They reach the table. Tyler’s eyes flick between us. “Sera,” he starts, voice overly friendly. “Hey, thanks for?—”
“This is my husband,” Sera cuts in smoothly, gesturing to me. “Liev Kovalyov.”
Tyler blinks. “Husband?” His brows dive between his eyes. “You didn’t mention being married when I saw you.”
“Whirlwind romance,” she says, smiling serenely. “Sit.”
Arthur doesn’t sit. He shifts on his feet and stares at me like he’s measuring how many seconds it would take me to reach across the table and end him. Smart man.
Tyler finally drops into the chair opposite Sera. Arthur takes the one beside him, posture rigid.
“You’re willing to give us the password?” Tyler asks, his excitement and relief showing.
Sera tilts her head. “We have a few things to clear up first.”
Arthur’s mouth thins. Tyler shifts uncomfortably.
“You bugged my phone.” Sera narrows her eyes at them. “Tracked me. Tried to have me kidnapped—twice that I know of—Chicago and again in Vegas. Was that why you were in Dallas?”
Tyler’s head snaps up. “What? No. Why would you think that?”
He looks genuinely shocked, and I believe him.
Arthur’s expression doesn’t change. Not a flicker of surprise, but he’s more experienced than his son.
Sera keeps going, voice level. “You need to drop the lawsuit. I have no idea what happened to Aaron. I didn’t do anything to him.”
Arthur waves a dismissive hand. “I just want the password.”
So much for paternal love.
“You need to make sure your wife feels the same.” Sera says coldly.
She reaches into her coat pocket and pulls out the small black thumb drive containing the cropped photo with only the numbers on her stomach and Aaron’s smug face visible. She sets it on the table but keeps her hand on it.
I lean forward, voice low. “One last thing.”
The two men both freeze.
“I know you owe money,” I say. “A considerable debt. Now that you have the means to repay it, Mikhail will expect repayment. Immediately. Don’t make him wait. Because if he has to send someone to collect…” I let my eyes drift to Arthur. “It’ll be me. And after what you put my wife through? You won’t enjoy it.”
Tyler swallows hard. “What if it doesn’t work? What if it isn’t the password?”
Sera’s voice turns to ice. “Then I can’t help you. You took my computer when you ransacked my apartment. By now, you know I’m not hiding anything else. This is all I have.”
Arthur’s face hardens, jaw working. “If it’s not?—”
I cut him off. “Then it has nothing to do with her.” I hold his stare. “This is all she has. She’s done her part.”
The air at the table thickens. Tyler looks like he wants to disappear into the chair. Arthur’s face is red, but he doesn’t speak.
Sera slides the thumb drive the last inch toward them and removes her hand.
“Take it,” she says. “Drop the suit. Pay your debts. And stay the hell away from me.”
Tyler reaches for it first, fingers trembling slightly. I wait until they push back their chairs, clearly thinking this is over, and they are going to walk away untouched after what they’ve done to her.
“Before you leave.”
