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Grace laughs. “You called me, Ivan. We haven’t gotten to the best part yet.” I hear the page turn, and she continues. “Dear Diary, Maxim knows. He gave the order. Why would he do that when he claims to be so in love with me? He gave me a choice. I stand with him and help him take over the organisation, or Igor will visit me every time Ivan is away.
“I’m going to tell Ivan everything. He’ll never let Maxim take over. He’s worked too hard to be where he is. But what if he doesn’t believe me? What if it drives us apart and gives Igor and Maxim an opportunity to hurt me more?”
“She tried to warn me,” I cut in, and Grace pauses. “I came home from my trip, and she was sick. I found her in her own room. She’d turned that spare room into her own and refused to come back into our bedroom. I thought she was being a brat. I yelled.” The memory makes me sick to my stomach. “Told her that as my wife, she would take her place in our bed.”
“You forced her to go back in there?”
“It was a constant battle between us for the final few weeks of her life.”
“Did she tell you about what happened?”
I scan the memories flooding my mind. “I knew she was wary of the men, but they put the fear in most people. That was their job. I just thought . . . I thought she was overreacting. I never thought Maxim could turn against me.”
“Would you have believed her, if she’d have told you what Igor did?”
Shame washes over me. “No, probably not.”
“Just like you didn’t believe me.”
“Maxim was like a brother to me. You don’t understand the bond we had,” I explain. “Greed got to him. He wasn’t power hungry in the beginning.”
“He killed your wife, Ivan. How didn’t you see what was going on?”
“Things were bad between us,” I admit. “In the end. She was behaving odd, and I never knew the reasons. Now, I do . . .”
“Now, you can live with that.”
She disconnects the call, and I stare at the phone receiver for a few moments, before hanging up.
I booked the room next to Grace’s. It was lucky because I almost lost out to a man in front of me. I paid a heavy amount for his room key, but it was worth it because knowing she’s safe, right next door, brings me comfort.
Alek steps from his room looking freshly shaven and ready for the day. He takes one look at me and winces. “Bad night?”
“I’m learning more and more things about my men,” I say. “Things I should have seen and didn’t.”
Alek shifts uncomfortably. “You weren’t to see things that were purposely hidden.”
“Did you know Igor raped my wife?”
His eyes widen. “No, boss. Fuck.”
“Maxim knew.”
“Shit, boss, I’m so fucking sorry. They were so tight, they didn’t let any of us runners know what they were up to.”
“I don’t know who I can trust.”
“I wouldn’t worry, boss. You sent a clear message out to the other men when you killed Igor, Maxim, and Lev.”
“From now on, none of my men will stay in my home. We’ll have a separate building, and they will not have access to my home. That includes Maria.”
Alek nods. “Of course.” He pauses before adding, “You know, Viktor would make a great advisor.”
I frown. Viktor oversees the finances, but he’s always been quiet. He’s been on my payroll since he was young, and his father worked for me before his death a few years back. “He’s too quiet.”
“I don’t want to speak out of turn, but he’s actually a bit of a psycho. Like a deadly pitbull with the grace of a ballerina.”
I smirk. “How would you know this?”
