“Now, now, Mrs. Zahkarova, my bodyguards and yours have already come to an agreement. All I want is to talk to Chloe.” His eyes searched mine. “I’m glad to see you’re doing well.”
“Is this man causing a problem, Lucy?” Renz appeared beside King.
“Chloe?” I asked because, as usual, curiosity got the better of me, and I wanted to know what King wanted.
“It’s fine. But anything you have to say can be said in front of Lucy.”
“I’m her attorney,” I put in.
“Last I checked, you’re not.”
I tilted up my chin defiantly. I spied Sato lurking, watchful and ready to pounce. Oh, he was not happy about this.
“What’s this about?”
“I’m going to cut to the chase since your head bodyguard only gave me five minutes.” He put a sheaf of documents in front of Chloe. “Accept the shares.”
“Why?”
“Because if Jeremiah marries Aralina, he’ll be positioned to challenge you for control of the company, right, Mr. King?” He might not have majority control but could influence the conservative stockholders to back him up. A married CEO whose wife was Russian nobility.
“Call me Theo, please,” he said with all the congeniality of a lion wanting to rip my throat out. “True as that may be,you don’t want Jeremiah marrying Aralina.” His eyes flashed forebodingly, and he lowered his voice. “My brother is a very dangerous man. And I fear for your sister-in-law. She’s such a sweet thing.”
“Jeremiah is not here to defend himself,” I replied.
My headache intensified. I heard Mamma’s voice.
“Rumor is the eldest one is a sociopath.”
“Are you all right, Lucy?” Chloe's voice came to me in a vacuum.
“From what I hear, you’re the dangerous one?” I gritted. “Didn’t your ex-wife accuse you of mental and emotional abuse?”
“Better than the alternative.”
Trevor’s voice at the time of the Mistress Strangler killings echoed in my head, the memory just beyond my reach ripping free. That was the time Kolya was released from prison, and we discussed the case briefly.
“The FBI profile of the Mistress Strangler was white male, in his twenties or thirties. Educated and must have been a victim of a broken home where one parent cheated. Hence he targets lovers of a married partner.”
“And the last confirmed killing attributed to the original MO was five years ago,” I had replied.
“Your parents died five years ago in a car accident.”
Theo’s eyes flashed. “What the hell does this have to do with it?”
“Aralina,” I whispered. She said Jeremiah was taking her to a family home in Montauk. I ignored the older King and texted Kirill’s sister.
Me
How are you enjoying Montauk?
Message not delivered. Fear and ice hardened my insides.
“Why are you here, Mr. King?” My temples pounded, and I had to squint my eyes. “What exactly prompted you to show up?”
“Someone tried to break into our servers.” His eyes narrowed at me. “Tried to access encrypted communication, particularly my brother’s. Why?”
“You tell me.” I stood unsteadily, exiting the booth, my eyes on Sato. “Can you check on Aralina’s security?”
