Chapter 15
CHAPTER 15
ELLIE
I am physically shaking and almost choke on my own bile. This is the worst experience of my life and I am so far out of my depth I’m drowning.
Thank God Arman stepped in, but I’m not stupid enough to believe we are out of trouble yet and so I place my trust in him and hope he has a good excuse for interrupting this madness.
He now holds the attention of everyone in the room and says in a deep voice that sends shivers down my terrified spine.
“We need your help.”
The men say nothing and he faces them with an assured arrogance that takes no shit.
“Gabrielle is Marsha Steele’s daughter.”
My mouth drops because what the hell is he doing blowing my cover like this?
There is an audible gasp in the room and if anything, the tension increases.
Their attention is now firmly fixed on me and I don’t miss the uncertainty in their eyes and Michael hisses, “Explain.”
Arman is emotionless as he replies “My visit here today was not because of the business you have pulled from Romanov industries. We do not need your stamp of approval, or your investments, and you know it.”
I hold my breath because what the fuck is Arman doing? He is burning down his empire. For what?
Joel laughs cruelly.
“An interesting observation, but you are foolish if you believe you can survive without our help.”
Arman shrugs as if he doesn’t give a fuck about their help and says smoothly, “Gentlemen. We all know that my father was a founder member of this club and it works both ways. The Romanovs have invested billions in your projects and it would only take one signature from my brother to cancel your contracts.”
For the first time, I detect the power shift and a sense of unease hangs heavy in the air.
“So, what do you want?”
Michael interrupts and, although he is trying to maintain his hard expression, I register real fear hanging behind his eyes .
“We believe our father was murdered.”
Arman says coolly and the shock on the faces of the men tells me this is news to them.
“Murdered!”
Joel shakes his head. “How?”
“He was poisoned in his own home, and our investigations have led us to your organization.”
“Are you insinuating that we have something to do with this?” Tony butts in angrily and Arman faces him with a blank expression.
“Have you?”
“Of course not.” Ed interrupts, the only one of the men showing a hint of concern for Arman and his situation.
Arman nods toward me and says smoothly, “Our investigations led us to England, where we discovered my father’s involvement with Veronica Scott-Stanley. We were not the only ones looking.”
The unease on the men’s faces tells me there is something lying beneath the surface we need to know about, and any fear I had inside me is quickly replaced with curiosity.
“Who?”
“Marsha Steele and Nikolai Barinov.”
It’s as if he pulled the pin on a grenade and flung it into the room because the men appear terrified. They share uneasy glances and Michael hisses, “What else?”
“They are in New York, and we are under the impression they came for Gabrielle. Knowing Nikolai’s occupation, we decided to remove her for her own safety while we search for answers because, gentlemen, if that man is involved, serious shit is about to hit the fan.”
The men are uneasy and appear uncertain about how to respond to that and then Joel snaps.
“Why are you telling us this? ”
Arman fixes them all with a collective frown and says darkly, “Because my father belonged to your club, and I believe you may know something.”
He turns to Michael. “You want to test my loyalty? This party was arranged with that in mind. If you think fucking a whore in front of you and throwing my own into the mix is a true test. I pity you.”
I am now in love with Arman Romanov because he has turned this situation around with a few home truths laced with unveiled threats.
I don’t doubt his power right now. Even these men have backed down and lost their frosty, distrustful expressions.
“This is proof that I trust you with my most sensitive information and I am asking for your help. Business can turn on a bad day at the stock exchange, but friendships can ride the most violent storm. Are you as loyal to the club as my father was, or were you involved in his death?”
His words are like bullets firing around the room, hitting every single target because the men crumble before our eyes.
They appear uncertain and I witness real fear in their expressions and then Michael sighs heavily.
“If Andrei was murdered, any one of us could be next. It is in our interests to work together to find answers.”
It’s as if the air clears and the sun comes out because the relief in the room is palpable.
Joel nods toward a group of couches and growls, “I need a fucking drink. Come, we have much to discuss.”
As we follow him, he pours a shot of whiskey into six glasses and as he hands one to me, he says gruffly, “Please forgive my earlier actions, honey. I didn’t know the facts and I apologize for that.”
His apology has shocked me the most and I nod as I take the glass, wishing this was over and I could go and hide back in the white palace, away from any human interaction at all. I’m not cut out for this life. I’m a hotel receptionist for Christ’s sake and never in a million years imagined stuff like this actually happened. Worse still, my mother is in the thick of it and I never thought it possible that I could hate her even more than I do already.