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“That’s not going to happen. Allowing access wasn’t authorized by Kostya.”
I shook my head. “For God’s sake, Diego. If Volkov is his father, don’t you find it curious that the man wants to kill his own son? Why? Why not embrace him and build an even more powerful empire?”
He remained quiet so I continued, in my mind pieces starting to fall together, although they added to the level of danger. “There must be a significant reason, maybe in order for Volkov to gain control over other syndicates. All I’m asking is that we take a look at the drive. What if Kostya is walking into a trap?”
His continued hesitation pissed me off.
“Unless you don’t care about him.” I knew tossing barbs wasn’t in my best interest, but my father had been a fastidious man. Whatever he’d found, he’d been prepared to die in order to protect it.
“You will only take a quick look. You will not be allowed to do anything else,” he cautioned, the uncertainty remaining in his voice.
He turned abruptly, leading me into a room I hadn’t been given access to before, turning on a light over a desk. I stood quietly, studying the surroundings. The house itself was a marvel in architecture, the wide-open spaces and light woods a direct contrast to Kostya’s darkness. However, the office was a replication of the one in New Zealand with dark wood, several bookshelves, and gothic art.
Diego retrieved the flash drive, immediately going to the computer system located on the desk. After sitting down, he spent a full two minutes turning it on, surfing through several screens of security, finally inserting the flash drive. There appeared to be a simple password request. Any hacker could break the code easily, but we didn’t have the time.
“Any idea what your father would use?”
My father had wanted me to be able to open the file. I stared at the screen, trying to remember what my father used to tell me.“Never use straight numbers alone, but the ones you select must be something you can remember. Then always use three symbols. Make them ones you would use all the time.”
“Try this.” I provided my birth date then three exclamation points, something my father used to tease me about constantly using when writing an essay.
When the screen flashed to a group of files, he chortled. “Excellent, Dr. Shephard. You saved us significant time.”
After navigating to the files, he lifted his head.
“If you’re right, Kostya will need to be warned,” he stated gruffly. He rose to his feet, allowing me full access.
“Yes.” I was shaking for some crazy reason as I sat down, studying the files. It was obvious given the size and number of them that he’d gathered a significant amount of information. I frowned as I glanced at the names given to the various records. They were in code, but not a traditional number system. My father has transferred letters within the names. Brilliant. The system was exactly what he’d taught me years before. After determining his sequence, it was easy to understand the content. There were lists of names within several syndicates, connections made to politicians and corporate moguls, members of law enforcement. Hundreds of people were involved spread throughout the world. Some on the take, others noted to be watchful of.
As I clicked through them, a cold chill coursed down my spine.
He even had DNA on dozens of the people listed.
“Your father was thorough,” Diego hissed. “Very much so.”
“Yes. Can you imagine what would happen if this got out? My God.” The ramifications were incredible. It would disrupt societies all across the world, destroying trust as well as the balance of power. I’d learned early on that my father had connections with members of the FBI and the CIA, but it would appear there were others as well. He’d spent years gathering the intel. Years.
“The consortium,” Diego pointed out, pointing toward one of the files.
I eagerly opened it, half laughing. “The list of members.”
“Including the bastard Kozlov.”
The New York Bratva. While I wasn’t certain how close Kostya was to them, it was an obvious irritation. “Look. Volkov’s name.”
He chuckled darkly. “The son of a bitch was a member.”
“A former member. Fascinating. His name was crossed out. Why?”
“Perhaps the reason the consortium desires his execution.”
I nodded, watching as Diego headed to the small bar in the corner of the room. He was obviously tense. For some reason, I wasn’t certain he was trustworthy, although I’d been given no indication of that whatsoever. I concentrated on my search, noticing a separate file. My father had another code protecting it.Okay, Daddy. What would you use?
The date of my parents’ anniversary.
I almost squealed when another set of files splashed across the screen.
Until I realized what my father had wanted only me to see.
