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CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Mikhail
There’sno time for me to take Aria to a safe room or house. My office building’s surrounded in seconds by a goddamned SWAT team.
Aria looks stunned when the door to my office is shoved open and masked and uniformed men and women swarm into the room. I grit my teeth and don’t resist. I know this routine.
Either someone trumped up a charge to neutralize me or I’m under arrest for something I did, but we pay Anton well for a reason. He’ll get me out on bail and all charges dismissed, but it’ll take some time.
One luxury I don’t have.
My guess is that someone wants to take me out of the picture so they’ll have better access to Aria.
“This isn’t happening,” I say when they enter my office. “You can put your guns away.”
“No, sir. You’re under arrest for violation of human trafficking laws in New York. We have evidence to support your involvement.”
Aria’s eyes widen.
Trumped-up charges. Of course I never did anything involving human trafficking. Volkov may have, though. And whoever’s behind this is the enemy of my wife.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about and don’t see anyone showing a warrant.”
They don’t need a warrant, but I’m buying time until my brothers are here and ready to take over surveillance with Aria.
“We don’t need a warrant, sir, not when we have reasonable cause.”
“Please!” Aria says. I swear she’s curving her back and pushing her belly out. She’s hardly showing more than a little, but she’ll play that pregnancy card. “I’m pregnant and at high risk. If anything happens to me, it’s on you.”
They remain unyielding. “Step aside, Mrs. Romanov,” one of the women says. Her jet-black hair’s slicked back into a bun at the nape of her neck. “We don’t want you to get hurt should there be any altercation.”
Aria steps back, her eyes wide. I’m not sure what to tell her. Normally, I’d go with them until we could sort this shit out, but I can’t leave her.
Footsteps sound outside my door. My brothers responding to the call.
Viktor enters first. He has quite the reputation with local law enforcement. It helps that he’s huge and intimidating.
“What’s the meaning of this?” he asks in a dangerous voice. They repeat their rigamarole.
“So you obviously must know that’s a lie,” Viktor says as he crosses his arms on his chest and glares at them. The female officer with the slicked-back hair stares, her jaw agape. He’s terrifying when he pulls himself to his full height.
“It doesn’t matter, sir,” one of the officers says. “And I’m beginning to lose my patience. It’s imperative Mr. Romanov come with us so we can continue our investigation.”
Viktor nods to me, stalling so my other brothers have time to get here. If this is an attempt to get Aria isolated, we won’t let it happen.
“I want to see that warrant.”
“We don’t have time for this,” one of the other officers snaps, but when Viktor glares in his direction, he quickly folds himself behind the others.
Pussy.
“At least let me say good-bye to my wife.” Another delay tactic. I want more of my brothers here to protect her in my absence.
Aria walks to me and stares. I reach for her neck, but she pulls away. “Human trafficking, Mikhail?” she whispers. “How could you?”
“It’s a lie, Aria. Jesus, that’s not what I did.”
“Didn’t you, though?” She brushes at tears on her cheeks, her voice wobbly.
