Smart. Damn, she’s going to give her father and uncle a run for their money when she’s of age.
“And this friend, they told you to be ready and you need to come home? That it was safer here?”
She nods. “They also said that my safety at the school was compromised, but not to tell anyone yet. They were going to keep me safe. I never saw anyone or anything but nothing happened, so I figured that was their doing.”
I’m still not figuring out Tatiana’s link to this girl. If it was her at all. There’s something off about this. Tatiana doesn’t give a shit about kids in a traditional sense. As far as I know she won’t touch any contracts that include them. The only thing that makes sense is that Timur or my father ordered her to kill Mila and she refused. And for that she’s now created this entire plan to get back at them for it.
Still, that doesn’t feel wholly right.
“Your friend, when they picked you up, did you recognize them?”
Now she grins. A wide, gleeful grin that makes me blink at her in surprise. “It wasn’t them who picked me up specifically. They sent someone else. Myfather. They told the school he was there to pick me up for a family emergency. They never so much as questioned. The guy looked, walked, and talked just like him.”
A shiver races down my spine. Tatiana is very fucking good, but I don’t know that she could pull off a disguise as good as Zakhar’s. If that’s so, she’s had help, but who? Or am I completely wrong and Tatiana isn’t the one who contacted Mila at all, and it was someone else? Someone working for my father?
“This man who looked like your father, what name did he tell you to call him?”
She shook her head. “He didn’t. He told me he was going to take me out of sight of the cameras, and I was to put on a blindfold and put headphones over my ears. I had to be keptconcealed. I was a little scared, but then he gave me a note from my friend that told me it would be alright and to trust him.”
“This friend of yours, how long have you known them?”
She sobers, her eyes taking on a tumultuous glint. My gut sinks. “Since I was fourteen. They saved me. Since then, they’ve kept in contact with me every so often to let me know they’re looking out for me. I know the handwriting, and I know to never say anything about them. Not until now. They told me to tell you. And my father and uncle, but they weren’t the main ones to know about it. It was you.”
None of this is making sense. Tatiana would never spend this much time looking out for a kid. And she’s not in the business of rescuing anyone. Whoever this friend is, it’s not Tatiana. And that means there’s another person out there that knows who I am, what I do, and has me in their crosshairs.
Motherfucker.
“Did they say how they know me?”
She shakes her head. “They wouldn’t give me any more information. When I was on the plane, I was alone. No cabin crew or anything, and it was a small private plane. Only two seats, and a tiny pullout bed that I slept on. When we landed, I got a message over the intercom to put the headphones and blindfold back on, and then I was carried off the plane and into the car. I was brought home, and I took off the blindfold and headset just before we came down our road when they tapped my leg.”
“How did they get past the guards?”
“They let them through. The divider between us was up so I didn’t see them. I was out of the car, along with my bags, and they left. I never saw their real face.”
“But it was a man who brought you back here?”
“Yes. They were strong enough to lift me without much effort.” She frowns. “You think they were trying to get access to the house?”
“They already had it if they were let through the gates without even a stop or check,” I admit, and she winces. “None of this is your fault. From what I can see, your friend wants to protect you, but I want you to understand something, Mila. This friend, they are like me. They know how to hide themselves, and they are very good at lying and deceiving to get what they want. That means that while you trust them, you need to be careful. Very careful.”
“I’ve never told them anything,” she says defensively, her arms crossing over her chest. Hades lets out a low whine, nuzzling her like he wants to give her comfort.
“Of course not, you’re a smart kid. I’m just letting you know that right now, there are a lot of things going on, and the only people you can wholly trust are your father, uncle, Oleg, myself, Alonzo, and his men. If your friend tries to get in touch with you again, will you promise to let me know?”
“You really think that they’re going to hurt me? They’ve had so many chances over the last three years. Why would they try now?”
“It might not be you they want to hurt, Mila. You’re smart. Your uncle runs one of the most powerful Bratva territories in the country, and possibly even Russia. There are a lot of people that will do anything to have what he has, and that might mean using you to get it.”
“Is that what you’re trying to do? Pretending to be nice to me so you can get the inside track on my uncle? What, the Italian guy isn’t enough? You want the big dog?”
I snort, not taking offense. “Your uncle would sooner kill me than try to give you a new aunt via me. I don’t have any designs on your father, uncle, or Oleg, I’ll promise you that. And I don’twant power either. I was living a very good life before I was dragged back into this, and when it’s over, your uncle has told me I’ll walk away free.”
She gives me a pitying look. “And you say I’m too trusting?”
I grin wickedly. “Darling, I never said I trusted or believed that, but sometimes playing along is all you need to do until you can figure out the next move. Get what I’m saying?”
Slowly she nods. “You’re badass, but I think my uncle has his sights set on someone else anyway.”
