“Hudson mentioned he and Luna went to Jules’s office with Jax Novak this week.”
“She told me the same. I wonder how she’s doing with this blast from her past. Just knowing he was in town seemed to stress her out. Looks like he’s edging his way back into her life.” Eva points to the screen.
No doubt that guy wants her attention. She reads like a blank rock, though, giving nothing away.
“Poor guy. Looks like if he wants back in, he has some work to?—"
“Jesus Christ,” Hudson’s voice breaks through the comms. “Junior fucking Volkov ishere.”
Eva gasps.
“Are you sure?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady. No one has seen him in ten years, he could be mistaken.
“He’s wearing glasses like some Clark Kent motherfucker, but yes, I’d recognize him anywhere. Shaved head, but he hasn’t changed much. It’s him.”
Eva and I look at each other.
My blood pressure rises. I haven’t had access to this asshole since the night his dad died. No one in our network has laid eyes on him. And tonight, he strolls into a high-profile event at the White House?What the actual fuck?
“He’s here with Lily Blackwell,” Jules says. Lily is a seriously stupid-as-fuck congress woman who hitched her wagon to Magnus Troy. She’ll propagate all his racist and classist policies if it keeps her in her seat.
That means it really is him. Jules would recognize him, too. So, would?—
“Pippa. Is he going to recognize Pippa?” I ask, concern etched in my voice.
“What’s his position?” Pippa asks. “I’ll keep my back to him.”
“Southeast corner,” Luna says on a whisper.
“Luna, you okay?” Eva asks.
No answer.
“She’s fine,” Jules replies quickly. “Hudson, I need you to stay between Luna and Junior, so he doesn’t see her.”
“Hudson, did he clock you?” I ask.
He confirms he wasn’t spotted and that he’s making his way to Luna.
I locate Luna on the cameras and Eva zooms in. Luna looks shaken. Eva has her eyes locked on the screen.
“I’m sure she’ll be okay,” I reassure her.
Eva asks me off channel if I can spot Junior, but so far, I can’t.
“What do we think he’s doing here?” I ask to the group.
Hudson is the first to answer. “It’s no secret Troy is a puppet for the Russians, but for him to show up here? That’s…ballsy. I don’t know, man.”
“Luna, is Junior in the case file for Jax? Will he be recognized?” Eva asks.
No answer from Luna. On the camera, we see Hudson talking to her. They are in a back corner where staff comes in and out with drinks and hors d'oeuvres. I still can’t identify Junior on the screens, but if he’s in the southeast corner, he wouldn’t be able to see Luna or Pippa from his angle.
Jules and Jax are in the northeast corner. My eyes scan every screen searching for signs of danger.
Hudson says, “Luna said yes. It’s known that Sophie and the Volkovs were connected to Jared, but while Jax may know that, no one has seen Junior in a decade. We may be the only people who would recognize him.”
Fuck. I don’t like this. I don’t feel good about it.Why is he here?
