“What’s your angle?” Hunter doesn’t pause when blockers are thrown up. He plows through them.
After a beat, he says, “The theory you discussed with Parker…”
“The Popov legacy?” I fill in, hurrying him along. My intuition is telling me Isabelle is awake. I don’t have time to waste.
He hums. “It appears as if you were on the money. Col had his family crest placed onto a ring, a necklace pendant, and a knife two months ago. After paying for the order with cash, he requested for them to be delivered to the Popov mansion in Las Vegas.”
“Was the package addressed to someone specific?”
“No,” Hunter replies, frustrating me further. Col only ever keeps quiet about his schemes when they’re still in the process of being hatched. “But it reached the highest level at the Popov compound…”
“Vladimir,” I grind out at the same time as Hunter.
A keyboard being hammered sounds down the line along with Hunter’s gruff tone. “He did well covering his tracks, but he forgot about the security camera in the ATM across from Sonya’s apartment. Vladimir killed his favorite mistress and tried to frame Col for it.”
“Why would he do that?”
When a ping dings my cell phone, I pull it down from my ear. My jaw tightens to the point of cracking when I recognize the face of the man at the front of a private jewelry firm in the image Hunter forwarded me. It’s Nikolai Popov, the exact man questioning the integrity of the Popov reign, and he’s found Col’s favorite location to purchase one-off pieces.
“Vladimir is trying to insight a mafia war.”
I hear Hunter’s office chair squeak before he hums out a murmur that’s neither agreeing nor disagreeing. “Depends how far the rumors of paternity stretch. If it’s acknowledged by both entities, any payback for Nikolai’s wrongful retaliation will remain in-house.”
I don’t know much about Mafia law, but I spent enough time with Henry, Sr. during my last two years of college to understand some of the rules they’re forced to follow. Such as, if Col is Nikolai’s father, and Nikolai kills him, the punishment for Col’s death will solely fall on Nikolai’s shoulders. If Nikolai isn’t Col’s son, and he kills him anyway, multiple laws will be broken, and privileges men in the underworld couldn’t live without will be evoked by Henry.
“If Vladimir is aware Nikolai isn’t his son, and he provokes Nikolai into killing Col, he not only gets rid of a competitor, he could rule from two realms.” From the reports Hunter complied, Nikolai is a couple of months older than the heir Col is grooming to take over his reign when he dies, his youngest son, Dimitri. With Roberto’s location unknown by the Petrettis, and CJ pulling out of the race years ago, Dimitri is the sole remaining heir—ifNikolai doesn’t throw his name into the hat. “Is Henry aware of the ruckus?”
Hunter waits a beat before replying. I understand the cause of his delay when another photo pops up on my phone’s screen. “No one enters Henry’s house without his knowledge.”
“Hopefully, that will keep Nikolai’s threat of retaliation at bay long enough he discovers the truth before he makes a mistake he can’t take back…” I pause as my throat grows scratchy. “Could we pass word to Nikolai without him being aware it came from us?”
“You want to play mafia games?” Hunter asks in disbelief.
“No,” I snap out. “I’d rather not associate with them at all, but if it’s the only way I can keep Isabelle and Callie safe, I will do it. You saw what those monsters did to Leiken. I refuse to let that happen to Callie. The actions we’re putting into play are most likely too late for Isabelle, but we still have a chance to save Callie.”
Realizing my somewhat overbearing protectiveness for a woman I hardly know has me speaking words I shouldn’t, I tell Hunter to keep me updated before hovering my thumb above my phone’s disconnect button.
Just before I squash it down, Hunter calls my name.
“Yes,” I reply after disconnecting the speaker function and placing my phone back to my ear.
My spine stiffens when he murmurs, “Remain on high alert this weekend. Col’s phone was last pinged in New York because we’re not just watching him—”
“He’s watching us as well,” I interrupt, mindful Col’s grudge from years ago is like my grief. Everlasting.
22
I’m halfway back to my room atMummo Kotiwhen the reason for my mid-morning sneak out returns to the forefront of my mind. It isn’t my intellect reminding me about Clara’s upcoming bid for the leadership of Attwood Electric, it’s seeing her slip out of an office board members of Attwood Electric prefer to avoid than visit.
“Clara,” I shout, freezing both her feet and her heart.
Her hands shoot up to her face before she pivots to face me. “Hi. You’re just the man I was hoping to see.” She bands her arms around my neck and hugs me like the farewell I gave Harlow earlier is standard for me before drawing back an arm’s length. “I did it. I withdrew my bid.”
I slant my head and arch a brow, shocked. “You did?”
She nods. “Yes. Just like you asked.”
“I’m not the sole reason you rescinded your tender, is it?” I don’t want her believing I owe her something. Furthermore, she should have done it for her brother long before me.
