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“I thought we were going to your plane.”
“We are but not with this information. Do you want them to take this from you? Are you stupid enough to bring them the very thing that they want to kill you for?”
“I'm not stupid at all. I doubt that you have a safe place that they can’t take it from you.”
Without waiting for her to continue, I cranked the engine and sped off. We needed to leave and get the disc unencrypted. Lucky for us, I knew a genius who could do exactly that. At this hour, I could still catch Mikhail Vinogradov at his company. Traffic wasn’t as heavy as I expected but we arrived thirty minutes late. I parked inside the garage entrance.
After I shut off the engine, I could feel her tension as she slid off the bike. She wasn’t happy that we were at the company. I could tell that she wasn’t aware of who owned it. I took out my phone and texted Mikhail and Viktor. I doubted that Viktor was there. However, I wanted him to know that I was going to ask his younger brother for help.
Viktor, we are here at Mikhail’s office. I need his special talent for something. Sorry to just show up. I need this done before I leave.
Cian, you never do anything the effortless way. I’m tied up now. I’ll have Mikhail fill me in later. Your minor problem has been taken care of. I’ll speak with you soon.
I stepped to the private elevator and pressed the hidden spot on the wall. The scanner emerged and I placed my handprint on it. Within minutes, the doors opened and I led her inside.
Once the doors closed, she turned to me. “Who owns this business?”
“My friend Mikhail owns this company.”
The elevator went to the top floor. I could tell she wasn’t aware who he was. ‘I’d hoped she wouldn’t figure it out until we left. It was impossible because she would know on sight that he was Russian. His family was her sworn enemy. Anya was less willing to get out of the elevator when the doors opened, but I scooted her out just the same.
We reached the end of the hall and Mikhail was standing outside of his door.
She stopped in mid stride. “You can’t mean to give that to him. He’s a Vinogradov. I don’t trust him, and neither should you. He’s our sworn enemy.”
I sighed. “He’s, my friend. I trust him with my life and yours as well.”
She glared at me. Her mouth opened, but I bent and scooped her into my arms. We didn’t have time for her to protest, but it didn’t matter. If I knew Viktor well, and I did, he had plans for Mila, which meant Anya would learn to deal with the Vinogradov Bratva sooner rather than later.
He looked at Anya before nodding at me. “I assume this visit has something to do with her. Come on in.”
10
ANYA
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK
Cian was weird. Why would he bring me here? There had to be someone else who could unencrypt these files. I stopped grinding my teeth and followed him into the office. As the door shut behind me, I felt the walls closing in. I closed my eyes briefly to gather my strength. I wasn’t a woman that feared things, however, even my father was afraid of Viktor Vinogradov and he never feared anyone. It was normal for me to fear my family’s enemy. Viktor was like the boogie man. No one knew how many people he’d killed, and he was smart.
How did Cian know the Vinogradovs?
I trusted Cian but that didn't mean I trusted his friends. I had gone to considerable lengths to get that hard drive. In the end, I was forced to hand it over. The worse part of it was that I wasn’t sure what gold mine I had given Cian. The information on that drive could’ve helped Mila and I to have a safer life under a powerful alliance. Water pooled in my eyes, and my nails dug into my palms. It was unthinkable that I cried in Cian’s arms, but I wasn’t going to weep in front of Mikhail too. The events that led me to this moment had changed me. My innocence, choice and freedom hadn’t been the only things that were destroyed that night. It was true that some things were worse than death. I loathed the world because I knew exactly what those things were now.
A fleeting glance at Cian showed he had watched me intently. He took a step toward me. I shook my head. Somehow, he knew that I was on the verge of crumbling. If he held me now, I would fall apart I his arms again. I had promised Vadim that I would live and have. Mila still needed me. She had no clue that father had given her to Boris. She didn’t know that there would be no fairytales or happy conclusions for us princesses. We were only meant to smile, carry a gun, and obey our husbands like a train Chihuahua.
A sharp elbow jabbed me in the side.
I cleared my throat. “What?”
Judging by their stares they had been talking to me. I turned my attention to Mikhail who was lounging behind his ornate desk.
“How did you get this hard drive?”
Did he think I’m going to tell him my secret? I wasn’t going to tell him anything that he didn’t know already.
I shrugged. “I stumbled on it. We’re pressed for time. If you can’t unencrypt it, no harm no foul. You can give it back to me.”
Taking a couple of steps to his desk, I held out my hand.
