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“Her birth certificate and a police report from a car accident she was involved in three years ago?” I toss it back on my desk.
“The rest is from before, with her real name.” Maxim brings back his glass and another one for me. I take it and sit back in my chair. It’s been two days since Billie came clean about her past, and we have one more until we’re in a room with the Kozlov family to convince them we are indeed engaged.
Although by now, it’s more her that needs convincing than them.
I shuffle through the rest of the papers. Sharon Whitney was thirteen the night of the break-in and eighteen when she left witness protection with her new identity as Billie Waters. But none of this is what I want, I already know this; what I want to know is who was involved in the break-in.
“It’s on the last page. What you’re looking for.” Maxim points to the folder and I push the rest of it aside to get to it.
“Mario Ramero.” I say the bastard’s name while staring at his mugshot. The tattoos across his shaved head and his build do remind me of Aleksei. No wonder she froze up when she saw him.
“He’s dead, like she said.”
“Are they still looking for her or her father?” I ask, tossing the papers and the photos to the desk. I need to be sure she’s as safe as she thinks she is. We’ve found and dealt with enough men who were supposedly protected by the government to have much faith that they could keep her safe.
“No.” Maxim shakes his head. “Mario’s brother made a move on the leader; they took him out. Any vengeance they may have wanted for Mario’s death died with him. Her father could have left witness protection a while ago, but he was probably just too scared.”
I nod. Taking a life when it’s not in your blood, like mine and Maxim’s, can fuck with you for a long time, though his actions saved his little girl from a nightmare of being sold, over and over again, until her body and mind broke. I wish I could meet the man just long enough to thank him for keeping her safe for me.
“So, she’s safe.” I relax.
“From them, yes.” He finishes his drink and slides his glass onto my desk. “From you, I doubt it.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you’re not letting that woman go after Kozlov leaves, you just haven’t told her yet.”
“I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.”
He shakes his head. “Well, get to it faster.”
“You’re a real smartass today,” I shoot at him.
“Mandy is rubbing off on me.” He nods with a grin.
“They have a way of doing that, no?” I throw back my drink, letting the vodka slide down my throat. “You’ll be there tomorrow night, yes? Bring Mandy. I’m sure Billie would like to see her again.”
“We’ll be there. Not too late, though. Mandy’s been staying up too late studying. She’s too sick during the day to get much done.”
“I doubt we’ll stay long either. I don’t want her exposed to them for too long. This whole thing is risky to begin with.”
“So, once the old man takes his daughter back to Russia, what happens? I mean when youbreak upwith Billie, doesn’t that put you back on the market as far as your father’s concerned?”
“Why do you say break up like that?”
He arches a brow. “Like what?”
“Like you don’t think it’s going to happen.”
“You’re going to let her go?” He laughs. “We both know you won’t, so I say it like that because we both know it’s not going to happen. But if it did, you’d be back in the same problem. Your father will just send another woman for you.”
“I can handle my father.” I would have thought it would be easier to do with him in Russia while I’m in Boston, but it seems that he wants to keep meddling where it’s not wanted.
“All right.” He nods. “If you say so.”
“I do.” I flip the folder closed. “Thanks for getting this from Arlo.” I tap the folder. “What about the other thing?”
“That Brian asshole?” Maxim grins. “Taken care of; he’s been tossed out on his ass and no firm will hire him until you give the okay.”
