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“You know her, actually. Her name is Katerina. Volkova.” I said and Theo went silent.
“Theo, are you there?” I said and he cleared his throat.
“Ah, Riley. Don’t take this the wrong way but you need to run man. That woman is bad news. Trouble of the most complicated kind.” He said and my anger snapped.
“Why? Because she is the head of the Russian Bratva?” I spat and he sucked in a breath.
“You know?” He whispered and I laughed.
“Yeah. I know. She told me. Kind of hypocritical of you to tell me to run when you are shacked up with the head of the Mexican cartel and the Chief of Police in the same house though right?” I snarled and he sighed.
“You’re right. Sorry. I was out of line but the warning stands. This world isn’t easy. The Warriors stuff is one thing, but Bratva… they are. Well. They’re mafia. ” He said and I laughed.
“I know. That’s why we are laying low. Can you help?” I said.
“Of course. Consider it done. Let me know if you need anything else.” He said.
“Thanks, man. Get back to your weird ass complicated family.” I joked and he laughed before saying goodbye.
I sighed, glad that was taken care of, and turned around, seeing Hamish watching me.
“All taken care of?” He asked casually and I narrowed my eyes. I didn’t trust him completely.
“Yes. So what are you doing, Hamish? Are you coming too?” I asked and he grimaced.
“I want to, but I have something to take care of first. I’ll catch up.” He said with a shrug.
He was hiding a secret. But then, weren’t we all?
“This is the address and the location of one of our safe houses. Take this route to make sure you don’t have any tails and Mik will check all the cameras along the way to make sure no one is following.” Anatoly said as he handed Kat a key.
“Are you sure you want to run right now? You know what this will do to your reputation.” He added and I wanted to tell him to fuck off as I looked at Kat, covered in bruises and barely held together.
“I know. I don’t have much of a choice right now. I need to regroup and figure out where the mole is. I also need to find Victor. He has gone to ground, and he is the only one with the paperwork for all of Ivan’s assets that should be in my name. As it stands, I am now the head in name only.” She said with a sigh.
“Do you trust Alexsei?” Mikhail asked and I watched her chew her bottom lip.
“I don’t know. Again, I don’t have a choice right now. He said he will touch base once he figures out more. We have too many what-ifs and loose ends. My cousin won’t answer my calls and I am on my own.” She said and I saw the defeat in her eyes.
“No, you aren’t Kat. You have us.” I said softly and she smiled but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Do you want this? No one would judge you for walking away. Not those who count anyway.” Anatoly said softly and I saw the way she hesitated.
“Even if I didn’t want it, I can’t leave now. They will hunt me down regardless. You know as well as I do that my name, my position means I can never leave. If not through a position of power, then I will be used as a bartering card and married off for another alliance.” She said bitterly and I felt Leo stiffen beside me, giving me a silent look of determination.
I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who felt as determined as her to not let that happen.
“We will look into what we can. There are some supplies in the house already, but you will need to stock up on food and other essentials. Stay as long as you need. There is a burner phone at the location and a laptop that Mik set up. We can contact you through that.” Anatoly said and she nodded.
“Thank you. After everything… thank you.” She glanced at Mikhail, and I wondered what history they had. I know she said she did things to him but the anger in his eyes told me it was personal.
“Consider it our repayment for you releasing us from our commitment to the Bratva.” Gabriel chimed in from the couch.
“I’ll do a grocery run. I could use this time to test a few recipes.” I said, all eyes turning to me.
“I’ll give you a list of things I want too,” Leo said and I raised an eyebrow at him.
“I’ve seen the food you make. I don’t want to get fat.” He muttered and Kat snorted when I rolled my eyes at him.
