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Suspecting it was Kuznetsov, I hit accept.
“Edgar tells me you wish to leave Uvala Lapad?”
“We need to head to London for a few days.”
“He said it was related to the case.”
“It is. We’ve got ourselves a lead on your granddaughter’s whereabouts.”
His indrawn breath was sharp. “Already?”
“Don’t get your hopes up. We’re still deep into our investigation—”
“I’m surprised. I thought you’d be working on the Sparrows’ app first.”
“We already cracked that. We’re collating information as we speak to pass onto Interpol.”
“I’m in Lyon now.”
“Interpol headquarters?”
“Yes. A division of this breadth requires time and many wheels to be greased prior to its formation.”
“I’m sure,” was my polite response, but I was grateful he was going to be following through with his promise.
I’dhateto have to electrocute another old man to death.
Star snatched the phone from me, hit speaker, but spun away as she rasped, “Kuznetsov, what do you intend to do with your granddaughter if we find her?”
“When, not if. I have every faith in you, child.”
Her spine straightened as she repeated, “What do you intend to do with her? What if she’s living with a family who cares for her? What if someone adopted her and loves her?”
“What if she isn’t?”
“Say she is. Would you leave her alone?”
Silence hovered on the other line. “I’m an old man, Star. My time is short. I won’t steal her away from a loving family, if that’s what you’re thinking. But I want to know her. I want her to be safe. I want security protocols put in place that are necessary for the grandchild of a man whose position is what mine is. I want to ascertain her education is appropriate for my grandchild, and I want to ensure that her future is set.”
I placed a hand on her shoulder. “Those are wishes that anyone would want for their family, Star.”
Her jaw clenched, then she repeated, “You won’t steal her away?”
“No. I have no intention of causing her misery or to tear a family apart if that family is worthy of her. Not when I won’t be here for her forever. But for the time I have remaining, I’d like her to know that she was not forgotten by her blood.”
“Fine.”
When she blindly shoved the phone at me, I accepted it, only to hear Kuznetsov say, “I will have Edgar arrange for your transportation to London.”
While I knew it wasn’t an offer made out of kindness but one of necessity to keep track of our whereabouts, I merely said, “Fine.”
“You should probably know that we intend to spill blood,Grandfather,” she mocked. “If your guards believe they’re the good guys like you do, I’d send men who have dubious morals along with us.”
Kuznetsov’s sigh carried down the line, but he didn’t reply, simply cut the call.
I stared at her, wondering if she knew she antagonized him much as a teenager would with an authority figure.
Did she register that that came from an inherent feeling of safety?
