“We will figure this out,” Haley said with certainty.
We.
Them.
Together.
A team.
He liked the idea of working with Haley. Of having someone with him. But he also knew how dangerous that could be. For her.
Konstantin hadn’t made a lot of friends over the years. From the moment he’d arrived in Washington, he’d done what he needed to protect Zasha. That had meant selling out a lot of the big players from Russia that had moved to the states that his father had connections with. It was because of Konstantin’s father that he knew these people had long memories. What he’d done would not be forgotten.
He looked at the back of Haley’s head as she bent over yet another frame.
He cared for her more than was safe. Despite his best efforts to keep her at arm’s length and leave Haley to his daughter, she’d come to mean something to Konstantin. She was special. And that made her a target.
If there was one thing he knew, it was that no part of him wanted to suck her into this life. Maybe his parents would have found happiness if it weren’t for his father’s so-called work. Konstantin wouldn’t let that happen here, which meant that as much as he wanted to kiss and hold Haley, he couldn’t.
Last night couldn’t happen again.
10.
Saturday. Rose House. Arlington, VA.
Tasha glanced at the phone. It had been one of the items brought to her after the job was finished.
Konstantin’s name flashed on the screen.
She couldn’t answer it. No one had been able to break the password on the phone yet, not that it mattered. It had served its purpose.
Her son was calling his fed friends.
Taking them out was just a stall tactic. She had no doubt that Konstantin had other contacts, but he was enough like his father that he’d follow a process. As a child he’d been an orderly, rule following sort of kid. All the other mothers had gushed over him, calling her lucky.
If she was lucky, why did he make so much noise? Why was he a little tornado?
She hadn’t seen the merits then, but they benefitted her now.
Tasha leaned back in her chair.
She’d known better than to expect Konstantin to welcome her with open arms, but she had hoped for a warmer reception. Honestly, she’d have thought he’d have at least texted her since their lunch yesterday, but nothing.
Maybe she should make a move. It would be sooner than anticipated, but plans must be flexible.
Tasha picked up her phone and looked at the screen.
Perhaps she’d played it wrong yesterday by delaying her reply and shifting the time?
She’d play the eager mother. Maybe that would get to Konstantin better.
She tapped the call button and lifted the phone to her ear. She made herself smile, hoping it would lend her voice some credibility to Konstantin’s ears.
“Yes?” a deep voice answered.
Tasha blinked twice. That was disorienting. “Konstantin. You sound so much like your father.”
Two beats of silence told her that statement was not well-received.
“I hadn’t heard from you. Just wanted to check in, see how you were doing?”
“We are well. Thanks for asking.” His voice was stiff and formal. No feeling whatsoever.
“Good. So glad to hear it. How’s little Zasha?”
“She’s in lessons right now.”
“How’s she doing? Taking to her studies?”
“Yes.”
This was falling flat.
She needed to salvage this and get Konstantin to agree to meet with her again. If he wouldn’t reach out to his father, then she could only trust that someone else would if they were seen together.
“Listen, I was hoping we could meet up again. Talk some more. I don’t think we got off on the best foot yesterday. I was hoping you might be free for dinner.”
“When?”
“Tonight? Tomorrow? This week?” Tasha’s smile was going to break her face.
“I’ll check my schedule and get back to you. Sorry, have to go.”
The call ended abruptly.
She dropped the smile and frowned at the phone.
This was not how this was supposed to be going.
SATURDAY. LAKE HOUSE. VA.
Haley glanced from the phone to Konstantin and back.
“What the fuck was that?” she asked.
“I don’t know.” He placed the phone on the table, still frowning at it.
“You aren’t going to go. Are you?” To her it was obvious. You did not go into enemy territory knowing it was an ambush.
“I think I have to,” he said slowly.
“What? Why? No. Konstantin, no.”
He glanced sideways at her, that cool, composed look of his firmly in place. “It’s not your decision.”
Haley slouched back in her chair. “You know she wants something from you. You know she’s not on your side in anything. It’s likely she’s setting you up for something. Why give her this meeting?”
“Because what other move do I have? We know roughly what she’s been doing and who she’s pretended to be, but there has to be more to this. And I don’t think we’re going to figure it out looking at a bunch of old pictures.” He flicked the closest picture with his index finger.
“Then talk to her on the phone. Don’t go to meet her again.”
Konstantin shook his head. “She’s old school. She’ll want to see me in person.”
“We don’t always get what we want.”
“That’s enough.” He didn’t snap, but his tone was decided.
Haley stared at Konstantin’s profile.
He was going.
Despite her warning and knowing it wasn’t going to be a warm, family reception, he was going to go meet this woman who called herself his mother.
“Okay,” Haley said. “You’ll have security with you?”
“That’s not your area.” He stood and carefully pushed his chair back in.
She frowned at him. “And suddenly me having an opinion about your safety is a problem?”
“I think it might be.”
His words were so calm and controlled. So why did it feel like he was shouting at her in her head?
Haley pushed to her feet. “Okay, what’s going on here?”
“Nothing,” he said over his shoulder. “I have arrangements to make.”
Haley watched Konstantin return to his office and close the door.
“What the fuck?” she asked the empty room.
She sat back down and stared at the pictures, running the last few minutes back through her head.
Normally she wouldn’t have asked questions or pried into his history. He had a point, that wasn’t her job. It also crossed that employee—boss line she’d always been so careful about. But things had changed. Hadn’t they?
Last night...
Then this morning...
Was she reading into this situation?
If Konstantin had just wanted sex, he wouldn’t have put her in his bed. In many ways it would have been easier for them to go their separate rooms then. The sleeping together complicated an already messy situation. Topping it all off with breakfast, she’d felt and thought they were headed down the path of figuring this out. Eventually.
“What the fuck?” she muttered to herself again.
Konstantin would only get to ride on the excuse of his long-lost-mother coming back into the picture for so long. Haley would let this slide, for now. But she wasn’t going to be intentionally ignored when doing her job. She wasn’t the one out of line here.
She flipped through the pictures, letting her eyes roam, but she had to agree with Konstantin. There didn’t appear to be anything significant about the pictures.
Could it be where they were developed?
Where had his father been stationed or working when he received them?
Maybe the key to understanding the pictures wasn’t actu
ally held within the images or the paper?
She pulled out her phone and drafted an email.
If Konstantin didn’t want to talk to her directly, he could field her suggestions later.
Infuriating man.
What the hell got into him?
She was cutting him a break for now, but this sort of thing was not going to be tolerated.
Haley was about to put her phone back in her pocket when it began to ring.
It wasn’t Konstantin.
Merida’s candid smirk stared back at Haley.
She smiled and clicked the answer button, grateful for the distraction.
“Hey, Mer. Blow up the new office yet?”
“Haa. Haa.”
Someday Haley was going to get the story out of Merida. Hardly anyone knew how or why their Seattle office had gone up in smoke, and those who knew weren’t talking.
Haley chuckled and pushed to her feet. That secret could wait for later.
“Am I in trouble?” Haley asked as she headed for the stairs.
“Should you be?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, if you are or should be in trouble that will be another call. It’s the weekend. I do have a life outside of work.”
Haley laughed. Merida was one of the hardest working people next to their boss, Zain. Haley climbed the stairs, feeling the annoyance at Konstantin fall from her shoulders.
“Need something? Or do you just miss my voice?”
“Are you free? Can you talk?” There was an odd note in Merida’s voice.
“Yeah, sure.” Haley wasn’t going to divulge the latest events with the home office. Not yet, at least.
“Finley and I are starting to make wedding plans.”
“Really?” She closed the door to her bedroom and paced the length of the room, excitement bubbling up in her.
“Yes. We haven’t set a date yet and we aren’t ready to, but we want to start figuring things out.”
“That has to be super exciting.” Haley bounced a bit on the balls of her feet.
The whole chat group had been rooting for Merida and her next-door neighbor. They’d all heard about Merida’s great friend Finley. Half of them had met the guy and could vouch that he was just as hot as Merida said. When those two had wound up together over Christmas it had taken everyone by surprise. Getting a call from Finley himself to make an emergency trip to Seattle to help the man ring shop had been a treat. But best of all? Being there when he popped the question.
Haley pulled the phone away from her face. She hadn’t lost Merida, but neither was she saying anything.
“You okay?” Haley asked.
“Yes, this is just feeling very real right now.” Merida’s voice was thick with emotion.
“Exciting feelings?”
“Yes.” She blew out a breath. “Okay. Haley? I want you to be a bridesmaid.”
Haley grinned. “Is that a question or an order?”
“Shit,” Merida muttered. “Would you?”
“Hell yes I will.”
“Okay. Good.” She sighed. “This is harder than I thought it was going to be.”
“And exciting?”
“Yes.”
“Can I ask who else is going to do this?”
“Everyone. Well, not everyone-everyone, but the girls. Melody will be my Maid of Honor.”
“Makes sense. You guys are talking weddings all the time, aren’t you?” Haley liked Melody. She wasn’t officially part of the girl chat group but whenever the girls could get together, they included her. Melody was also getting married to her Lepta Team co-leader.
“We are. Is it tacky if we go half in on some things? She uses it this year, then we use it whenever we set our date?”
“Hell no. And we work with a bunch of clueless guys who won’t notice the difference.”
“Okay. Good. How are you?”
“Good,” Haley said with a touch too much perk in her voice.
“That sounds like a lie.”
She sighed. “The public story is that everything is good. If things get more complicated, I’ll call you during work hours.”
“Please don’t get in over your head. I swear we’ve had a rash of that lately.”
“I’ll do my best. Who else do you have to call?”
“Everyone. I figured I’d start with you and hope I caught you at a kid-free moment.”
“Good timing.”
“How are things with Konstantin? Any more kissing?”
Haley glanced at the door, but she was seeing his bedroom.
“That silence sounds ominous,” Merida said.
Haley settled on the armchair and hugged a frilly pillow to her chest. “You ever want to smack some sense into a man?”
“All. The. Time.”
They both laughed.
“Well, that’s where I’m at.” Haley closed her eyes.
“If you want to talk about it, I’m here.”
“I’m sure I will at some point, but I probably need to get back to work.”
“Okay, wish me luck. I’ve got too many phone calls to make.”
“Hey, at this rate we might all be in one place at the same time someday. Is that the secret? Is that what we have to do to find out why the office blew up?”
“Gotta go,” Merida said and ended the call.
Haley laughed and let the phone fall to her lap.
The girls were going to lose it. When Merida finished making those calls, it was going to be nonstop wedding excitement. Haley was so happy for her friend. Finley was a great guy and treated Merida like a queen. It was everything she deserved.
Which brought Haley back to her own situation.
She loved Konstantin, but she didn’t know if he was exactly good for her. Still, there was no telling her heart to stop loving the man. The best she could do was ride this out and hope she didn’t end up with a broken heart.
SATURDAY. WASHINGTON, DC.
Konstantin looked across the table at the woman who had birthed him and felt nothing. After all these years, he’d have expected to have intense feelings about her. Instead, he only had apathy.
She hadn’t been a good mother. There was no arguing the point. But she had brought Ivana into his life and she was more of a mother to him than Natasha could ever hope to be.
That was why he would always forgive Ivana. She wasn’t just an employee, she was family. And he would never turn his back on her. Especially not for continuing to love his mother.
Natasha glanced up from her plate.
It was coming...
She daubed at her face with a napkin.
He braced himself for her next comment or observation or humorous memory.
“You’re even quiet like him,” she said with a little smile.
Konstantin took a drink from his water glass. He had no appetite for this food or company.
He’d come to this dinner, ignoring Haley’s advice, and for what? Hours of small talk.
He was done playing this chit-chat game.
Konstantin wiped his face with the linen napkin, then placed it on the table.
“What’s the real reason you asked me here tonight?” He almost added mother to the end of that question, but couldn’t make himself. He clearly wasn’t the tactician his father was. He couldn’t even make himself play into this charade.
“To catch up, of course.” She set her cutlery down and leaned back in her chair. Her face was so perfect, artfully made-up to accentuate her features. But nothing could give life to hear dead, cold eyes.
“How long have you known I was in the states?” he asked.
“Hm. I’m not sure.”
“My guess is that you’ve known for years, but reaching out wouldn’t benefit you until now. Why? What is it you want?”
“My dear boy, you have nothing I want.” She , but it felt as though he were looking at a viper about to strike.
She was playing with him.
Natasha picked up her wine glass and too
k a sip, never breaking eye contact.
She was brazen. And she was up to something.
The skin between Konstantin’s shoulder blades began to itch.
Had he played into her hands? Had he let his arrogance get the best of him?
This was a woman who’d evaded his father for decades.
“I’m sorry to cut this evening short, but I promised I’d tuck Zasha in tonight.” He delivered the lie perfectly.
“Give her my love?” Natasha smiled wider.
“I will.”
“Next time we get together we’ll have to include her.”
“We’ll see.” Konstantin knew Haley wouldn’t let that happen, and he was glad for it.
He quickly took care of the bill, paying for the whole meal. The last thing he wanted to do was give his mother more ammunition against him. They were playing a game he knew nothing about.
Damn it. He should have listened to Haley.
The SUV was there before he’d exited the restaurant. He’d brought two guards with him and left two at the lake house with Haley.
Konstantin climbed in the back seat and asked the men if they’d gotten their dinners. He’d called before to make arrangements for the men to get a nice dinner as well. Both men thanked him for the meal, then launched into a quick briefing about what they’d seen. Natasha’s escort had been obvious in their attendance outside.
Whatever she wanted, she intended to lull him into a false sense of security first. If what he knew about her was right, then she more than had the manpower to come at him. But she was choosing this way. Why?
His thoughts were interrupted by an incoming call.
Zasha.
Konstantin took a deep breath, then shoved aside the frustrating evening to focus on his daughter. He answered the call and for the next half hour got a tour of where she was staying and a complete rundown of all the amazing fun things she’d been up to.
It was nice to lose himself in those details for a little while. Coming home to Zasha made the difference in each and every day. He missed that.
“Where’s Ms. Haley?” Zasha asked.
“She’s at the lake house right now.” Come to think about it, he didn’t actually need Haley to stay there now that they’d begun the rouse that she and Zasha were with him. “What if Haley came to stay with you tomorrow?”
Just Business (Aegis Group Dangerous Ladies Book 1) Page 12