Alexi shrugged. “Everything is personal in our world. That’s the problem. Men remember slights for decades. A perceived insult. A deal that didn’t go their way. A promotion they thought should have been theirs.” He glanced between us. “I’ve said no to powerful people. I’ve embarrassed others. I’ve blocked revenue streams. Pick a reason.”
I shifted in my chair, tension settling deeper into my chest. “But the timing,” I said. “It feels deliberate.”
“It was deliberate,” Alexi agreed. “That doesn’t make it clear.” He leaned forward now, elbows on his knees, mirroring Dominic’s posture. “You’re assuming there’s a single reason. There doesn’t have to be.”
Silence stretched for a moment, broken only by the faint hum of traffic far below.
Alexi exhaled slowly, his gaze dropping to the floor before lifting again, sharp and focused. “Chasing motives will get us nowhere,” he said. “We could spend months digging through grudges and hypotheticals.”
He looked up at us then, eyes steady. “We’d have an easier time identifying who actually had the means to make me disappear.”
“It would help if we knew exactly where the abduction took place,” I say. “Have you remembered anything more about that day?’
Alexi shrugs. “I had a light breakfast that morning of coffee and toast. Nadia wasn’t happy that I didn’t have somethingheavier. I guess she complained to Igor when he went into the kitchen to bring it to me.”
“Nadia?” I ask.
“She’s like a house manager. She used to be my mother’s personal maid. After my mother’s death, my father offered her a position. She stayed and pretty much took over. Anya and I adore her.”
“And Igor?” Dominic asks.
“My father’s right hand. Igor has worked for my father since he turned eighteen. Igor’s father was one of my father’s lieutenants. He saved my father’s life multiple times. Which is why he asked Igor to come work for him.”
“Okay, so what happened after breakfast?”
“I did some work and then left the house to meet up for lunch. I walked to the nightclub rather than taking a car. It was a nice day, and I felt a little warm after being shut up in the house all morning.”
“And then what?” I press.
“And then, nothing. I can’t remember what happened after leaving the house. I think I walked a block or two, but I just can’t remember.”
“What if you were to rewalk the path?” Dominic asks. “Do you think you might remember more?”
“I don’t think it would hurt to try.”
So many eyes out there, and St. Petersburg remembers its own. I don’t think anyone is looking for Alexi, but what if someone recognizes him? After two weeks on the ship, he doesn’t look like the man who had last walked these streets with unquestioned authority. The sharp angles of his face were softened now, partially hidden behind a beard he’d never worn before. It changed him more than I expected.
The beard gave him anonymity. Weight. Distance from the past.
With it, he looked startlingly like Dominic.
Dominic, who had grown his own beard during the weeks on the ship, the harsh sea air and long days stripping away any reason to bother shaving. Side by side, they could have passed for twins—same white-blonde hair, same darker blonde beards, same tall, solid build. If someone glanced too quickly, they’d see one and think of the other. Or neither.
That thought gave me ideas. Their similarities gave Alexi another layer of protection.
Taking out my phone, I call Alexandr.
“Maxim, I heard your ship had docked. I heard about your son, I’m very sorry,” Alexandr says when he accepts the call.
“I’m not Maxim. I’m his son, Vladimir,” I respond.
Alexandr sucks in a breath. “You’re still alive? That’s great news. What happened? Why did I hear that you were a victim of a hit?”
“It’s a long story and one I want to tell you. I was hoping we could schedule a meeting to discuss the situation.”
“Is your father with you?”
“No, he was unable to make the trip. I can tell you more when we meet.”
