I give the matter a moment of thought. “Whoever’s leaking information is either using someone in my organization.”
“Could be our just-departed guest,” Andrei suggests, nodding toward the door. “He could get access to incriminating information, were he so inclined.”
Blair clears his throat. “Either way, whatever’s here as of right now isn’t enough to tank the deal. We’ll continue moving forward. But Roman, anything more volatile, even a misunderstanding, could stall everything. And once matters like this are stalled…” He doesn’t need to finish.
“Understood.”
He stands. “We’re still committed, Roman. There’s lots of money to be made. Many eager investors ready to get in on theground floor. There’s no ceiling to where you could take Barinov Holdings. But getting this thing off the ground is a delicate act. We need stability. No surprises.”
No surprises. A luxury in my world.
“Thank you for your time, Thomas,” I say, signaling the end of the meeting.
“Of course. I’ll keep you posted on any developments.”
With that, he leaves, more questions floating in my mind than answers.
CHAPTER 14
ROMAN
The snow falls in heavy flakes. Beyond the glass of the terrace, the backyard stretches white and undisturbed, except for two small figures bundled up against the cold.
Amalie and Sasha.
They’re sitting at an easel I provided for them, coats zipped to their chins, boots half-buried in fresh powder. A watercolor tray is balanced somewhat precariously on a low table, an umbrella propped over it to prevent snow from landing in the colors.
I watch them as they paint, their breath coming out in faint puffs. They’re quite a bit of distance away, but near enough that I can see Sasha’s tongue poked out between his lips, a habit of his when he’s in total concentration.
Amalie learns over, murmuring something to him. Sasha laughs.
I should be working. I should be following up on Blair’s information, or reviewing contracts, or giving some serious thought to what exactly Garin might be plotting.
Instead, I’m watching Amalie and Sasha like the world doesn’t exist aside from them.
“Sentimental today.” Andrei joins me at the window.
I still don’t take my eyes off of them. “Say something useful or be quiet.”
He chuckles. “Garin got into your head.”
“He didn’t.” The words shoot out of my mouth. I spoke too quickly and Andrei catches it.
He shrugs one shoulder. “He’s pushing, like usual. But it seems harder this time. He could be getting desperate.”
I nod. “If I get out of the game and get my IPO off the ground, that’ll shake things up for him, and he won’t be happy about it. And more than that, it’ll put me out of reach. My empire will still exist, but in a world he’ll never be able to touch.”
“That’s right,” Andrei says. “If you stay connected to the Bratva world, he’s still got a chance of taking over. But if you go legit…” He lets the words linger for a beat before speaking again. “Anyway, he might be getting desperate, as I said. Desperate people do stupid things like stroll into their rival’s home and all but threaten them.”
He’s correct, of course. It’s no secret that Garin wants what I have, wants to seize my empire from me and take me out of the picture permanently. But he’s always been smart enough to play things close to the chest, even work with me when it benefited us both. Making a move as bold as he did today is new for him.
Garin is rattled.
My eyes remain on the scene outside. I watch as Amalie presses her gloved hand to Sasha’s shoulder, encouraging him. The boy beams up at her, an expression I’ve rarely seen from him since his mother passed. He shows her his painting. I have to squint, but it looks like a splotchy green-and-white impression of the snow-covered backyard and the trees beyond.
She claps, a huge, beautiful smile on her face. My chest warms.
“She’s good with him,” Andrei says. “Very good. I can’t remember the last time I saw him open up like this. He was nowhere close to being this way with any of the other nannies.”
