Page 91 of Fractured Ties

Vik was quick to pass her brother a look at the endearment he used so casually that was anything but casual. He didn’t miss the way his sister’s eyes said, Ah, I get it now.

He willed her to shut up and stay quiet.

She did.

Mostly.

“Kon called; said you wouldn’t pick up your phone,” Vik said.

“I need quiet every once in a while.”

Vik shrugged. “Whatever—he’s at the Compound with Dad. You need to get over there. Her too, apparently.”

Great.

What now?

• • •

Kolya might have found Maya’s wide-eyed expression amusing, if it were any other time that he had brought her into the Compound. She looked to be experiencing a mixture of amazement and confusion, all at the same time.

“How big is this place?” Maya asked.

“As in square feet?”

Maya nodded.

Kolya shrugged. “Hard to say.”

“Huh.”

Sumerki trailed behind them at a good pace. Kolya had stopped checking on the dog after they had moved through the main entrance section of the Compound—how was Sumerki going to just do what he needed to do if he constantly needed someone to remind him to do it? That didn’t seem like a good way to train an animal to Kolya.

He needed Sumerki to just do because he knew.

Simple.

“And you use this place for—”

“Many things,” Kolya interjected. “A lot of which are unsavory, and none of which you should ask about.”

Maya was quick to nod at that. “Got it.”

“Vadim is also here.”

His girl frowned, but was quick to hide it by looking away. “So, stay quiet?”

“Please,” he murmured.

“Okay.”

She said that as though it were okay, but Kolya was not blind or dumb. He could clearly see her discomfort the longer they were inside the walls of the Compound. The place could be intimidating but he didn’t think it was the Compound that had her nerves acting up—more like his father. He didn’t know what to tell her, frankly.

Vadim had that same shitty effect on everyone.

Kolya directed Maya beyond the printing room rather quickly, although he didn’t miss how her eyes widened even as they strolled past the wall of money. To her benefit, she kept quiet and asked no questions, even as they entered the elevator that would take them to the upstairs where Konstantin and Kolya’s offices were located.

Today, they were going to Konstantin’s.