.”
“You’re joking.”
“I wish I was.I only remember because it was so absurd.”
The whole point of a pseudonym was to fly under the radar—something impossible to do if one insisted on using the name of a famous musician.“Thank you for the information.”
“Easily given.I look forward to your party, Dima.Something tells me that it’ll be one for the record books.”
It certainly was shaping up to be.“Good-bye, Ivan.”He hung up before his friend could say anything more absurd.
Several minutes later, he had the confirmation he needed.Neither Clayton Norris nor John Cash brought up anything worthwhile, but a Clayton Cash owned a small apartment in Brooklyn—which happened to be almost directly in the middle of the area Cillian O’Malley had given him.
Dmitri called Alexei.He barely waited for the other man to answer to speak.“Gather the men.I believe I’ve found our Mikhail.”He hung up.Calling Keira was tempting, but she deserved an update in person, and it wouldn’t take but a minute to deliver the information.
And maybe he wanted to see what she’d gotten up to in the last few hours.
It would take his men a good ten minutes to be ready to leave, which gave him plenty of time to hunt her down in the grand ballroom in the center of the house.He’d always found the room ostentatious—much easier to plan things at a neutral location than to invite friends and enemies alike into his home—but it was the best option for the reception.The O’Malleys needed to be reassured.His allies had all been here before.The Eldridges were a wild card, but he fully intended to remove them from the playing field before they had a chance to do further damage.
Keira glanced up as he walked through the door.She looked like herself for the first time since she’d arrived in New York, wearing a pleated skirt that was several inches too short for his peace of mind, and a cropped muscle tank top with some band he’d never heard of written across thefront.The black shirt showed off her pale skin, and he frowned when he realized he could count her ribs.“Have you eaten?”
“Yes, O benevolent overlord.I had two eggs twenty minutes ago to keep my energy up for this appointment you set up for me, and Pavel basically threatens me with snacks every hour or two.”She stopped and frowned.“You’re leaving.”
“I found him.”He didn’t feel relief—not yet—but he hoped they wouldn’t arrive too late.It was in Alethea’s best interest to keep his man alive, and she was too smart to kill him and lose her pawn.But Mae was unpredictable, and he didn’t have the utmost faith in her mother’s ability to control her.
Keira set her notepad down on the table and crossed to him.“Be careful.”
With her looking at him like that, he could almost believe she was worried about him.Too much to ask.He took her hands and pressed a kiss to each one of her knuckles.“Stay in the house until we return.”He belatedly added, “Please.”
He half expected her to throw a fit, but she just raised her eyebrows.“You think this could be a bait and switch.”
“I think that there is little Mae Eldridge would like more than to see you dead.”It was all too easy to remember the head she’d had delivered to him and superimpose Keira’s features on it.No.I will not allow it to happen.He squeezed her hands, knowing damn well that if he tried to order her to stay, it would be as effective as waving a red flag in front of a bull.“I respectfully request that you stay put.”He hadn’t forgotten that someone had infiltrated the house, but Pavel could be trusted.That, Dmitri was sureof.“I’ll send Pavel in when I leave.He’ll hover, but allow it as a favor to me.Please.”
She smirked, even as her hazel eyes were concerned.“You’re being polite, which means you’re worried.I’ll be good and stay in my cage while you’re gone—this time.”
It was the best he was going to get.“Thank you.”
“Come back safely, Romanov.No one gets to torture you but me.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Keira lasted an hour.Sixty minutes before she went a little mad wondering what Dmitri had found.Or if it was a trap.If Keira were in Alethea’s situation, she would have guessed that Dmitri wouldn’t sit idly by.He might not be as superhuman as she used to believe, but he was still very, very good at what he did.
She just hadn’t expected… loyalty.
