Page 10 of Claimed By River

Royal nods. “Because everything I found suggested she wasn’t running from the law.”

He taps the image of Damir. “She was running from him.”

Silence settles over the room again. For me, it’s heavier. Because suddenly, every instinct I’ve had about Nadia hiding something finally makes sense. She wasn’t hiding because she couldn’t trust us. She was hiding because someone had taught her that being found meant losing everything.

Royal clicks on the keyboard, replacing Damir’s photograph with a younger man wearing an expensive navy suit and an arrogant smile that immediately rubs me the wrong way. He looks polished enough to grace the cover of a business magazine, but years of working organized crime have taught me better than to trust appearances.

The cleanest suits usually hide the dirtiest hands.

Royal enlarges the image before leaning back in his chair, his expression growing even more serious. “This,” he says, “is Ivan Sorokin.”

Raiden studies the file. “What’s his connection to Damir?”

“Business.” Royal opens another document filled with financial records and family connections. “The Sorokins control several shipping routes Damir desperately wants access to. And the access was never a sale. It was a marriage settlement. No wedding, no routes.”

“Nadia,” I say.

“Exactly.”

A muscle jumps in my jaw.

Royal continues typing, pulling information from several encrypted files. “There’s been chatter over the last few weeks that Ivan is losing patience. Apparently, his grandfather established a trust fund with one condition before he died. Ivan doesn’t receive the inheritance unless he’s married by a specific deadline.”

“Which is when?” Raiden asks.

“Five weeks.”

“So, he needs a wife,” Roman mutters.

“He’s needed a wife for two years,” Royal corrects. “That’s the part I want you to sit with.” He pulls up another file. “Damir promised him Nadia two years ago, right before her eighteenth birthday. When she ran, Ivan could have picked any woman in their world and had it done inside a month. Plenty of families would have lined up for it.”

Roman frowns. “So, why didn’t he?”

“Because he doesn’t want a wife.” Royal turns in his chair to face us. “He wants her.”

Silence settles around us in a way I don’t like.

“Explain that,” I demand.

Royal scrolls. “The Aronov name means something on their world. Marrying Damir’s only daughter doesn’t just get Ivan a wife, but it also gets him a seat. He’d be the man who married into the family, not the man who bought in. And then she embarrassed him in front of everyone by vanishing just months before the wedding. For two years, he’s been telling anyone who’ll listen that she’ll be returned to him.”

He looks at me. “Damir’s been feeding it. Every few months, a promise. A sighting. Just enough to keep the routes on the table. It’s the only leverage he’s had left.”

“And now, Damir’s out of promises,” Raiden concludes.

“Now, Damir’s out of time,” Royal clarifies. “So is Ivan.”

I run it through. “Then how does any of this help Nadia?” If he wants her specifically, she’s not any safer.”

Royal almost smiles. “Because the trust doesn’t care what Ivan wants. Five weeks, married, or his grandfather’s money goes to a cousin in Saint Petersburg. If Nadia is legally married before that clock runs out, Damir cannot deliver her. Not in five weeks. Not with an annulment on the books.” He spreads his hands. “Ivan gets to choose. The woman he’s been humiliated over, or every dollar he’s ever been promised.”

Roman lets out a low breath. “He takes the money.”

“Every time,” Royal says. “Men like that always do. Wanting her is a luxury. He’s out of road.”

The room falls silent again. Roman is the first to speak. “So, that’s good news, isn’t it?”

Royal shrugs. “Only partly. Ivan may move on, but Damir won’t. Nadia running away humiliated him. She’s not just a runaway daughter anymore. She’s a challenge to his authority.”