“How in the world does that work?” She shook her head and confusion lodged behind her gaze. “Then how did you find out he works for them?”
“We have methods.”
My stomach clenched as she kept her gaze on me. Her eyes held so much depth. I never cared about keeping secrets before, but with her it was different. I felt pulled to protect her and tell her more, but I knew I couldn’t. A surge of desire pulsed through me as she parted her lips to say something.
I let out a silent sigh and waited. Being around her was far more difficult than I could ever have imagined. I stood and walked over to the window to keep my eyes away from her.
“I doubt most corporations have direct lines to the FBI.” She laughed nervously. “City planning, maybe. . . but not the FBI.”
I spun around, leaning forward, and propped my hands on the table.
“We’re not most companies.” I drew in a breath. “We have contracts with several government agencies. We work on improving their internet security while alerting them to threats. We help them off the books if a need arises.”
Alarm flashed through her gaze, but I continued.
“I want you to take a car service to and from work. We’ll have one at your disposal.”
“I can’t do that.” She shook her head. “That’s too much.”
“We offer the same service for Greta.”
“I just can’t accept that kind of—”
“Consider it a perk . . . like medical.”
She drew in a slow breath and brought her eyes to mine and nodded slowly.
“Listen, I didn’t know if you’d heard. . .” my voice trailed off. This was the conversation I’d been dreading, and there was no kind or gentle way to say it. “Jenn was murdered.”
She let out a slight gasp and tears instantly filled her eyes.
“When?” she choked out, anchoring herself by propping her elbows on the table.
“They found her body on Sunday, but they think she was killed on Friday night or early Saturday morning,” I informed her, sitting down and rolling my chair in front of her. I clasped her hands in mine. “I’m worried that could have been you. That’s why it makes sense that you use our car service.”
My words hovered in the air. I could see she was trying to backtrack in her head who and what she’d seen at Priva, which was exactly what I’d done since I heard the news. She rubbed her temples and groaned. “There wouldn’t be any reason to come after me. I don’t understand.”
“None of us do, but I just can’t ignore what I stumbled on with you and—” I stopped. “You were both attacked. It was only your attack that I was able to stop.”
“You think that guy had something to do with it?” She straightened in her chair, forcing a tearful swallow down her throat. I was amazed at this woman’s strength. Even with this information, she wasn’t rattled.
“What makes you think there’s a connection?”
“I don’t often believe in coincidences, and I saw spots of blood on his shoes before I ever landed a punch.”
“How can you be sure it was blood?” she asked, trying to absorb everything I was telling her. “Should you go to the police?”
“I can’t be sure. The guy was a slob. It could’ve been ketchup, but I doubt it. Jax informed them of our encounter and what I’d seen, yes.”
Surprise darted through her expression, and I saw a slight smile nudge her lips before she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Ever since that night, I haven’t felt right. The only thing that has felt normal was coming into work.”
“What, in particular, has felt off?” I asked, squeezing her hands.
“I can’t put my finger on it.” Her gaze flicked to mine, and it was void of expression before she closed her eyes again. “It’s not just about that guy. Maybe it was a sixth sense about Jenn. I don’t know.” She shook her head.
“I wasn’t going to tell you about Jenn until after tonight. I didn’t want to ruin your first event—” I shrugged, realizing how ridiculous that sounded. “But I’m concerned about your safety. They haven’t released any of the information to the media. We only know because she didn’t show up to Meta, and the manager contacted the police, and when he didn’t get anywhere, Jax got involved.”
She opened her eyes but didn’t say anything.
“I have a car scheduled to pick you up at the address you have on file with HR.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. Her next words took me by surprise. “Jenn had mentioned that she had dated Jax.”
“Jax doesn’t date, but they did have relations,” I informed her.
Jax never dated anyone. He’d slept with Jenn a few times, but nothing much came of it, but every time I saw Jenn look in Jax’s direction at Meta, I knew she’d hoped for more. It was sad, but Jax wasn’t capable.
Her brows shot up and she cracked a smile. “Relations?”
I cocked my head and studied her.
“Is that what you’d call it if we didn’t date but purely slept together?” she asked.
“No. That’s not what I’d call it at all.” My eyes dropped to her mouth, and I felt the intense pull from the other night rush over me again.
Now was definitely not the time.
“My brothers will be keeping a careful eye out as well. If you ever encounter anything, you can go to any one of us.”
“Do they know about us . . .kissing?”
“There’s not much we don’t tell one another.” I slid my hand back from hers and instantly missed her touch. “But that, I didn’t really see a need to mention.”
“It must be nice to have such a close family.” Her gaze softened.
“For the most part.” A few seconds of silence passed, and I did what I promised myself I wouldn’t do. “Would you consider going with me to the event tonight?”
She didn’t immediately answer and fidgeted instead. This was a side of her I hadn’t really seen.
“It would make me feel better,” I added.
She smiled and brought her eyes to mine. “Well, if it’s purely for safety’s sake, then I accept.”
I wanted to say something more, but Greta’s voice came over the speaker. “Your mother is here for your meeting. Would you like me to send her back?”
“That would be great.”
“She’s already on her way,” Greta said and then hung up.
I glanced at Avery, who suddenly looked like she wanted to hide, and I had the sudden urge to do so as well. This was the meeting I’d been waiting for. Now was my moment to tell my mom about my project before Jax got wind of everything, if it wasn’t already too late.
“Thank you for letting me know about Jenn. I didn’t know her that well, but she was a kind soul. She really helped me out at Meta.” She stood up slowly. “Is there anything else you needed?”
“I’ll pick you up at six,” I told her just as my mother stepped inside the conference room.
My mom’s dark brow arched in surprise as her eyes swept up and down Avery before releasing a cold smile in her direction.
“Mrs. Volkov,” Avery said, sticking out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard so many wonderful things about you from Greta.”
“As have I about you.” My mom gave a slight nod and shook Avery’s hand, and I wondered if that was true.
“Oh. Well. Thank you.” Avery glanced in my direction, and I saw a flush crawl up her skin. “If there’s anything you need, please let me know.”
“Will do,” my mother told her as she released her hand, and Avery left the conference room, shutting the door behind her. “She seems like a lovely girl.”
“Glad you approve of our receptionist.”
“Do you give rides to all of our new hires?”
“Only the ones under ninety.” My brow arched and my mother laughed, coming in for a hug.
“So, tell me what’s going on. Why did you want to meet with me when you knew your brothers were out of the office?”
Leave
it to my mom to let nothing get by her.
I pulled out the chair for her and she took a seat. She unwrapped the silver scarf around her neck and draped it over the arm of the chair as I sat down.
“I’ve been working on something over the last year or so that I think will only add to our security measures.”
My mother drew in a deep breath and tilted her head back slightly as she listened. Her dark hair, with only a few silver strands, had been pulled into a tight bun.
“What makes you think we need to tighten security?”
“As Wolf Industries grows, there are more opportunities for problems. We have greater revenue coming in from legitimate business dealings than—”
“When it comes to money, all business is legitimate,” she interrupted, folding her hands together.
“Regardless, we need to take additional precautions when dealing with some endeavors versus others. When real problems arise, I understand that it will always be expected of us to handle the issues ourselves,” I continued. “But whether it’s nightly runs or ensuring our men get to drop-off points on time, we don’t need to be so directly involved.”
My mother’s lips pushed into a thin line.
“The larger Wolf Industries gets, the more risk our family faces.” I cleared my throat. “I’m the one constantly putting my neck out there when deals go south.”
“That’s your job.”
“I’m not arguing that, but I’m smart enough to know that I shouldn’t put myself in harm’s way if it isn’t necessary. Just like you saw the need to get into online security before the internet was even popular, I’ve been developing something as well.”
“Whose money have you been using?” She leaned forward in her chair.
“My own.”
“And your brothers don’t know about this?”
“No. I knew Jax would think it’s a waste of time.”
“And how do you know he’s not right?” She pulled her brows together.
“We’ve always managed to stay on top because we are the best at what we do.” I drew in a steady breath. We were master manipulators. We understood how to run the side of life everyone wanted to pretend didn’t exist, but it did, and someone had to be in control. “Power is about controlling the situation. We lost Vera because we lost control. We didn’t know our enemies’ next move.”
My mom’s eyes stayed on mine. Bringing up my sister’s murder was hard on both of us, but it was the only way I knew how to explain what needed to be done.
“We fixed the situation,” my mother said in a tone void of all emotion.
When my sister was murdered, our family made it our mission to destroy the men who’d taken her from us and we succeeded. But it didn’t bring her back and it didn’t take the pain away.
“Doesn’t mean it can’t happen again.” I shook my head. “It’s not just us any longer we have to worry about. Our family is expanding. Mia and Ava are even more vulnerable than the rest of us.”
Not to mention Avery.
“And now with Viktor. . .” my voice trailed off.
“Viktor isn’t a problem. Never was. Our men are loyal.”
“We have surveillance on him. Didn’t Jax tell you?” I questioned.
My mom flashed a wry grin but didn’t respond.
“What aren’t you telling me?” I demanded. My pulse pounded as my mother played her games.
“I’d heard that you were up to something. I also recognize Vera’s death was harder on you than your brothers.” She stood and walked over to the small fridge tucked in the credenza and grabbed a bottle of water. “I don’t tolerate secrets in this family. We live by our code. We’ve risen because of it.”
“But I’ll be damned if we’ll fall because of some outdated way of thinking.” I stood up, anger spiking through me. “I’m not going to lose another person I love to senseless violence.”
“This is the life you live. There is always risk involved. If you think otherwise. . .” She shook her head, not bothering to finish her sentence.
I couldn’t believe how cold my mother sounded.
“You’ve been paying Viktor to spy on me?” I narrowed my eyes on my mother and she nodded slowly, taking a sip of water. “The briefcase he was stuffing in the trunk was from you? What about the information from the Lieutenant?”
I could tell by the look in her eyes, the Lieutenant was involved as well.
“I had to make sure you weren’t putting the family in danger. It’s bad enough your brothers have had to pick up your slack or cover for you on jobs. I’ve been lenient to a fault.” She let out a frustrated sigh. “But during this exercise, I learned you’re more like me than any of your brothers. You have vision and a clear ability to see what’s on the horizon.” She sat back down. “Now tell me what you’ve been doing on your off hours.”
Chapter Fifteen
Avery
“Can you hold down this area?” Tess asked, glancing toward the red carpet. “It looks like Devin will be enjoying the attention for a little longer.”
I nodded and took in a deep breath as she wandered back inside toward the elevators.
It made sense so many high-profile celebrities were at tonight’s function, but I hadn’t really given it much thought until they were walking past me, swooping me into some kind of make-believe world as I guided them through the velvet ropes to where Tess was waiting for them.
Flashbulbs went off in every direction as the Volkov brothers slowly made their way down the long, red carpet. I’d managed to scurry away from Devin before the first camera flash went off, and now I stood in awe at the spectacle of everything in front of me. Devin motioned for me to join him several times, but I managed to stay put.
Tonight’s event was really far out of my comfort zone but watching the brothers stop for press interviews and pose for pictures demonstrated how some people were just meant for certain things in life. They knew when to smile, laugh, and entertain, and the women with Drake and Blake were equally as beautiful as they were gregarious. Their gowns were gorgeous and everything about them cried glamour.
I held in a sigh and ran my sweaty palms over the skirt of my dress. I could arrest a two-hundred-pound armed man without a worry, but I was torn up inside having to pretend I knew what I was doing here. This kind of glamour didn’t exist where I’d come from, and I realized the moment I stepped out of the car just how underdressed as I was, but there was nothing I could do about it now. So, I stood out of the way until I was needed and watched the night unfold.
This event couldn’t have come at a better time. After the meeting with Devin this afternoon, my mind was swimming with confusion. I never expected him to find out the man he laid out on the ground was an FBI agent.
The fear that pulsed through me as he filled me in only slightly subsided the more Devin elaborated on his findings. Once I realized he hadn’t tied me to the agent, I finally allowed myself to breathe, but that was quickly squashed by his revelation about Jenn.
What made matters worse was that he seemed to almost blame himself for putting me in harm’s way, which of course brought along an entirely different set of emotions.
“Avery,” Devin’s voice brought me out of myself, and I spun around to see him coming up behind me with one of the women. “This is Blake’s fiancée, Ava.”
Ava was gorgeous. Her brown hair was swept into a high chignon that showed off her porcelain skin, high cheekbones, and large brown eyes. She was wearing a simple grey dress that showed off her curves.
“So good to meet you,” Ava said, kissing my check before stepping back.
“Wonderful to meet you too.” I smiled, and Devin slipped his arm around my waist, pulling me into him. My body instantly responded and I held in a groan.
“What do you think about their latest project?” she asked as Blake came up behind her, and Devin began guiding me through the open doors.
“I think the building is beautiful.” I looked up at Devin. “Tess asked me to stay there
to help direct the guests.”
“Well, I need you elsewhere.” His brow arched, and he slid his arm away from my waist, propping his hand low on my back to move me forward. “We’re paying her to oversee the event.”
I nodded and noticed Ava smiling as she glanced between the two of us.
“Greta told me your background is sociology,” Ava began as we stepped onto the elevator gliding past Tess as Devin explained to her I was done with the doorman duties.
“Yeah. I’ve often thought about going back to get my Master’s degree, but life hasn’t exactly worked out like I planned.” That was all true. “I’d hoped to start a career in social work, but it seems graduate studies are a must. At least in the city.”
“For the most part,” she agreed. “Do you have a focus area you’d like to study?”
My heart began beating quickly, and I swallowed a sudden and surprising lump that had formed in the back of my throat.
“I’ve often thought about working with families who’ve lost loved ones to violence.”
Ava’s brows lifted in surprise.
“It hits close to home,” I explained as Devin clasped his hand over mine. “I lost my dad.”
“Oh, honey,” Ava said, pushing her mouth into a scowl. “I’m so sorry.”
I glanced at Blake and Devin, feeling an unusual pull to be overly honest. Regardless whose side Ellis or Davis was truly on, the advice Ellis gave me about opening up to the Volkovs was valid.
“Thank you.” I nodded. “My father was a policeman in Idaho.”
Blake recoiled, but he immediately corrected his posture. Most people wouldn’t even have noticed.
“I suppose it’s one of those things I always knew could happen, but night after night when he came home, I fooled myself into believing it wouldn’t happen.”
Ava nodded. “I completely understand. My father just retired from NYPD.”
That wasn’t in their files.
“Wow. That’s incredible. Congratulations to him.”
“There wasn’t a day that went by that I wasn’t worried about him.” She gave a sympathetic smile. “Were they able to catch the person?”
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