Page 43 of The Lies Between Lovers

“Igor,” Vas said, his fingers still drifting through the coat of the mutt sprawled over his legs, “Marrow’s around. Something’s wrong. I want to be at home.”

The dog never lied.

13.

Vera didn’t expect to find the two men waiting at the exit of the Sheremetyevo International Airport’s arrivals. Had Igor not noticed her approach first from the corner of his eye, drawing in the attention of the other equally tall, barrel-like chested man standing across from him at the same time, she might have been able to overhear their conversation.

Before they picked up on her, it had looked heated for men that she suspected both wore the eight-pointed stars of the mafyia in such a public place. They stuck out like sore thumbs amongst the evening arrival of travelers making their way out to the marshrutkas and cabs just beyond the tall glass doors. Whatever the two had been saying before she came into view behind the throng of people she’d been following left them with a berth of space, making her believe the conversation hadn’t been entirely polite.

“Alexi,” Vera greeted first.

Hoping it relaxed Igor a little bit from his stiffened stance with arms folded over his broad chest. Only a foot away apart, the two were about the same height, but somehow ... Igor managed to make it seem like he could look down on the other man.

Maybe if he understood that Vera knew Alexi well enough to call him by his first name, then he wasn’t a threat. As that was the only reasoning she could put behind the glares passing between the two men.

Not that it worked.

Alexi barely glanced her way. “Your father thought you might like a familiar face to drive you back to Noble Row. Or someone to talk to, yes?”

Igor shifted from foot to foot, swinging his stance around to face Vera as he muttered under his breath, “You made a stupid choice for a smart man, Alexi.”

Nodding Vera’s way, Alexi told her, “I didn’t realize—or maybe your father didn’t—that you already had someone coming to pick you up.”

At that comment, Vera’s gaze darted to Igor. “Neither did I.”

Actually, she hadn’t known Alexi would be there, either. Although, after the phone call she made to her father to explain a situation she thought was growing and dangerous, she couldn’t fault Demyan for wanting to be safe and sending Alexi.

The man Vera knew her father paid to keep tabs on her muttered, “Those are the kinds of things you should give a guy a heads up about, no?”

Igor scoffed, eyes rolling back in his head. “Why, so then people can’t find out your little side business of watching her?”

“It’s separate from my business with the brotherhood. I came from there—mudak.”

“Ti durak—you’re an idiot,” Igor spat back. “It’s called loyalty!”

Vera, who had not yet caught up to what was actually the problem with the two, but let go of her rolling luggage and carry-on bag to put her hands up. “Okay, enough of the asshole and idiot stuff. How did you even know what time I was flying in, or that I was even flying in at all?”

“I told you, your—”

“Not you,” Vera said, cutting Alexi off fast.

She didn’t look away from Igor. He at least had the decency to look sheepish at her sharpening tone.

“I told you once, I do what I am told,” Igor said.

“And that means what exactly?”

Grunting a bit before clearing his throat, Igor shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks and replied, “I have a bead on you. It keeps me updated on different things.”

“Like?”

“Locations. Online activity. Basics to—”

“Keep track of me,” Vera interjected, arching a brow.

“Take it back to the man in charge, Vera,” Igor deadpanned.

Oh, she would.