Page 15 of The Pakhan's Secret Baby

How the hell did they get good intel?

"It's a tattoo parlor on Sadovaya that does custom gang work," he says, pulling a folded printout from his jacket and setting it on my desk. "I'm sure this guy will remember who it was. With enough persuasion..."

I unfold the paper to see a whole gallery from the artist at that studio, and every single piece is a known Gusev symbol.

Stars, eagles, chains.

This parlor is basically a branding station for Gusev's soldiers.

They're hiding in plain sight, and the fuckers are too stupid to know better.

Gusev has his idiot soldiers out doing his wet work and leaving clues behind.

The problem is if I storm the gates, they'll think Farid's wife gave them up.

I have to give her time and passage to get away safely, and then I can start this hunt.

"Get a plane ready. Farid's family needs safe passage out of Afghanistan before we move." I stand, leaning over my desk as I suck in a breath to relieve some of the pressure on my chest. "And then we need to know how Gusev got that intel."

"Got it sir," Devid says, already turning for the door.

"How did he get the route?" I ask, stopping Devid in his tracks. "The guy with the tattoo."

Devid pauses with his hand on the doorknob. "Our best indication is that some man by the name of Oleg Rostov has been digging around. We knew about this, but he seems harmless. He's just an accountant." Devid squints at me, like he doesn't see how Rostov and our killer could be connected. And how would an accountant know the first thing about planning a heist?

Gusev was in on this somehow if his men were after Farid. So how are Gusev and Rostov connected?

"I know that name," I tell him, shaking my head. It's so familiar, but I can't place it.

"Sir?" Devid stands there while my brain runs through the inner file I have, trying to jog my memory, until it lands on one I'd rather not bring up in such a negative light.

"Emory?" I breathe, turning to glower at Devid. "Rostov, does he have a daughter?" I move to my desk and sit down, pulling out the few images I have of her from surveillance I had done early on. Ms. Emory Rostov has been a weakness of mine for years now—three to be exact.

"Yes, sir. He does, and?—"

"My God..." It's all coming together. "Oleg is her father... get me his picture now. I need to see it with my own eyes. And thenfucking find him." The anger gives way to morbid curiosity. Why would Emory's father sell secrets about me to the Gusevs? And how did he get them?

When I look up, Devid is gone, leaving me to my thoughts.

I left her alone because of her age and because the mess of my life made it too challenging to attempt a relationship.

But if her father really is involved in this, and our paths are about to cross, she'll have a lot of explaining to do.

Especially if she leaked anything she knew about me to him.

5

EMORY

I can't believe Lex is almost two and a half years old. His chubby little fingers wrap around mine as Irina bounces him on one knee.

Steam from my coffee curls upward in the cold January air, but it's too nice to be inside.

With normal temps well below freezing, this morning is almost a blessing in disguise. It's forty degrees and sunny.

"Gosh, I'm so thankful you take care of him. You know I don’t trust just anyone." I sip my coffee as Lex coos and giggles at me. Irina grins and shrugs a shoulder.

"Well it's sort of my fault," she snickers. "I forced you to go flirt with that guy." Irina has been my strength to get through all of this as a single mom since the day I found out I was pregnant.