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I made very few in my life because it wasn’t necessary, my reputation allowing for an understanding with most people. If I had to ask twice, it was likely the outcome wouldn’t be pleasurable.
Yet I remained in the entrance foyer of Vladimir Kozlov’s estate in New York, a location I’d been to only twice before. My patience was all but shot, my continued anger difficult to control. I’d had an opportunity to look at the flash drive she’d managed to save from the fire. What I’d seen had been eye-opening. However, the well-developed, vast amount of intel hadn’t begun to tell the story around the Volkov-Kozlov connection in detail.
I’d given both Alexei and Sevastian fair warning of my visit. While Alexei had become angry, he’d suddenly softened his enraged actions a phone call later, finally accepting my demand for a meeting.
Perhaps Vladimir had admitted his role in the vicious game.
I checked my watch, eager to get the hell out of the States. I’d allowed Emily to give me the DNA test. She’d used her connections to try to get a quick result. At this point I wasn’t certain if I cared or not. However, it was obvious there was money and power on the table.
As the doors were opened to Vladimir’s study, I took a deep breath.
“Kostya.” The single word was the only thing Alexei said before beckoning me inside. Both he and Sevastian were obviously to remain in the meeting. Perhaps they were worried I’d put a bullet in their father’s head. The thought had crossed my mind. Vladimir stood with a drink in his hand, staring out the window of his office.
I said nothing.
The tension was high, the clock ticking.
Forget about patience. It was long gone.
“Kostya,” Vladimir said without turning around. “Some of what you heard from Dimitri is true, although a portion was news to you as it was to me.”
“Go on.” At least he was getting to the point.
He turned around, moving closer to his desk. “I grew up with Dimitri. When we were kids, his father, Pavel Volkov, wasn’t the powerhouse he came to be. His empire rose just as Dimitri was coming of age, a wild young man. Dimitri went off to school in France while I stayed and worked for his father. Then Dimitri came to me one day asking for my help. He’d become involved with a Colombian beauty and gotten her pregnant. He wanted me to handle the elimination of the woman as well as his illegitimate child.”
I had nothing to say at this point.
“While I wasn’t immune to the necessity of eliminating enemies at that point, I had no desire to kill an innocent woman and her child.”
“So you allowed me to live,” I said.
He walked closer, handing me an envelope. “This is a picture of your mother taken less than two years ago. I had every intention of smuggling you both out of the country, but at the time, it was too dangerous for a woman traveling with a child. She begged me to look after you, to make certain that Dimitri could never find you. It was all that I could do at the time, taking you to an orphanage. Even that had been risky. By then I’d started a family of my own, an automatic target. At least I thought you’d have a chance at living a normal life.”
I closed the distance, staring down into his eyes. There was no emotion running through me. Nothing. It was as if I was dead inside. While Alexei bristled, he didn’t make a move in my direction. He knew better. I took the envelope seconds later and turned away, closing my eyes before opening it. The moment I saw her face, there was no doubt we were related. I had her eyes, her high cheekbones. At least she had a smile on her face, the photograph taken at a party of some kind.
“I’d planned on determining a way to adopt you, but things were getting testy in Russia, several factions already fighting in the streets. Then I was arrested, imprisoned, and in truth, I had no idea why. Now, I know. I’d thought Pavel Volkov had somehow found out and wanted to eliminate all possibilities that anyone would find out what your father had done. Finally, I was released. Then a war broke out in Moscow. I was lucky to get out of Russia alive. With my family. There was no time to come and get you, the orphanage too far away.”
I shoved the photograph into my pocket, turning to face him once again. “At least I know the truth.”
“Which you should have been told sooner.” He didn’t flinch, never blinked, his attempt at justifying what he’d done falling short.
“How did Ovachov get my birth certificate?”
“Because I made copies of your information,” he answered without hesitation.
“Fascinating.”
“There is one more piece. I became aware when you arrived in the States. It was by circumstance and I had it confirmed but I made certain you were given a scholarship.” He offered a smile. I did not. “It was the least I could do.”
“As I said. Now, I know the truth. What about this consortium? How did he find me?” He believed sending me to college would ease the years of anger and hurt? What a fool.
“I can’t be certain, Kostya. That is the truth. Yes, I mentioned the Ghost to the consortium at the time after Dimitri was thrown out. You told Alexei you believe there is a mole within the group.”
“That’s my understanding.”
“Leave it up to me to find out who that is. It’s obvious that information was fed to Dimitri from the group’s conversations. I can only surmise that Dimitri made it his business to track down the man who was being suggested for his assassination.”
It was an acceptable answer. “Why did your relationship go south again?”
