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I suck in a breath and start with the easiest part. “Ludvik informed me that our allies have begun looking into your newly betrothed. They’ve found out about her mother’s ties to Julio Ramirez, and you know how sensitive that is.”
“Yes, especially since he’s trying to make a claim on the Ramirez cartel. What a fucking shit show this is turning out to be,” Ruslan grumbles. In a way, I think he was hoping no one would go digging into Amelia or the people closest to her… but he knew better. When you’re involved in the criminal world, you’re always going to have people digging into your past, as well as those closest to you.
The ironic part here is that Amelia doesn’t have one good feeling toward her mother because of what she’s done. I don’t even think she would shed a tear for her if she died. I mean, she’d likely be sad… but I’m sure she’d be sad to lose the woman she loved years ago, not the woman who helped her ex-boyfriend steal her identity and completely uproot her life. “You know, I won’t be surprised in the least bit if Julio has the balls to reach out to our family. He’ll likely say we should meet because we’re family now since I’m married to his girlfriend’s daughter.”
“It would be a door opener for negotiations with our family, that’s for sure.”
“Yeah, but that door needs to stay shut. I don’t want to get involved with them. We’re in support of Alejandro and always have been. Nothing will change that.”
I’m in complete support of what my brother is saying. “You know Lucy being released from prison early is only going to complicate things further.”
“I know it will, and it’ll likely create something we’re going to have to deal with.”
“Have you told Amelia about her mother getting released early?” I’m not sure if Ruslan has, but if he hasn’t, he’s going to need to let the cat out of the bag sooner rather than later.
“Yes, I did.”
“How’s she handling it?” I pick up my sandwich and take another bite as I wait for my brother’s response.
“Honestly? She’s not affected by it too much, especially since she’s not in America anymore. If she were living in Atlanta, I’m sure she’d have some anxiety about it all, but she doesn’t seem like it’s bothering her in the least bit.”
“Well, that’s a blessing in disguise, I suppose.”
“It is. The last thing I want is for Amelia to be upset by any of what’s going on. Her mother’s caused enough distress for her, and she doesn’t need anymore.”
“I know, but we’re foolish if we think Lucy’s romantic involvement with Julio isn’t going to cause some issues for us. She has an ally, and it’s a powerful one at that.” I remind him, and I know my brother already has this information in the back of his mind.
“We’ll face it together when the time comes, just like we always have.” For most of our lives, my siblings and I have always stuck together. Even when things should have ripped us apart, they didn’t. Instead, we became stronger than ever.
“Understood,” I comment, and a pinging sound comes from my phone. I pull it away from my face and see a text from Ludvik, saying he and Emily will be here within the next twenty minutes.
“Is there anything else you need to tell me?” Ruslan questions.
“Nothing definitive. We’re still trying to locate Emily’s child. I don’t know if that will happen just yet, but I’m willing to go down every avenue to find her daughter,” I tell my brother, and he doesn’t speak at first.
“It’s good of you to support her to the end, even through difficult things such as this. If you need my assistance, please let me know, but it sounds like you have a good handle on this all.”
Ruslan and I say our goodbyes, and after we hang up the phone, I finish my sandwich in silence. I head back into the office to check on my emails, and surprisingly there’s nothing too important going on. By the time I’m done with that, Ludvik and Emily are coming through the door.
Emily’s smiling from ear to ear, and I know I’m about to shatter her fucking happiness in a few minutes. “We got so much packed, babe! It’s awesome, and it’s so much more off my plate now. I can’t wait to just be out of here and get settled in Grozny. I’ve been looking up how to get certified in real estate over there, and Amelia’s even setting me up with the woman who’s teaching her Chechen, so I can have a one-up on selling, especially if someone thinks I don’t know it.”
“That’s amazing. I do need to speak to you about something serious.” I motion with my hand for Emily to follow me to the couch, and she does.
“Lom, what’s going on? You’re freaking me out a little bit.” At Emily’s admission, my heart sinks into the pit of my stomach.
We both take a seat, and I grab onto her hand, knowing what I’m about to say will rock her world exponentially. “It’s about your daughter,” I start off, not knowing how to explain this in a delicate manner.
“Okay, what about her? Did you find her adoptive family or something?”
I shake my head, “No, I haven’t. I was recently made aware that your aunt has been in a relationship with a man who runs a small cartel in Mexico. It’s not the people who lead Mexico, but this man is related to them and is trying to make a play to get control there. The information we found out is that he’s involved in human trafficking, specifically trafficking children. Your aunt supplied him with children, more specifically, babies. She was pretending to be a woman who would help desperate teenage mothers find good, loving homes for their children. She made it seem like they’d be better off with the people she was giving them to, but she never gave them to adoptive parents. Instead, she gave them to a child trafficking ring, one that her boyfriend owned, so she could make money.”
Emily rises up from the couch and runs to the bathroom. She slams the door shut, but even with it closed, I can hear her vomiting into the toilet. I never expected a reaction like this from her, but I can only imagine what’s going through her mind.
What I’ve told her is a shocking revelation, but at least she doesn’t have to go through it alone.
Chapter Seventeen
Emily
