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He says nothing, but he will be surprised because I love nothing more than dealing with protestors myself. It’s a hobby of mine and we were heading that way soon, anyway. However, I enjoy a different hobby now and I’m wondering what to do about that. Lilli is going to be pissed when I catch up with her later today because instructing Katerina to restrain her, if necessary, could actually become a very real possibility.
Despite wanting otherwise, today I must work and so I lift my phone as Damien heads off to investigate Burning Roses.
He answers almost immediately.
“Mikhail.”
My older brother Titus growls down the phone and I smile into the receiver. It’s always good to talk with family. It doesn’t happen much, but we run the Romanov empire together and the phone is the best way of communicating.
“How’s mama?” I ask, hating that my mom is dealing with the aftermath of our father’s death in a far more personal way than we are.
She was part of a golden couple. The billionaire’s wife who was in demand in high society. Now he is dead she has been forgotten. Plus ones are no longer important when the man in charge is gone. Titus is now the heir to the Romanov throne, being the eldest, and he has taken my father’s place as the man everyone wants to impress. It’s just a shame he’s like me and doesn’t want a permanent plus one and from what I understand, mama and Ana, our sister, step up to accompany him when required.
“As good as she can be, given the circumstances.”
He sighs heavily. “Do you have any news for me?”
“I’m working on a few leads, but nothing firm.”
“Leads?”
He is hungry for information, much the same as me and I say carefully, “I had word that our father was a frequent visitor to Madeira Island. Hosea Madeira’s fuck parties no less.”
Titus exhales sharply with an extended, “Fuuck!”
“There is a possibility the same woman accompanied him on every visit, and I am trying to locate her.”
“I see.” He listens without interjecting and I appreciate that. My brothers are just like me and want the facts, not the conversation, and I say with no emotion.
“This woman may have information. If pa had any enemies, she may provide the identity of anyone who can help us with that.”
“He had many enemies; it comes with the territory.” Titus reminds me and I growl, “Then it’s imperative we remain one step ahead of them.”
He says quickly, “Ana is checking out his private papers. There are many contracts he signed in leather files in his safe. She is working on deciphering them.”
“Deciphering?”
“There are passwords attached, along with flash drives. She has already discovered an offshore bank account in the name of Cecil Peters.”
“What does that mean?”
I am getting a fucking headache, and he sighs heavily. “It means our father was involved in more than just the Romanov empire. Personal dealings that have no entries in the company accounts. No minutes attached to any meetings, and a world hidden away on flash drives and in password protected files.”
“Which could be the reason he was murdered.”
I think out loud, and Titus agrees. “Yes. Whatever he was dealing with was a private matter. Even his lawyers have no knowledge of anything not already declared, which makes me wonder who else knew about it. He wouldn’t operate alone. Somebody must know something, so keep in touch, Mikhail, and leave no stone left unturned. Whoever murdered our father may well be coming after the rest of us.”
He doesn’t wait for my reply and says wearily, “Watch your back, Mikhail. I’m here if you need me.”
He cuts the call, leaving me strangely homesick. I’ve never needed my brother’s company, not really, but since my father died, I have a sense of my own mortality and that of my family’s. It happened once and it can happen again and when you are the most powerful family in Russia outside of the president, it’s a very threatening place to be.
CHAPTER 20
LILLI
Ihate Mikhail and I hate Katerina. She is a vicious bitch who has the personality of a wet rag.
She may be incredibly good looking in a runway model kind of way, but she is also incredibly rude.
