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CHAPTER25
RUSLAN
Taking out my phone, I find my camera and begin to film the grainy screen, although it’s clear enough that I can make out the players that I need to make out. Standing behind the paid-off security guard, I watch as he finds the footage from a couple days ago.
The angles are a little off. I’m not sure we’ll even see anything from where the camera’s vantage point is. Then I see Vadim, Zinaida, and Isabel walking out of the mall. Zinaida and Isabel are together, their heads tipped down as they talk and walk through the parking lot.
It happens.
I see the other woman appear. She’s agitated. I can’t hear her, but even just her jerky body movements show it clearly.
She is pissed off. She has something in her hand, and she lunges, and my wife throws herself between Zinaida and her before Vadim takes care of the entire situation. The bitch falls to the ground.
“I need all of that wiped.”
The guard doesn’t do anything right away, instead he looks behind his shoulder toward me, his eyes finding my own. “It was self-defense,” he announces.
“I know. I don’t want it wiped because I’m worried about the police. It’s bigger than that, more dangerous than them.”
His eyes widen and he shifts in his seat slightly. It doesn’t surprise me. Any time that someone who is not on this side of the law, who isn’t in this part of the world, comes into contact with someone like me and they figure it out. Or at least think that they could have me figured out, they get that deer in headlights look on their face, just like this security guard.
“Delete it,” I demand softly.
His body jerks, then he turns back around to face the computer screen and I watch as he deletes the footage that I’ve paid him to delete. I thank him, then turn to leave. He calls out my name just as I reach for the doorknob.
Turning my head, I look back at him from over my shoulder and wait for him to speak. “Should I be worried about my safety if someone comes around and asks to see this same footage and they discover that it’s no longer available?” he asks.
This is something he probably should have asked me before he took my money and deleted the recording. It’s too late now. So, instead of telling him the truth, that I don’t know, that he should probably be concerned, I lie.
“You’re good,” I state.
He gives me a smile and I shake my head once, because this poor fucking bastard. Then I turn around and leave him to his camera’s security footage. I go in search of Osip. I have to tell him what I saw, tell him that everything that the girls said, that Vadim said was on the up-and-up.
Though I’m not sure he really doubted any of them, it’s still nice to know. Sending a text to Osip, I ask him where he is. It doesn’t surprise me when he says that he’s having lunch. The fuck is always eating, and he doesn’t look like it, at all. I think that’s what has me pissed off the most.
It doesn’t take me long to get to the restaurant. Osip is sitting in his favorite seat in the back. He jerks his head up as I approach and lifts his hand to the chair across from him. Opening up the picture app on my phone, I press play on the thumbnail of the video that I took of the altercation and slide it across to him wordlessly.
Ruslan lifts a brow as he watches the entire video, then clears his throat and sets my phone down in front of me. He doesn’t speak right away, his eyes focused on mine as he watches me in silence.
Then he clears his throat before he speaks. “We keep this just in case he tries to come for us as a worst-case scenario.”
“Best-case scenario?” I ask.
His lips curve up into a grin. “He never finds out. There are no city cameras on that parking lot. Those were the only ones. The security guard?”
“Scared, but I watched him delete the footage.”
“Know your name?” he asks.
“Absolutely not.”
Osip nods his head. “Good. We’ll keep an eye on him for a while. Now, eat something. Relax.”
“No relaxing for the wicked. I have to meet with some girls today at the club. I also have to take Zinaida some paperwork. I should have brought it here.”
“She’s at your place later this afternoon, just meet with her there and drop it off.”
“Will do.”
