Page 73 of The Promise

“I hear it was more than a couple months, right? And what is this friend’s name?”

Well, if that was how they wanted to play ...

Roman could go straight to the point. “Are you charging me with something?”

The man chose to ignore that question.

“Did you associate with the Yazov family while you were in Chicago? Specifically, the boss of the organization, Maxim Yazov?”

“What do you mean by that—associate?” Roman returned just as fast, even rocking on his heels. “I’m not sure if you’re aware, but the way I associate myself with people may mean a different thing to me compared to you.”

“Did you meet his men, or him? Talk to any of them? Bump into each other? Conduct any business?”

Packard’s impatience showed itself, no longer interested in the game he had started, so Roman decided to use that to his advantage. If he was getting on the man’s nerves, good. Twitchy and on edge was exactly the way he wanted the agent to be. It made him more susceptible to making mistakes because the truth was simple.

The Avdonins needed information, too. They were still working blind when it came to Chicago. He would take anything he could get from these assholes, even if he had to play a few games to do it.

He shook his head, telling the agent, “Nope. Didn’t send them any greeting cards, either.”

The two agents glanced at each other briefly, and with that one look Roman knew they had nothing. No proof, and probably no leads on whatever trail they were trying to chase, either. But there was something else that didn’t sit quite right with him.

“Why are you so interested in the contacts of a dead man?” Roman asked.

“For the record, the remains from the estate have still not been positively identified,” Packard said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Another sign of frustration.

Roman decided to poke it. “You may not be sure of it, but if Leonid is running the show, he must have said something. Made an official statement through the proper channels. Speaking as a man in the life, I would.”

How else did a boss make his new position clear?

People needed to know.

“We’ll ask him when we see him,” the other agent said, finally finding his voice again.

Actually, he hadn’t even introduced himself during their conversation. Strange, that.

It was the threatening look his partner threw him that seemed to gain Roman’s father’s attention.

“So you haven’t spoken to Leonid?” Demyan asked suddenly. “Nobody from the organization?”

“Seems like he’s even harder to get a hold of than you,” Packard replied.

That made Roman smile.

Just a little.

He wasn’t sure how long the FBI would be sniffing around Avdonin business, but to him, it seemed like these fucks were going nowhere. Their frustration was palpable, and if anything, the official side of their issues might soon be gone.

Something to hope for, anyway.

However, that joy was short lived. Roman didn’t miss the fact that the agent gave him exactly what he was looking for.

Information.

Nobody knew where Leonid was.

What about Dima?