The Grayson Trilogy

by Georgia Rose

  Trent led me a little further away as Carlton approached Volkov, who removed his coat then spread his arms out to the sides, allowing Carlton to pat him down. When Carlton was satisfied he stepped back and Cavendish held out his hand to shake Volkov’s. Then he introduced everyone in the room, as a formality rather than anything else. I had no doubt Volkov knew exactly who everyone was.

  Cavendish left me to last.

  “And, of course, this is Emma.” Everyone else had shaken hands with Volkov so I followed suit, not sure what he expected from me.

  “Emma,” both of his hands enclosing mine, “it’s a pleasure after so long…” His voice was like a rumble, deep and softly accented. I didn’t know what to say, but my face must have given me away. He stalled for a moment, then carried on and I registered disappointment in his voice: “You don’t recognise me, do you?” I shook my head. “No, no, of course not…” he muttered, more to himself than to any of us. “That’s as it should be.”

  I wasn’t sure what he meant by that.

  Feeling awkward I didn’t know what to do next, but Cavendish stepped in and suggested we all sit down and sort out a few of the formalities. I was grateful. Out of all the ways I’d thought this meeting was going to go, me suddenly becoming mute and not having a thing to say for myself was not among them.

  Grace organised some drinks while we got ourselves settled and Cavendish called for Bray to come to the office. I knew she was going to be taking the samples for DNA testing. I sat on the settee with Trent. Volkov sat opposite alongside Greene. Carlton remained standing by the fireplace.

  “How are you, Emma…and your baby?” Casting a glance at my stomach, he added, “Not many weeks now?”

  “Er…no, four or five, and we’re fine, thanks…both of us.”

  He nodded and gave the briefest of smiles as he said, “That’s good.” His eyes flickered away and I was suddenly aware it wasn’t only me that was nervous. A moment later Bray entered the room along with West carrying the tray of drinks. The next few minutes were taken up with Bray handing Volkov and me swabs which we ran round the inside of our cheeks before handing them back. She placed them separately in long tubes, screwing them tightly closed. After giving me a big smile, she left.

  Trent poured me a glass of water and I took a sip, as much to be doing something as anything. I watched as Grace handed out the drinks. Volkov thanked her politely as she handed him a glass, giving her a half smile from a face that didn’t look like it smiled much. He was what I guess you would describe as craggily handsome; clean shaven, the lines on his face were deep and my impression was they appeared to have been etched by worry and sadness rather than laughter.

  As we settled again, Trent took the lead. “I think it’s probably best if we have a brief chat about the overall situation, and then if it’s okay with the two of you,” and he gesticulated between Volkov and me, “we’ll give you some time to talk.” He raised his eyebrows in question and we both agreed.

  “Okay. So, Volkov, perhaps you can fill us in on your relationship with the Polzin organisation.”

  “Of course,” and he sat forward a little, leaning his elbows on his knees. “The work I do is on a client by client, contract by contract basis. I haven’t solely worked for the Polzins, but they were the ones who were first interested in my abilities and I have done several jobs for them over the years.”

  “How many years?”

  “Thirty.”

  “I know you are aware that we are working towards closing their organisation down but we want to know if you are willing to help us.”

  “I am aware. I have seen what is happening from outside and inside and I will do everything I can to help.”

  “We are having difficulty getting to the heads of the family.”

  “I understand, though I suspect the situation is not as you think it to be.”

  “How so?” interrupted Cavendish. Volkov turned to him as he answered.

  “It is thought there are two older brothers in overall charge, but that has changed. One died last year, dropped dead of a heart attack, and the other is terminally ill with cancer. Anatoly has all but taken over. I have known him since he was ten, much younger than his brothers. A surprise, if you like, for his parents, or sadly more like a mistake, and a nasty one at that. I have never met a more brutal man.

  “Orlov is still his right-hand man, his second in command – whatever you want to call it. Between them they lead the rest.”

  “So there aren’t children of the older brothers already grown up and ready to take up the reins then?”

  “There have been children, but several girls,” he shrugged as if it were unlikely a girl would be considered a suitable heir for such a business, “and a couple of boys, but none have shown an interest or been deemed to be of the right calibre to take over. So it’s in Anatoly’s hands. He does have two boys, currently teenagers and possibilities for the future. They are sadistic little shits – pardon me – and fortunately too young at present. If you could close this down now it would bring an end to the business once and for all.”

  “Do you know where Anatoly and Orlov are?”

  “I could tell you where they were the last time I saw them, but that would do you no good as they will have moved on. They move regularly and security around them is tight – tighter than you can possibly imagine. Many is the time I have thought of killing them. That is my job, after all, but I would never stand a chance. They know who I am and what I am capable of and they take precautions. I am searched before I can see them and am never left alone with any of them.”

  “You’ve thought about killing them yourself?” Trent questioned, interested and clearly wanting more information and Volkov gave a grunt in agreement, then clarified.

  “I’m a sniper by speciality and have considered organising my own hit on them, but over the years there have always been too many people around them. You can’t kill that many in one go, and they would only have to find my bullets in a body to mean an end for me,” he glanced over at me, “and I had someone I needed…no, wanted to stay alive for.”

  “That brings me on to another point, Volkov,” Cavendish said. “Last year…it was you on the estate, wasn’t it? You who took out the man at the stables?”

  “Yes, that was me.” He looked at Grace, then over at me. “You did very well, I was so proud of you.” I could feel my cheeks growing warm as I blushed in that irritating way I did whenever I was complimented.

  “Thank you.” My voice was thick as I cleared my throat.

  “So why did you just do that, on that evening, if you were with the Polzins?” Trent asked, sounding puzzled.

  “Oh, they didn’t know I was there. I was not with them. But I knew they were coming to attack you and thought I’d be here to step in if I was needed. I was able to help in a minor way…you did all the rest.” Brushing off the part he’d played, he included Grace as he raised his hands to indicate to whom he referred. “I can tell you, I have never seen Orlov so angry – and all because his ego had been bruised, of course.”

  “Why has it taken so long for them to retaliate?” Trent queried.

  “You have been keeping them busy over the winter, constantly breaking down and damaging various parts of their network. They are on their own now in the leadership role, don’t forget, and it has taken a while to pull things together. Eventually though enough was enough, but rather than deal with it themselves they contracted me to do it.”

  “And Emma is the primary target?” Trent asked. Volkov stared at him for a moment before answering.

  “Yes, the instruction I have is to kill her first. Orlov’s idea in order to cause you,” and he stared pointedly at Trent, “maximum pain. It shows the influence he has over Anatoly to get him to agree.”

  “How long do we have?” Trent’s voice was low.

  “They will expect me to have completed the contract by the middle of April. I’m given time, and with three on the list extra time, but by then they will w
ant results.”

  The room went quiet, everyone deep in thought. Then Cavendish spoke. “Can I suggest you stay here, Volkov? Defect, if you want to give it a name.”

  “Thank you for the offer, but I can’t. If I don’t go back, if they can’t check in with me when they expect to be able to, they will be suspicious and start investigating. It won’t take long and they will come and we need to give Emma as much time as possible, ideally for her to have the baby.”

  I knew that was never going to happen. Baby wasn’t due until the beginning of May; the Polzins were never going to be fobbed off until then.

  “Can I ask why you still do work for them? Why don’t you just walk away?”

  Volkov looked away from Cavendish and down into his lap, taking a deep breath.

  “I have tried to leave. I hate what I do…” His voice tailed off and he appeared downcast. “But they know I have a daughter that I have hidden from them. Over the years they have made many attempts to find you…” he met my eyes, “…every time I stepped out of line. Every time I’ve tried to leave, there has been that threat hanging over me, and I know they will see it through. I have seen what they will do. They have told me what they would do to her when they find her. This is the closest they have ever been, and yet, at the moment, they still have no idea who Emma is.

  “I will do whatever it takes to protect her, but time is running out and my hand has been forced by being given this contract. I need to work with you to try and bring them down before they find out who she is and come for her.”

  Goosebumps prickled my skin as a chill ran down my spine and Trent tensed beside me as Cavendish spoke up.

  “Thanks, Volkov, you’ve been open with us which we appreciate and I’ll tell you where we stand. Emma is part of our family here, and as I have told her we are forever in her debt after her actions in saving my family last year. We, and I mean the whole of the estate when I say that, are united in protecting her. I promise you we will do all we can in helping you bring them down.”

  I was grateful to Cavendish for his support, then something clicked into place when Volkov spoke again.

  “I was delighted when you took her on here, Cavendish. I’d heard about what you were doing and wanted her to be part of—”

  “It was you,” I interjected.

  “What was?” Volkov was suddenly wary.

  “It was you who put the advert through my door.” He tilted his head in acknowledgement of the truth. “Why?”

  “Like I said, I wanted you here and you needed a new start. I thought it would be safe for you to be under the protection of these people, though I had no idea then of the work they would be taking on. I thought you would enjoy being with the horses. I know they’ve helped you before.”

  I hated the thought that he’d had any part to play in me being employed here; that I hadn’t got the job on my own merit.

  “I wasn’t the only applicant – you couldn’t be sure I would get the job.”

  “Your competition wasn’t that difficult to get rid of.”

  I stared at him aghast as I remembered the ex-Household Cavalry man Trent had told me about.

  “Oh my God, what did you do to him?”

  Volkov took in my shocked face and realised what he’d said, reaching out his hand as if to pacify me.

  “Oh, no, no, no, Emma, I didn’t do what you’re thinking. I am not an animal. I paid him off to withdraw his application, that was all.”

  Well that was okay, then. That was just fine. Daddy paid out to get me into a job. His interference caused anger to prickle through me.

  There had been enough talk for now, at least between all of us. Volkov, Trent and I were left alone. Although Grace was the only one who left, the others dissipated to other parts of the office. Cavendish returned to his desk, and Carlton and Greene moved to the far side of the room where they sat chatting quietly. No one apparently trusted Volkov enough to leave me alone with him yet.

  Trent looked at me, his thumb running across the knuckles of the hand he held. “Are you okay with this?” I felt stronger after my ice-breaker exchange with Volkov so after confirming I was indeed okay with this he gave my hand a quick squeeze, let it go and went over to join Cavendish at his desk. I watched him move the chair to make sure he could keep us in view at the same time as talking to Cavendish.

  Volkov moved closer, onto the settee set at right angles to the one I was on. He glanced over at Trent, indicating towards him as he muttered, “He seems like a good man.”

  “He is.”

  “I hadn’t anticipated that happening when you came here.”

  “Well perhaps you’re not able to influence everything after all.” I knew I sounded as spiky as I felt. I may have mellowed over many things since coming to the estate, but I still didn’t like being controlled.

  “Emma, I’m sorry. I was only doing what I thought best for you…” He tailed off and I started to relent – a little.

  “Okay, let’s move on shall we?” Though I wondered where we went from here.

  “I can only imagine how this discovery has been for you, Emma. I have been living with the truth of our situation forever, and you are only just embarking on that path. Please, ask me anything you like. I promise to be honest with you.”

  “I don’t know where to start,” and that was the truth of it; my hand rested on my stomach as Baby moved inside. I imagined him waking from his nap, yawning, trying to stretch tiny fists up above his head. There was precious little room for that now. My stomach was taut and I wondered how it was going to be possible for me to get any bigger.

  I decided to steer clear of the personal. Stick with business and see where it led. “You said you didn’t only work for the Polzins. If you despise what you do so much, even if you had no choice other than to work for them, why do you still also work for others?”

  “The honest answer is that I do it for the money. I’m not proud of what I do, Emma, but I am good at it and others seek out my services. I don’t seek to justify my actions to you and I know exactly where I shall be going when I leave this life, but outside of the Polzin work I live by my own rules. A code, if you like. I kill only those who have inflicted the worst atrocities on others and have gone unpunished through the traditional routes. Rapists, paedophiles, murderers mostly – and believe me, I’m not unaware of the irony of the last one.

  “I get given a contract, I carry out my research on the target until I’m satisfied they are guilty of what they are being accused of, then I take the appropriate action.” This revelation caused a confused reaction in me. Was he a good guy? A bad guy? I didn’t know. The line was so blurred I doubted I ever would know. I guessed it all came down to your perception of right and wrong.

  “So you’re a vigilante for hire?”

  “Yes, I guess I am, though they are so often depicted as the hero and that is not how I see myself.”

  “Where are you from?” His English was perfect, but the accent was there.

  “Russia. A small village originally, but I’ve never been back.” I was at least half Russian then. As I thought this I realised that, DNA test notwithstanding, I’d already accepted Volkov was my father.

  “Why did you get involved with the Polzins in the first place?”

  He sighed. “They spotted my potential early on, encouraged me, complimented me. I was young and I was trying to support your mother and raise a family. No…” He hesitated, shaking his head. “No, that’s not right. I promised you the truth, Emma, and the truth is I was foolish. All the attention went to my head and I thought too much of myself. I was blinded by the money and was in way too deep before I realised what they wanted of me. Once I’d killed one person they had that over me and I was still only twenty. It took another three years before I had the guts to tell them I wasn’t going to work for them again. I left…”

  My mother? He’d mentioned her and I couldn’t help focusing on that. There was more coming, I knew it, feeling a chill run through me, a warning
, a fear of finding out. I reluctantly prompted him.

  “What happened?”

  He focused on his hands for a moment. Then he looked up at me and gave it to me straight.

  “They took their revenge. They chased your mother one night when she was driving to visit a friend. Chased her in their cars until she drove hers off a bridge. She was later than I expected coming back and as soon as I heard of the crash on the news, I knew.” Flooded with disappointment, I felt the pinprick of tears. However unlikely it had been that she was still alive, I’d been banking on that far more than I’d realised and my spirits sank.

  “Oh…”

  “I’m sorry, Emma.” His voice was gentle and I looked up to meet his gaze.

  “Did you love her?”

  “More than you can imagine. She was everything to me.”

  “Do you have someone else in your life now? Someone special?”

  “No. There have been other women, I won’t lie, but no one special.”

  I thought for a moment. Something in what he’d said was nagging at me.

  “I don’t understand. Once she’d gone, they’d taken their revenge, so why did you go back to them?”

  “Because of you.” Then he sighed, readjusting his position to turn more towards me. “They were under the impression you were in the car too. You were meant to be, but you’d come down with a fever and had stayed at home with me instead. It took three days to get the car out of the water. I used that time to get you into hiding and to disappear from what had been our lives up until that point so everyone we knew would think we were dead. By that time the Polzins knew the truth – that you were still alive.

  “They started searching for you, putting the pressure on me, and I agreed to go back if they stopped looking. I would gladly have died at that point. Losing your mother was devastating, but I had to stay alive to look after you, even if it was at a distance.”

  “How did you find Ben and Lisa so quickly?”

  “I didn’t. I already had them in place as a safe house. I’d been planning for you both to go and live with them for a while, but I messed it all up, got the timing wrong.”