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“I need you for the second half of my plan,” she continues. “You work for Mikhail, don’t you? At his company. You’re good with computers, yes?”
“Good? I’m phenomenal.”
“While Mikhail is busy earning Konstantin’s trust, therefore lowering his guard, I need you to access his accounts.”
I furrow my brows before remembering to plaster a neutral expression on my face. There’s no telling who’s watching, who might come to suspect this is more than a leisurely stroll. “His accounts?”
“Konstantin’s money… TheBratva’smoney. It’s held up in several accounts spread out all across Europe. It’s how he’s managed to maintain control and power in Russia for so long. Money talks, as the old saying goes. But if we cut him off at the source…”
“We could cripple him from the inside,” I realize aloud.
“He has a lot of people on his payroll,” Catherina says. “The police, government officials, informants working for other Bratva clans. If that money dries up, what do you think will happen?”
“They’ll come after him. He’ll be without allies.”
She nods. “Dead in the water. Do you think that’s something you can do?”
“I’d need a laptop. And time. Lots of it. But I doubt Konstantin will approve giving me a laptop.”
“I can say I’m taking you to see the doctor,” she suggests. “We’ll take a drive downtown. I’ll find you someplace safe to work for a few hours every week.”
“That… could work. But what if Konstantin gets suspicious?”
“Leave that to me. I’ve got a silver tongue and I know how to direct conversations where I need them to go.”
Hope rises in my chest, but is it too good to be true?
“This was your plan all along?” I murmur. “To use your son as a distraction while I do the dirty work?”
Catherina shrugs a shoulder, unapologetic. “It was supposed to be Luka, but then Mikhail brought you straight to me. Talk about fortuitous, hm?”
“You and I must go by very different definitions.” I yank my arm away from hers and gesture toward the mansion. “Why not just tell Mikhail all this from the start? You have us running around like chickens with our heads cut off while you get to bask in your brand-new castle.”
“It’s as you said, Aurora,” she answers without missing a beat. “Mikhail is a good man. He would never have come back and let himself be taken in under Konstantin’s wing without a little… encouragement.”
“Someone’s going to get hurt,” I warn. “If anything happens to Mikhail, I’ll never forgive you.”
Catherina sneers at me. “You should really be worrying about yourself, dear girl. Besides, the only person who’s going to get hurt is the bastard who killed my husband.”
I swallow hard, unable to dislodge the lump stuck in the back of my throat. “That’s what this is all about, isn’t it? This whole thing. So you can get revenge for Lev.”
For the briefest moment, I see a side to Catherina I’ve never seen before. Her mask falls away, revealing what she really is—a scared, lonely woman clinging to her vengeance because it’s all she has left.
“Lev was the love of my life,” she whispers, voice so small and tight it actually tugs at my heartstrings. “My best friend. My confidant. Never in a million years did I imagine Konstantin would order a hit on his own brother.” Catherina looks me dead in the eye. “Maybe you can sympathize. I pray you never have to understand what it’s like to lose the man you love. I’ve spent the last thirty years plotting Konstantin’s downfall. And I need your help. Can I count on you?”
I let her words linger inside my skull, allowing every syllable to soak into the deepest crevices of my brain. I don’t really have a choice in the matter, but at least now I understand her motivations. The sooner I help Catherina achieve what she wants, the sooner Charlotte, Mikhail, and the baby and I can all go home.
I nod, just once. “I’ll help you.”
Catherina doesn’t smile, but I can see a glint of hope in her eyes. Maybe there’s a human under that icy exterior, after all. “Excellent. I’ll book an appointment for you tomorrow afternoon and we can get started.”
I force an uneasy smile. “I can’t wait.”
Chapter 29
Mikhail
Nicolai Stokayevski is one difficult son of a bitch to find.
