I feel the tension rise among our table, but no one speaks, no one looks at the brothers but me.
“$300,000, do I have $350?”
“$400,000,” Kirill calls out.
“$5!”
“$6!”
$600,000?!
“One million,” Kirill states, and my eyes go wide. His tone is calm, laid back as if he had just bet pennies and not a fortune.
I watch as he slides his gaze to Pyotr and raises a brow. Pyotr’s biting his lower lip as he shakes his head and chuckles, and he throws his paddle onto the table.
“$1,000,000, do I have a counter bid?” the auctioneer asks as the two brothers eye one another up. Silence answers.
“Going once, going twice.” The gavel hits, making me jump.
“Sold to Mr. Pavlovich for $1,000,000,” the auctioneer states. “Ladies and gentlemen that concludes our auction for the evening. Please see our accountant for the exchange of funds and merchandises, thank you.”
“Stay here,” Kirill whispers in my ear. “I will settle up and then we will go home.”
I’m still dazed by what just happened, but Pyotr only continues to grin at me.
“I should know better than to go up against my brother, I know,” he says with a shrug as he keeps looking at me. “He has more money than God.”
He pauses as his grin grows wider, making my stomach clench and threaten to bring up the delicious food I just enjoyed.
“But the funny thing is?” Pyotr says, “I just can’t help it.”
Chapter Twenty
Kirill
“What have we found out?” I ask as we pull up to Yulian’s place.
“I debriefed Yana this morning,” Edik replies as we fall into step with one another. “Annika didn’t say a thing to anyone at the auction that was suspicious. Didn’t try to sneak off to speak with anyone, didn’t do anything but play the dutiful wife just as you asked her to.”
I can’t help it. I’m relieved. Being on guard with Annika is far harder than I realized. Any time I’m around her I feel the stone I’m made of turn to warm jelly, and it’s hard as hell to fight it.
“Her phone records?” I ask.
“I listened to all of her phone calls in the past week last night,” Edik replies. “There were only two calls she’s made and they were on her first day at the compound. She talked to her sister and Yulian about her discomfort the first day but they told her tocalm down. In fact Yulian urged her to be more obedient to you. Other than that she’s just called her art dealer, Max, and all they discussed was their new meeting schedule."
Edik pauses before adding, “Maybe it wasn’t Yulian who hired the hitmen. Maybe it was someone else.”
God, I hope so.
“Maybe,” I say aloud as we climb the steps to the brownstone. “But we’re going to find out for sure.”
Edik moves to knock on the door, but before his knuckles even touch the wood it opens and Yulian’s man, Viktor, is greeting us.
“Caught you on the security cameras,” he explains as he lets us in. “I don’t believe Mr. Shabalin is expecting you today.”
“We’re family now,” I reply, “We don’t need appointments.”
Viktor looks none too pleased at my response, but he still gives us a respectful nod and waves toward the couch.
