Sophia’s eyes widen as the color drains from her face. “What? Are you for real? I hope you’re not jumping to conclusions too early.”
“I wish I was. There was a name… Aslanov. He transferred two million to him the day before Mom died.”
Sophia almost jumps up. “Holy freaking shit, Lauren! Two million? What are you going to do?”
I shake my head. “The wisest thing would be to turn him over to the pol—”
“No!”
Sophia isn’t one for interrupting and shutting down ideas, so I straighten up on the couch, eagerly waiting for what she has to say. “No? What do you mean?”
“Listen, Lauren.” She licks her lips, like she’s considering how much she can share with me. “If this has something to dowith Aslanov, the worst thing you can do is go to the cops. This is way above their pay grade.”
“What do you mean?”
“There are powers here that you… that you and I can’t comprehend,” she continues. “I’m telling you as your best friend. Whatever you do, do not ever take this to the police.”
Jesus.
I frown. It’s one thing for Nikolai to tell me to keep things to myself, but another thing when Soph, the flower girl, tells me to avoid the police.
I deepen my stare. She has been living with Timur for over two months now. Do they all know something that I don’t? Something Nikolai doesn’t want to tell me?
“What am I supposed to do then?”
“You need to put your trust in Nikolai, Lau. Let him help you. Otherwise… one wrong move and you could get hurt. And not just you.” She places a hand on my lower abdomen where a small bump has started to grow. Her eyes return to me, cold in warning. “This isn’t just about you anymore. Trust that Nikolai will sort all of this out for you, as the father of your daughter.”
I don’t know why that makes my blood run cold, but it does. I nod. One way or the other, Sophia has a point. Maybe I am out of my depth here. And with a healthy daughter on the way, the last thing I need to be doing is stepping blind into danger.
I can no longer afford to put myself in harm’s way.
Especially not when I’m carrying thePakhan’schild.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Nikolai
Timur shuts his office door behind us.
I save my breath, not needing to ask if he found something. I can already tell he has. And judging from the expression on his face, I can also tell that I’m not going to like it.
I slide around his desk and sink into the chair, shuffling it forward so that I can take a look at the documents spread across the table. There are several sheets of paper, some printed in Russian, others in English.
“Aslanov has been away in Moscow,” Timur begins. He picks up a document by its corner, careful not to smudge the ink, and hands it over. “This particular report suggests a family visit.”
I examine the document, skim-reading through the text.Rublyovkaseems to be the area where his family resides—a place dripping with wealth.
I set the paper down. “That would explain why he has been quiet.”
“Partly,” says Timur.
“And his men? Where are they?”
Timur keeps his eyes on me. “It’s confirmed that some of them have been watching Lauren here in Atlanta.”
My fingers flex on the armrest, a wave of anger turning my stomach queasy.
I look up at him. “Why haven’t they made their move yet?”
