Chapter 36
IVY
“…the apprehension of known fugitive Alexei Sidorov is a huge accomplishment for the NYPD. In a difficult war against the organized crime that ravages this city day in, day out, NYPD officers often find themselves at the bottom of the list, but with us today is Detective Reid who will shortly, in detail, describe the incredible efforts of everyone involved with this case. Many New Yorkers will remember the plane crash a few months ago that killed almost all occupants inside, and the resulting trauma of the survivors. Experts describe the culprit, Alexei Sidorov, as a narcissistic psychopath who took great pleasure in causing such painful turmoil, not only to the victims and their families. Not only that, but Detective Reid will also tell us how Alexei’s murder of a small, ordinary family and his resulting manhunt against a survivor who remains unnamed were key to his downfall three days ago… ”
The newscaster smiles brightly as she ends her segment and the news rolls into an ad break.
Detective Reid? I’ve never met them in my life, nor were any police present when the rest of the Suit poured onto the roof to save Ruslan and me. Yet somehow, there’s a detective claiming credit for stopping Alexei and putting an end to his reign of terror on New York.
“How is that possible?” I murmur from my spot on the couch, buried neck deep in blankets.
“How is what possible?” Raven lifts her head. She sits a few feet away on the floor with one leg outstretched to support her laptop, a green smoothie balanced in one hand while she types.
“This.” I turn my phone toward her and flash the article linked to the new report I just watched. “Who is Detective Reid? And how are they able to claim they stopped Alexei when it wasn’t him? It was us.”
“Oh.” Raven’s mouth twists to the side, then she finishes her typing and faces me fully. “Did Ruslan ever explain that this job that we do has a lot of give and take?”
I nod slowly.
“Well, we can’t claim credit for Alexei.
Those in the criminal underworld will know what he did and that we stopped him.
They’ll also know that Kraven handed over his own son, which to some is pretty drastic, but given that we wouldn’t have been able to stop Alexei without that information, it softens the blow to Kraven’s reputation. ”
“How so?”
“Because Kraven giving up his son paints him as a man dedicated to ensuring the underworld continues to run smoothly. It shows he values his work within his estate, his peace with the Italians and all other business ventures,” says Valentina as she walks into the lounge.
“If Kraven kept Alexei hidden, everyone’s trust in him would vanish like that.
” She snaps her long fingers and perches on the end of the coffee table.
“And his punishment for lying for so long, resulting in several attempts against us, is that he loses his son. At least this way, he can still give Alexei a funeral.” As she glances at Raven, she takes the green smoothie from her and steals a few sips.
“So, Detective Reid is the next part of your plan?” I ask. “You have the cops take the credit so that they get something out of this and also makes the public feel safe again.”
“See, you’re getting it.” Raven smiles. “The sooner we melt back into the shadows, the better. We’ve spent far too many months at the forefront of this. God knows what slipped by under our noses.”
“Cassian and Bradley will also make sure the drug connection gets forgotten. They’ll spin some reasoning that the cops will eat up, they’ll get to pin a few awards on decorative detectives who keep the city safe, people’s opinion of them will go up, and everyone is happy.
It’s a win-win.” Valentina hands Raven her smoothie back.
“All in all, it’s the best outcome we could hope for. ”
“So it’s just… over?” My gaze darts between the two of them. “Everyone just moves on?”
“We have to,” Raven replies. “Ruslan might feel a little different, but our work never stops.”
“It still blows my mind that you five have all this power.”
“Sometimes, it’s not enough,” Valentina murmurs.
“We ignored Alexei for too long. If it wasn’t for Ruslan, then he would have continued to tear through the Italians to cover up what he did and the mess would have been…
” She shakes her head. “Countless people would be dead and we would think them justified because of the plane.”
“Kind of fucks up our whole agenda,” Raven murmurs. “Everything’s shifted. Makes me wonder how many other times the Suit has turned a blind eye and missed something this catastrophic because the rules kept us out.”
“I know,” Valentina replies. “So you see, Ivy, we might seem all-powerful and yeah, we have connections, but… at the end of the day, managing an underworld of criminals is intense.”
“I understand.”
“But it works,” Raven sighs, closing her laptop.
“If not for us, the cops would be over everyone and everything. Family alliances would be a thing of the past because dicks like Alexei would just kill everyone to be on top, and no one can survive like that with the police and everything else raining down on them.”
“A delicate balance,” I murmur, echoing something Ruslan told me a while ago. “Speaking of Alexei, I should go and see Ruslan. The doctor should be finished by now.”
“Sure thing.” Valentina smiles at me as I stand, and she catches my blankets as they fall from my legs. “Tell him to suck it up and get over it already.”
“Will do.” I chuckle. I head out of the room but only make it down the corridor to the kitchen before a buzz in my pocket distracts me. Pulling out my phone again, I stare at the screen and my heart skips a beat.
Moira.
She’s been texting and calling ever since Alexei ended up on the news.
On some level, I understand why she did what she did.
A threat from Alexei is no easy matter. But the trust I had with her has faded to nothing after everything.
She calls while I’m still mulling it over, and against my better judgment, I answer.
“Ivy?” Moira gasps. “Oh, thank God, I’ve been begging for you to pick up for days!”
“I’ve been busy, given everything that’s happened.”
“Right,” Moira gasps, her voice thick as if she’s been crying. “It’s been crazy for you, I bet.”
“Mmhmm.”
“Look… I want to apologize for what happened and—”
“Moira.” I cut her off gently. “I understand why you did it. I do. And I don’t blame you. But after that and everything with my father… I don’t know if I trust you anymore or even if I can. I need some time to get my life back together. So if you can give me that time, I’d be grateful.”
Moira’s silent for a long moment, then she clears her throat. “Okay. Okay.”
“Thank you.” When she still doesn’t speak, I quietly hang up and groan. Moira doesn’t call back.
“Very mature,” comes Cassian’s gentle voice as he walks out of the kitchen with a wrapped sandwich in hand.
“Thanks.” I smile up at him.
“How are you holding up?”
“I’m okay. I’ll be better once Ruslan is out of the medical wing, I think. It’s giving me anxiety after what happened with my mom.”
Cassian nods slowly. “Understandable. I know it’s not a priority right now, but when things are settled, I have a lot of connections in the city. If there’s a job you’d like, then I’m more than happy to set that up for you.”
“Really?” My eyes widen. “I… wow, I hadn’t even thought of anything normal like that.”
“I know. And I’m not saying it as a means to rush you into any decision, but I wanted to offer before I fly out to San Francisco tonight.”
“Ooh, what’s out there?”
“Just work.” Cassian chuckles. “Rumors of a couple of idiots loyal to Alexei. Gotta nip that in the bud.”
“Wow. It’s crazy how one regular affair could almost topple so much and cause so many ripples even now.” I lift my hand and drag my fingers through my hair. “It still sort of feels like a dream.”
“That’s good. The last thing you want is for it to feel normal.”
I hum my agreement and we pass each other, but just before he walks away, I turn and catch his arm. “Actually, what time do you fly out? I kind of want to visit my parents’ graves.”
“I’m taking the red eye, so any time before then is good,” Cassian replies with a smile. “Just let me know.”
“Thank you. I will.”
I continue down to the medical wing and walk right in, not caring whether the doctor is in with Ruslan or not. He told me to leave two hours ago and that was two hours too long.
Inside, Ruslan is propped up against some pillows, and his bruised face grows into a smile as he spots me. “I was about to call you.”
“We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” I tease softly as I rest gently on the edge of his bed. “How are you feeling?”
“Terrible.”
“What did the doctor say?”
“That I’m lucky to be alive,” Ruslan groans softly. “But I’m going to be okay. I promise.”
“You really promise?” My hand slips over the top of his. “When they told me your rib pierced your lung, I was so scared.”
“I’m sorry.” Ruslan’s hand turns under mine until we’re palm to palm, and then he threads his fingers through mine. “Not only for scaring you with this, but for everything. Everything you’ve been through and suffered… I’m sorry I couldn’t prevent any of that sooner.”
“Are you serious?” Our eyes meet. “Ruslan… I would have been dead three times over without your help. Without your being there to protect me and to help me. No one would even know about me or my family. If you hadn’t taken a chance on me, I’d just be another footnote in an article if anyone even found my body. ”
“You wouldn’t,” Ruslan replies, his eyes darting back and forth as he gazes into mine.
“I would be. You made me important when you made the decision to listen to me. That saved my life. You saved my life. Even on that roof… I was so prepared to throw myself off because I knew you would get him. Somehow, I knew.”
Ruslan’s expression hardens. “Never again. Never speak about your life so casually again, you hear me?”
“Why?” I ask as a smile creeps across my lips.
“Because I love you.” Escaping my hand, he lifts his arm and caresses the side of my face. “I love you. And I’m never, ever going to let you forget just how precious your life is, understand?”
For the first time in what feels like forever, a bud of warmth blooms beneath my ribs and it spreads through me as I lean forward and lightly kiss Ruslan on the lips.
“I’ll never forget because I love you too.”