AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“About what? About the fact you’re fucking my fiancée?”
I almost laughed at his accusations and the drivel in his voice. “She ended the relationship with you, Gregory. She is a free woman. Free of your deceits and lies.”
“You’re disgusting.”
As I walked closer, the fear in his eyes became more evident. “I’ve been called worse. I’m here to discuss the fact you’re in bed with Pavel Volkov.” At this point I was taking a stab in the dark, although the five million dollars was a clear indication that all the pieces were beginning to fall into place. What I still wasn’t entirely certain of was whether he and Stephanie had been involved in planning the scheme together.
The moment he swallowed hard, I knew I’d been right. Then I also noticed fear, a raw and disturbing terror in the man. Perhaps Kostya was right. For some reason, my thoughts returned to Stephanie, which was completely inappropriate but necessary.
Somehow, she’d managed to pull apart the soulless man I’d become, finding the small portion of humanity I didn’t know I had left.
As I eased my weapon into my hand, I sensed it was that moment when a man was prepared to beg.
A less than stellar attribute that I refused to tolerate.
It was time to begin cutting off Volkov’s tentacles one by one.
CHAPTER13
Stephanie
Goddamn it.
I continuously glanced into my rearview mirror as I drove, heading toward my house. I remained a nervous wreck, certain the prick was trailing me. No, Sergei planned on following through with his threat line by line. He’d torture me in subtle ways at first, possibly even luring me into feeling confident he’d lost his nerve. Then he’d strike.
The pictures. That’s what he’d do first in order to ruin me. Maybe he thought I’d go on the run, which would allow him to possibly get to me easier. He’d obviously tailed me from my office, which was the only way he could have found me. I checked the rearview mirror again, taking a side street then another to ensure I wasn’t being followed.
I couldn’t stop shivering, memories I’d long since suppressed once again rushing to the surface, as if the trial had been only weeks before. I’d promised myself the bastard would never steal another moment from me. So much for my freaking resolve.
As my thoughts drifted to Sarah, I reached for the small locket she’d given me, realizing I hadn’t worn it because of the great wedding. That would be the first thing I grabbed when I got home. For several reasons, I needed her close. I wasn’t certain why. Home. Would I ever feel safe there again?
Given my profession, my address had been sealed for years and I’d moved since Sergei was sent to prison. I had no landline and had taken careful steps to change my cell phone number on a regular basis. Even my personal email was only given to my closest friends. Still, I wasn’t taking any chances.
When the detective’s voicemail came on, I pulled over to the side of the road, unable to catch my breath. With my anger level as high as it was, I could easily be involved in a wreck. Finnegan Walsh had been recently promoted to detective when he’d caught the case involving Sergei, somehow managing to track him down when other members of the police force hadn’t. He also had no love of the Kozlov family, the Walshes considering the Russian Bratva enemies.
While Finnegan’s father had long been considered head of the Irish mob, his control over the various construction unions had caused his explosion of power. However, from everything I knew, Finnegan played it straight. At this point, I wasn’t certain who I could trust.
What I did know is that I couldn’t hand the detective the photograph. That would lead to dozens of questions, reprehensible accusations that would derail if not end my career, as well as take away the hard press of locating Sergei. As the detective’s voicemail message came to an end, I knew I had to face the possibility Sergei had leaked the pictures to the press. Christ. The shit was getting deeper.
“Detective Walsh. This is Stephanie Morgan, one of the attorneys prosecuting Sergei Politoff eight years ago. I just received a threatening note from him. I think it’s something you need to see.” Whether or not they needed a sketch of him I wasn’t certain of. If I was right, he’d changed significantly from the man who’d sat in the courtroom every day, his chair turned in my direction, his eyes never leaving me.
Should I drop off the note at the police station? Yes, but with every ticking second, I was questioning everyone’s honesty. Sergei had needed inside help, not just from the prison system to be able to escape. He’d also need a method of surviving the chase, money, and a place to stay. I couldn’t get over the disgusting feeling that he had friends in very high places.
Including Gregory. While that didn’t make any sense, I was usually right when I followed my instincts.
After giving the detective my number, I held the phone to my head, jumping when it rang a few seconds later.
Thank God, it was only Amelia. She’d been the other person I’d called to let her know I was coming back.
“Amelia. A friendly voice.”
“What the hell are you doing?” Her voice was shaking, and I couldn’t ascertain from anger or fear.
“What are you talking about?”
“You haven’t seen the newspapers or the news bulletins that have been flashing across every television station in New York over the last twenty minutes? Hell, it’s gone viral, already nationally syndicated. I know you wanted to make a statement in your job. I just didn’t know you’d allow it to be this way.”
The knot in my stomach grew. The bastard had already started his reign of terror. “No, I’ve been a little busy.”
