Chapter 37 Henry
Chapter thirty-seven
I take a minute to look out my office window at the sunrise over the city before settling in for some research.
I left especially early this morning to try to make it here before anyone else, hoping for several hours of peace.
Not many people should be here since it’s only a few days until New Year's, and almost everyone is off for the holiday week.
I’m lost in a trail of files pertaining to the land dispute when the lights in the main office turn on, and a glance at the time confirms I’ve been at it for a couple of hours.
“Good morning, Henry!”
I look up from my stack of papers to see Linda at my door, looking to be in good spirits. Smiling, I tell her good morning, hoping that will suffice and she’ll leave me be. Of course she doesn’t. “How was your Christmas?” she asks.
With a sigh, I place the papers I’ve strewn in front of me neatly back into a file and give her my attention. “It was wonderful, Linda. And how was yours?”
Somehow her grin grows even bigger. “Fan. Tastic,” she says, breaking the word apart in a way that has me grinding my teeth.
I know my time of peace has come to an end. I stand to leave, grabbing my file and keys from the desk. “Well, if that's all, I’ll be on my way. I just came in to grab a few things.”
I expect her to move from the doorframe to let me pass, but the closer I get, the more I worry a conflict might arise. I could just push past her or ask her to move like a nice normal boss. Excuse me usually does the trick.
“Oh!” she says, thankfully unblocking my path as she runs over to her desk. “Here, this is for Kat, erm…Mrs. Sinclair. I feel like the two of us might have gotten off on the wrong foot. I just wanted her to know I’m very happy she’s around to deal with your grumpy self now instead of me.”
Linda laughs as she hands me an elegantly arranged gift basket filled with assorted treats and…fruit.
Green fruit.
Green fruit I’ve become quite familiar with over the past twenty-four hours.
Cerbera odollam.
The entire world stands still as everything runs together.
Linda S. Baker. I’ve only ever seen her full name a handful of times on official documents, but I remember it well enough.
Suddenly, her strange behavior toward Katarina makes sense.
But why? In ten years, I’ve never had the slightest reason to suspect her of having any romantic feelings for me.
Even when she was dealing with the applications and correspondents with potential submissives, not once did she demonstrate the slightest bit of jealousy.
“Is something wrong?” she asks, bringing me back to the moment.
Every ounce of restraint I have is being tested as I look up to see an obviously painted look of concern on her face.
My instinct is telling me to end her life right now, but I know that would be a nightmare to clean up.
No, I have to contain myself. She’s still going to die for her attempt on Katarina’s life.
But in the light of day, in the middle of the heavily surveilled office, is not the time or place.
Luckily, thirty years of business training have taught me how to think quickly in situations like these. Well, not necessarily this type of situation, but still.
With a pained expression of my own, I sigh, “Actually, Linda, Katarina and I aren’t on good terms…”
“Oh, I hate to hear that,” she says, with a frown.
“Yes, I’m afraid whatever short stint of hope I had for our union to work was only ever that. Hope. Maybe we could discuss it later tonight? Over dinner?”
She reaches up to touch my shoulder, and it’s a fight for my life not to cut her hand off letting her touch linger on my chest. “I would love that.”
“Wonderful,” I spit out, removing her hand by her wrist as gently as possible, not wanting to give away my charade at the moment. “I’ll have a car pick you up at seven.”
“Well, lovely to see you too, brother…hey! ” Ledger yells as I pull him through the door.
As soon as I was safely in my car, I called him, letting him know to get his ass to the estate.
Since Ivan and Sasha are already there, I thought it would be an easier base as we figure out everything before I meet with Linda tonight.
I should’ve told her tomorrow and given us more time to get our ducks in a row, but she’s already lucky she has the extra ten hours to live.
I lead him through the house to the study and guide him behind my desk. He looks at me with suspicion as I push him into my chair. Ivan and Sasha are already sitting, so I pull up one of the more plush chairs between them and Ledger and waste no time cutting to the chase. “It’s Linda.”
Minutes pass as all three men look at me in confusion, until Sasha breaks the silence. “Who the fuck is Linda? I swear to God, Henry, if you’re cheating on my sister, I’ll kill you.”
“I suggest you take back that threat right fucking now,” Ledger growls. “I don’t give a damn if you’re the bratva or not, I'll beat you to a pulp if you try to lay a hand on my brother.”
Any pride I had in the way Ledger defended me is short-lived as he turns his attention to me. “Now, you better have a good explanation for who Linda is because if you’re cheating on your wife, I’ll beat you to a bloody fucking pulp.”
I look between the three men. Ivan is sitting with his hand over his eyes, massaging his temples, while Ledger and Sasha are both practically fuming.
“Linda is my PA, you idiots,” I say, shaking my head.
“And if either of you ever questions my devotion to my wife again, I’ll beat you both. Understood?”
I look between the two of them as they nod.
“As I was saying, Linda is behind this. I don’t know why, but I know it’s her.
” I pause, getting up to go grab the basket from the corner of the room before setting it on the desk in front of us.
“She gave me this and told me it was a gift for Katarina. If you’ll notice, it’s identical to the one in Pavel’s office, so I’m all but certain she was behind his death as well.
I don’t know what reason she would have to kill him, and I don’t know why she would target Tommy either, but I plan to find out.
We have dinner this evening at seven, so Ledger, you need to find anything and everything you can on her in the meantime.
Sasha, Ivan, I’m going to need your more…
nefarious skills. She’s not making it out of this evening alive. ”
I’ve been sitting around useless while everyone else does their jobs.
I’ve decided the most poetic way to kill her is with the fruit she used for her own victims, so there’s really not much left for me to do at this point.
Ledger is finding out everything he possibly can about the woman, while Ivan and Sasha arrange the logistics of the evening.
Ledger called the girls to come keep Katarina company while we worked, which is good because I’d be much more inclined to abandon the guys and go fuck my wife if my mother and sister weren't in the same room. As it stands, with my current level of angst, that’s still not entirely off the table.
I’m unraveling more with every passing hour.
The Taranovs have pretty much figured out their end of things.
We are going to meet at an upscale restaurant where I’m going to use every acting skill I’ve ever developed during my life and “woo her.” I’m to make her really believe that I’ve always had feelings for her.
Then I’m going to suggest she come home with me to a secret property of mine, a.k.a.
the Taranovs’, that my wife “doesn’t know about.
” Give her a drink with the toxin from the plant, and get her confession.
The problem is, Ledger hasn’t found out anything that would lead us to believe Linda to be a cold-blooded killer.
Her record is crystal clean and her accomplishments exemplary.
Something I knew when I hired her. In fact, she wouldn’t have been hired in the first place had those things not been true.
“Guys…” My brother’s face tells me he’s found what we’re looking for. “I think you’re all going to want to sit down for this.”
The three of us walk back to the desk where he’s been working and sit as suggested. A glance at my in-laws confirms they are just as confused as I am.
Ledger looks between us, his eyes wide. “Linda isn’t her real name. It’s Simona. Simona Linden. And her mother’s name, well. It’s Natalya Dmitrievna Taranova.”
“Sorry for the state of things,” I say, walking Linda, Simona, through the door to one of Taranovs’ burner houses.
“I had to have some place to go since I made the mistake of letting Katarina know about my other properties, so this is a very recent purchase, and I haven’t had much time for renovation. ”
“That’s fine. I’m just thrilled to finally have some time with you alone.”
“Why don’t you go get freshened up while I pour us a drink.
” I’m flooded with relief when she takes the bait and leaves me to fix up her concoction.
I opt for two different drinks to avoid any chance of a mix-up.
After almost ten years of working so close together, I know she won’t think a thing about me pouring her a glass of wine while I nurse some scotch.
Taking a breath, I ground myself as I wait for her to get back.
Having to pretend to care for the person I hate the most in this world has been grueling tonight.
I barely fought the urge to slit her throat right in the middle of the restaurant.
Every word out of her mouth had me ready to throw up my meal.
My only saving grace was thinking of my revenge.
“Now, where were we?” I’m broken from my thoughts as Linda tries closing in on me, her hands reaching for my chest.
“Actually, I wanted to get your advice on something first,” I say, holding out her glass to block her from putting her hands on me and leading her to one of the chairs in the sitting room.