But thatcouldhave been part of an act.
“Either way this is set up to pan out, it’s a test,” I decided. “Morovov could have sent her to us with the hope that she’ll spyfor him. Or perhaps he wanted to give her up because he’s blind to what an asset she is for him.”
The latter seemed more believable.
John Morovov hadn’t even told her goodbye. No tears shed from him. Not a hint of remorse.
And I bet she knows it.
I furrowed my brow, catching myself from thinking of how she perceived this situation. Her feelings and reactions didn’t matter. They couldn’t.
“Let me talk with her,” Alexei said. “Let me see what kind of a vibe I get from her.”
I nodded. “Go ahead.” I valued his input. “Bring Lev with you. Viktor and Nikolai too.”
Unlike the rush I’d felt to go address this failed shipment problem solo, I wanted to glean the reactions and assessments from those closest to me.
Already, this spark of intrigue was making me rethink my judgment where she was concerned.
For the rest of the afternoon, they went about doing just that, interrogating her and getting more of a feel about who she was and what she was responsible for at her father’s firm.
It was all recorded, and as I replayed the video that night, I felt validated.
She hadn’t changed her story. She was consistently as wary of my brothers and cousins as she had been with me. She hadn’t tried to twist her details or anything like that.
So, why did her father let her go?
Nikolai and Maksim lingered with me in the big house after we finished dinner. They seemed to be waiting for me to make a decision about her, but my youngest brother proved that he really did have a one-track mind.
“Just go over and seduce her,” he advised with a cocky smile. “See if that can get her to fess up to why she wants to be helpful.”
“I think it’s who she is,” Maksim said.
“A people pleaser,” I said in agreement. Her timid nature gave me that idea. Her lack of fighting back did too. “I’ll test her and see how she handles it.”
Maksim tilted his head to the side. “How?”
“I’ll give her limited access to some records. I’ll have one of the accountants change it up and see if she can spot the issue, or if she’s even as familiar with the files and books as she claims to be.”
“When?” Maksim asked, always prepared to act on a solution.
“Now. Tonight.” I paused, thinking it through. “No. We’ll have her work on it tomorrow morning. She’s got to be running on fumes.”
Nikolai laughed. “You care?”
“If she could be an asset rather than a burden, yes.” I gave him a stern look, daring him to question my authority.
Now if he or any of the others were to question me on this sneaking feeling of attraction, they’d be wise to call me out on it. Nothing had changed to make me any more available to a woman, and I doubted that would be something I couldcapitalize on with her or anyone else I happened to encounter as I shifted into leadership.
8
ELENA
The only sleep I got was in the form of my body caving to sheer exhaustion.
The Volkov men hadn’t acted like killers.
Yet.
