Chapter 32
AMALIE
“You were with Roman Barinov,” Kyle says, his voice low. “Not just working for him. Not just being a nanny to his son. You were with him.”
“Congrats, Detective. You solved the case.” I cross my arms over my chest. I don’t know why my instinct is to be such a brat.
“You don’t need to talk to me like that.”
I shift in my seat. “Like how you’re talking to me? I’m not a kid anymore, Kyle.”
“Amalie,” he says in that damn big brother tone again. “You don’t understand what you’ve walked into.”
“I understand that I got attacked the second I left Roman’s security.”
“Right, a security bubble you wouldn’t have needed if you’d never taken the damn job. Or if you left sooner!”
I shift in my seat. “I didn’t know who he was!”
“You could’ve asked me.”
“You’ve been undercover. I had no idea whether or not I could get a hold of you. Hell, I was surprised to see you here tonight.”
“I was picking up some intel. Good thing too—Roman would’ve snatched you right out of here otherwise.”
“Yeah, good thing I had my big brother here to make all of my decisions for me.”
“You want to go with him? Plunge even deeper into that insane world of his? You got a taste of it today, Amalie. You have no idea how many bodies Roman himself is responsible for, let alone his entire operation.”
I think about that night in the hot tub when we played truth or dare, when he looked me right in the eye and told me he’d killed before.
“And it’s not just thugs he tends to drop,” Kyle continues. “Women around him have a tendency to die, too.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He looks away, as if he regrets saying it. “It means there are patterns, Amalie. There’s history. And you’re acting like you’re immune to all of it.”
“I’m not acting like anything.”
Kyle’s mouth forms into a hard line. “Did anyone ever tell you what happened to his wife?”
“Just that she died.”
“The case is still unsolved.”
“Kyle…”
He walks away and I have no choice but to follow. When we reach his office, he pulls out his laptop. This is how he’s always been; once an idea gets into his head, he sees it through. It makes him a great detective but a pain-in-the-ass brother at times.
“I don’t want details,” I say. “I mean it.”
“I won’t give you all of them, but you at least need to know a little about what happened.”
He clicks and types, nodding when he finds what he’s been looking for. Then he turns the screen to me. I wince in anticipation, but it’s only words on a police report. I see her name, the date, and a scrawl at the bottom that says, “robbery gone bad.”
He looks up at me. “The official crime was listed as a robbery. They took her purse and her jewelry. It was determined she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. But we’ve always suspected it was a targeted hit made to look like a robbery.”
My stomach tightens. I think about my own attack less than an hour ago.
“That’s all I wanted to show you,” he says, closing the laptop. “It’s all just speculation, but you should know that we never had a suspect for the murder. Whoever did it was good enough to get the goods, kill her, and get away without leaving a scrap of usable evidence.”
I exhale, not sure what to think. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because you were attacked,” he says. “And people who orbit Barinov seem to place themselves in the crosshairs. Anyone close to him is a way to get to him. And if you and he are involved…” He looks away as if the very thought pains him.
“But I was safe in that house. I was with his son, doing art projects and making hot chocolate. His house is basically a very fancy and expensive bunker. I’m safe there. Nothing has happened.”
“Until tonight. Now that you’re in, you can’t get out without risking your goddamn life.” He runs his hand through his hair, frustrated and angry. “Amalie, I’m not telling you who you can and can’t date.”
“Oh, you’re not? Because that’s been my experience ever since I started dating.”
“I’m your older brother. It’s my job to protect you from scumbags.
But now you’re shacking up with a goddamn murderer!
” His voice booms off the walls of his office.
“You don’t just date a man like that. He’s not somebody you can ghost if you change your mind.
This is a connected man. I told you, once you’re in that world, you don’t just step out, as you learned today. ”
“I’m not an idiot, Kyle.”
“I know you’re not an idiot, but you’re in over your head. That much is clear.” He sighs. “Listen. Stay here where you’ll be safe. I’ll look into the attack. You can start your life where you left off. But without him.”
“I’m already a target. At least with him, I’ll be safe.”
He shakes his head. “You have no way of being certain about that. For all you know, he might’ve sent those guys after you to scare you into going back to him.”
“No. He wouldn’t do that.” The words come out of my mouth without thinking, but I know they’re true.
“You’re being na?ve. God, Amalie, you watch too many bad mov—”
A knock at the door interrupts him. Kyle moves over to the window, peering through the blinds. “Oh, come on…” Frustration hangs off his words.
Before I can ask him who it is, he opens the door. Max.
Shit.
He looks at Kyle, then at me, a worried expression on his face. Though with him, I can never tell if it’s a put-on or not.
“Kyle, Mal,” he says, stepping into the office. “I came as soon as I heard what happened.” He looks me over. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.” I mutter the words without looking at him.
He sighs. “Look, I know we’re not on the best of terms right now, but I still care about whether or not you’re safe.”
“Oh? Is that why you were spying on me at the mall?”
Kyle cocks his head to the side. “What are you talking about?”
“I tracked them from Barinov’s house a few days ago. Followed them to the mall. I approached her when she was alone.”
“Why?” Kyle asks.
Max doesn’t look regretful in the slightest. “Bro, you know who she’s been hanging around with. I wanted to meet with her and talk, see what was going on. What if she was prisoner and had no way out?”
Kyle nods slowly, as if it makes perfect sense to him. “Yeah. Maybe that was a good call.”
I snort in total frustration. “So those are my options? I go with Roman, or I consent to being stalked by you two?”
“You’re not being stalked,” Max says. “I was just keeping an eye on you, making sure you were safe. And you got fucking attacked anyway!”
Kyle sits on the edge of his desk, his arms crossed. I know that look—he’s thinking it over. I hate this. Despite my history with Max, he and Kyle are on the same team. “Blue backs blue,” as Kyle has always said.
Until the texts, however. When I showed those to Kyle, his opinion of Max changed. A hell of a lot.
“I don’t need or want anything from you,” I say to Max. “Not a goddamn thing.”
Max scoffs and shakes his head. “Bro,” he says, turning to Kyle. “We gotta—”
Kyle raises his hand. “Don’t bro me. Whatever’s going on now with Barinov, you and I aren’t even close to cool after how things ended with you and my sister.”
Max rolls his eyes as if Kyle is being totally unreasonable. “Man, are you serious? God, you two are related with how big of babies you’re both being about this. All I said to her was—”
“I know what you said to her,” Kyle cuts him off. “You don’t need to repeat it.”
“I wasn’t making fun of her,” Max goes on. “I was trying to help her.”
“Well, there’s something you both have in common,” I say. “You’re both offering help I didn’t ask for and don’t want or need.”
Max’s eyes widen. “Are you serious? You got attacked by Russian goons and you don’t think you need help?”
“Not from either of you.”
Max throws his hands in the air. “Kyle, I know you and I are kind of on the outs right now, but this is bigger than that. This is your sister we’re talking about, and she’s in serious fucking danger. Can we put aside our beef for like, two minutes, and figure out what to do with her?”
Kyle’s eyes stay on me, his jaw working. I can tell he’s considering it. “Maybe. I don’t know. God, what a mess. We’ve still got that safe house in Springfield, right? We could put her there for a little while, at least until things cool down.”
“Yeah,” Max agrees. “She can stay there with a few uni’s until we can figure out what’s going on.”
Sitting there listening to them discuss me like I’m not in the room with them is about all I can take. “Will you both just shut the fuck up?”
They stop talking and slowly turn their attention toward me.
I stand up. “Listen to you two! Standing there talking about me like I’m not even here, like I’m some piece of furniture you need to find a place for. I’m not a goddamn child. And I’m not going to stand here while you decide my future for me.”
Max raises his palms. “Okay, okay, easy. Let’s take a second here and figure this out—”
“There’s nothing to figure out,” I interrupt. “I’m in danger. That’s for sure. And yes, maybe it was my fault for getting into this mess in the first place. But this is my mess to get out of. And I’m going to do it.”
Kyle pushes off the desk. “Amalie, please don’t tell me—”
“I’m going to Roman’s.”
Max’s eyes flash. “Babe, you can’t be serious. You step out that door and you might get attacked again.”
“I’m not your babe.” I turn to Kyle. “And I’m not your burden to figure out. I’m leaving.”
I turn and walk out of the office. Kyle hurries after me. I stop and glare at him with pure anger in my eyes. “I think I made myself clear. Leave me alone, Kyle.”
He raises his palms. “Amalie, this is where you’re safe. Just stay here one night. That’s all I ask.”
“This is not a smart call,” Max says.
“It’s my call,” I reply as I walk away.
This time they don’t follow me.
I storm out of the place, rushing through the automatic doors so fast I nearly slam into them.
Outside, my breath puffs, and it hits me as I walk down the block that I have no idea what I’m going to do next. And then I see Andrei. He’s leaning against a parked car, his hands tucked into his coat, watching me. He gives me a small nod as I approach.
“I had a feeling you would be out of there sooner than later.”
I hug my coat around myself, my heart pounding. “Take me back.”
He gives me a once-over, checking for injuries. “You feel alright? You did get attacked, after all. Not to mention you put up one hell of a fight.”
“I’m fine. Please, let’s just go.”
Without another word, he opens the back door and I slide in.
As soon as he shuts it, I realize I’ve made a decision I might not be able to come back from.