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Even after being attacked, she still believed that he was safer homeless than he would be staying with her. She’d give him the best chance at survival that she could.
The Popov family would not take another life. Not on her watch.
* * *
Twenty minutes later, after what had to be the quickest shower Maya had ever heard of a man taking, followed by an uncomfortable cab ride spent in silence, she arrived with Nikolai at New Beginnings. The lights in the lobby were still on, but the rest of the building was dark, allowing the people seeking shelter within to get some sleep. Maya knew she was pushing the envelope by arriving after hours with another body to house, but she couldn’t keep Nikolai with her, and she didn’t know where else he could go. He’d have the best shot taking shelter here, where he’d have a roof over his head and breakfast waiting for him in the morning. Maybe by then, his head would have cleared and he’d be better able to take care of himself.
“Hey,” Loren said when Maya stepped through the doors. She had her black hair pinned back from her face, showing off her high cheekbones. The copper-brown lipstick she wore suited her dark complexion. “Welcome back. It looks like you’ve been having an exciting night.” Loren glanced at Nikolai, raised an eyebrow, then looked back to Maya. “It’s actually a good thing you came back. A call came through on your office phone not long after we hung up. You don’t usually get calls at this time of night, do you? Do you think it might have something to do with the contract on the new shelter?”
A thrill of excitement raced down Maya’s spine and she glanced toward her tiny office door off the lobby. It was far from private—there was a window through which she could see into the lobby, and by which those in the lobby could watch her—but it was a step up from not having an office at all. She’d only received it recently, when she’d taken on the negotiations for the new building. “Thanks.”
“What do you want me to do?” Nikolai asked. He stood a few paces behind her.
“I need you to check in with Loren,” Maya said. She gestured at the front desk where Loren stood, waiting. “Once you’re checked in for the night, she’ll show you to a bed. Come morning, you can have breakfast, then figure out what to do next. If you need to stay an extra night or two, that could be an option for you while your head heals. Depending on how long you’re here, there’s a doctor who stops by, maybe he can have a look at your—” Maya gave a small wave to the bump on his head.
Nikolai’s face betrayed no emotion, and Maya had to wonder what was going on behind those piercing eyes. Although he didn’t let any sign of fear or apprehension fall from his lips, she noticed that he hesitated before going over to talk to Loren. Was he afraid of what she’d say? His overly short hair and tight beard, which screamed private security or mobster to her, didn’t hide the swollen lump or bruising from his beating earlier that night. She probably should have told him to pull the hood up before they came inside, but it was too late now.
Maya tore her eyes away from them both. It wasn’t her concern anymore. She’d done what she could to help Nikolai. He’d have to see himself through the rest of his ordeal.
Intending to say goodbye a little later, Maya let herself into her office to check for any messages left on her voicemail. She sank down into her office chair and hit the button, listening intently as the pre-recorded voice listed off a local number as the source of the call. Then, the message connected.
“Privet doch.” Maya’s lips parted on a gasp, and she covered her mouth as her stomach tied itself into a knot. The space between her shoulder blades ached from the sudden tension running through her body. “It’s come to my attention that you’ve made a new friend. Charming. You’ve been living on your own the last few years, and while I appreciate that you wish to have a life of your own, you’d do best to remember that you will always bemydaughter.”
Maya crossed her arms over her stomach, her shoulders pinched to her neck. Bile rose hot in her throat.
Why here? Why now? How closely has he been watching me?
The man on the recording was Anatoly Popov—her father.
“Nothing escapes my notice,doch. Nothing. Remember that. I allowed you to leave Boston but no matter where you ran, I always knew where you were. Family is everything…and I’m afraid that, now that your little friend is in your life, you may have forgotten who you are, and where your true loyalties lie.”
Maya couldn’t listen to the rest of the message. She hitdeleteand cupped her hands over her mouth in horror and hopelessness.
Her father had called her from a local number.
He was in London.
And if Maya knew anything about how he operated, that meant that he was coming for her.
CHAPTER4
Kostya
Loren handed Kostya a pen and slid a clipboard across the counter. On the page stuck beneath the metal clasp was a sign-in form. Most of the slots had already been filled in.
“I’m going to need you to put down your name so we can check you in for the night.” While she spoke, she busied herself with another form on her desk. Kostya didn’t bother to pay attention to what it was—out of the corner of his eye, he’d noticed something else. Maya, who’d slipped into a small room next to the lobby, had her hands cupped to her mouth. The color had drained from her face, and she’d gone rigid from what looked like terror. The startled expression in her eyes spoke for her. “Once you’re signed in, I’ll take you to your bed, and you can stay until morning. We have oatmeal, toast, and cereal available for breakfast, and—”
“What’s going on in there?” Kostya demanded. He jerked his thumb at the window looking into the small room Maya was in.
Loren didn’t look, she just chuckled. “Oh, that? That’s Maya’s office. It’s more of a storage closet, to be honest…we don’t exactly have the luxury of space here, if you couldn’t tell. She’s been working hard to land a deal with the council so we can set up a new location, so she’s mostly glued to her desk these days. That was the closest we could give her to a bit of privacy.”
Kostya scowled. He cared little about what the room was used for—what he wanted to know was why Maya looked like she was on the verge of tears. He’d been brought up to respect the old adage—an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. While his father, Boris, the previous pakhan, preferred to apply that saying to justify physical force, Kostya respected it in other ways, as well. Maya had helped him when he needed it the most, and so he would help her. It was what was just.
He shook his head and pushed the clipboard away. “Forget it for now.”
“Um, what?” Loren blinked. “But—”
“There’s something I need to do first.”
