“I’m still working on getting proof, which is why I eventually agreed to go to New York. I set things in motion in the hope that my father and Nina would follow us there. He’s embroiled in some serious negotiations with the city, and I knew he’d jump on the excuse to go on location. I was expecting Nina to slip away to meet with a mafia contact while we were there, but she never did.”
I was starting to get dizzy. Nina wasn’t the Bratva’s contact anymore, I was. What would Maverik do when he found out the truth?
Maverik eyed my pale face and shaky limbs. Thankfully, he misinterpreted the cause.
“Her name used to open a lot of doors,” he told me. “They probably just used her to make contacts for them so they could spread their web of influence. It’s easier to collect blackmail materials when you have a way into the inner circle.”
My eyes widened. “Blackmail?”
Maverik shrugged. “In addition to access to high-end clients and parties.”
I let out a shaky breath. Did Sergei intend to use me the same way? Did he want access into the exclusive world of billionaires? What would he ask me to do? To take?
I looked up at Maverik, unsure of what to say. A part of me wanted to confess everything, but I cringed at the thought of what would happen next. He’d realize that he had been right about me from the beginning, and he’d destroy me. Maverik was starting to move past his hate for me, and our relationship had developed a tentative trust. I’d destroy that if I confessed to meeting with Sergei.
I tried to stay cool, but Maverik wasn’t watching me with his usual intensity. His gaze was far away, his thoughts elsewhere.
“I’ll take care of things,” he murmured to me. And then just as quickly as he appeared, he was gone.
I threw myself back and dug my fingers into the thick carpeting. What was I going to do? If I refused to help Sergei, he’d go after Ryan or someone else I cared about. I couldn’t ask Nina for help - she’d be the first person to throw me to the wolves. If I told Kingston or Maverik, they’d turn on me. I tried to tell myself that it was self-preservation that kept me from asking them for help, but it was worse than that. It was pride, but it was also dread. I didn’t want to see hurt and betrayal in their eyes. I had to figure a way out of this on my own. But how?
Chapter 37
Katya
I didn’t even have to wait another twenty-four hours before Nina found an excuse to escape the house. I crept up the stairs to the floor that Nina and Richard shared. It felt wrong to be violating Richard’s privacy like this, but I didn’t have the same qualms about Nina. I knew she wouldn’t hesitate to do the same to me.
I hesitantly opened the door that led me to their inner sanctum. I stepped into a room with a giant television mounted on top of a cozy fireplace. The room was set up like a living room, so I knew Nina wouldn’t keep anything valuable here.
I swallowed nervously, then opened the door to their bedroom. A giant bed was the centerpiece, and I tried not to gag at the thought of what went on there. Nina seemed to be playing the part of a wealthy socialite, so I doubted she would stoop to hide things inside her mattress.
The next door I came to led into a massive walk-in closet filled with suits and other men’s items. I closed quickly moved on to what I assumed was Nina’s closet. Rows upon rows of shoes adorned one of the walls, showcased like they were works of art. Rows of expensive clothing and handbags filled the rest of the space, and I felt a wash of despair. It would take me a year to go through all of this.
I decided to search the most obvious place first. In the center of the room was an elegant island with a mirrored top and plenty of drawers where a map could be hidden. I hurriedly combed through Nina’s collection of jewelry and undergarments. Everything here was laid out as if on display, with no room for hiding anything. This entire closet was a showroom, and I knew she wouldn’t hide anything from Richard in here.
If I were Nina, and I wanted to hide a potentially valuable piece of my family’s past, where would I go? I tapped my foot as I looked around. My gut said that she’d want to keep it far from her, so she could live her new life without reminders of her past. But if she had it in a safe deposit box in a bank, I was screwed. The only way I’d be able to get to it would be if it were here on the property.
“You shouldn’t be up here,” Maverik’s voice came to me from the doorway, and I almost jumped a foot in the air.
My heart pounded as he watched me with suspicious eyes.
“I’m sure Nina wouldn’t mind sharing her wardrobe with her beloved daughter,” I said sweetly.
Maverik snorted. “That shit won’t work with me.”
I sighed in defeat. I could come back later and keep searching, but I was more sure than ever that I wouldn’t find anything. Nina was too smart to keep something like that where Richard or the staff might come across it and ask questions.
I pushed past Maverik as I walked out of the closet and back through the bedroom. I wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. Maverik seemed to share my thoughts, because he didn’t ask any more questions until we
