“My brain doesn’t forget, remember?” She grins up at me. “Those documents I accidentally accessed at work months ago—the ones that got me into this mess in the first place—had these same account numbers buried in the data. I didn’t know what they meant at the time, but now that we have the Cyprus connection…”
“It all falls into place.”
“Exactly.”
Pavel whistles from his spot across the room. “That’s enough to bury him. Tax evasion, money laundering, racketeering. Even if the Bratva stuff doesn’t stick, the financial crimes will destroy his reputation.”
“And without his reputation, he’s got nothing.” Alexei crosses his arms, and a satisfied smile spreads across his face. “No one will work with him. No one will protect him. He’ll be finished.”
Kirsten saves the files and leans back in her chair. “So what happens now?”
“Now we hand this over to our contacts at the FBI,” I say. “Anonymously, of course. Let them take the credit for bringing down one of the city’s most elusive criminals.”
“You’re not going to handle it yourselves?”
“Some battles are better fought in courtrooms than warehouses.” I squeeze her shoulder. “Besides, watching Jovan rot in a federal prison for the next thirty years will be far more satisfying than a bullet to the head.”
She tilts her head, considering. “That’s surprisingly restrained of you.”
“I’m learning.”
Pavel snorts. “Since when?”
“Since my wife taught me that not every problem needs to be solved with violence.” I drop a kiss on the top of Kirsten’s head. “Some of them can be solved with paperwork.”
“I feel like I should be offended by that,” she comments.
“You shouldn’t. It’s a compliment.”
Alexei pushes off from the wall. “I’ll get the files to our contact tonight. By this time next week, Jovan Volkov will be yesterday’s news.”
“And the Karpov family will finally be safe,” Pavel adds.
I look around the room at my brothers, then down at the woman who made all of this possible. Three months ago, I almost lost her. I almost pushed her away in some misguided attempt to protect her from my world. Now she’s not just part of that world—she’s essential to it.
“Thank you,” I tell her after my brothers leave. “We couldn’t have done this without you.”
“I know.” She stands and stretches, working out the kinks from hours hunched over the computer. “I expect to be compensated accordingly.”
“Name your price.”
“Dinner. The good restaurant. The one with the view.”
“Done.”
“And dessert.”
“Obviously.”
“And…” She trails off with a mischievous glint lighting up her eyes. “We’ll discuss the rest later.”
I haul her against me, and my hands settle on her hips. “Why wait until later?”
“Because I’m hungry. And because anticipation makes everything better.” She pats my chest and slips out of my arms. “And wear the blue suit. I like you in the blue suit.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She disappears into the bedroom to change, and I stand there like an idiot, grinning at nothing.
