Chapter 23
CHAPTER 23
ANA
M ikhail attempted to prevent me from coming, but I stood my ground. This is my shit to deal with and above anything else, James needs me.
We force our way into the room and it only takes me a moment to spy James on the ground beside the bed and he looks in a bad way.
“James!”
I call out as I fly to his side and barely register Adele screaming, “What the fuck? Get out!”
I reach his side and he smiles, a crooked one filled with pain. “I’m okay.”
“Like hell you are.”
I crouch down beside him and gingerly touch his face, conscious of the blood and bruises that are already covering his body.
The bed cover is disguising most of his wounds and I turn and stare with venom at the woman who is attempting to get us to leave.
“You fucking bitch.”
“Get out. Before I–”
“Before what, Mrs. Kenricky?”
Mikhail is leaning against the wall, his men covering the exit, staring at Adele with pure anger.
“What did you say?” Her voice falters and Mikhail shrugs.
“I called you by your real name. Adele Kenricky, wife of Charles Kenricky. The same man who is running for president of this great country.”
Silence greets his words as every drop of blood leaves her face and she ages incredibly.
“I, I–”
Mikhail nods to his consigliere, who steps forward and holds up an iPad to Adele’s eyes and replays the events that happened here not long ago.
“Please–” Her voice trembles as she attempts to bargain with them.
“I have money. I can pay. Just give me that recording.”
“Where is the fun in that?”
Mikhail shakes his head and points to the chair set against the small desk.
“Take a seat. We have business to discuss.”
Mikhail swings his gaze to James and I watch the rage deepen in his eyes.
“Are you okay? ”
It’s the understatement of the century, but James nods. “I’m okay. Thanks.”
One of the guards tosses him his clothes that were left near the door and as James attempts to pull them on his bloodied body, Adele begins to cry.
“Please, I can explain.”
“No need.” Mikhail sits on the edge of the desk and studies his fingernails as if bored.
“We saw and heard everything. It was quite a performance.”
“It’s a game. A mutual game, isn’t that right, James?”
“I said no.” Is all James says in reply and Adele starts to shake.
“But you didn’t mean it. Did you, darling?”
“Of course I fucking meant it, you sadistic bitch.”
He is getting angry and rightly so, and I place my hand on his arm and smile softly, “It’s okay, James, Mikhail can take it from here.”
“Who are you?”
Adele catches my eye and I note the anger flare as she sees my hand on James and I say casually, “Oh, I’m sorry, didn’t James tell you he has a girlfriend now? Perhaps you never gave him the chance to speak before you whipped the hell out of him as soon as he stepped inside the door, you sick bitch.”
“How dare you? Do you know who I am?”
It makes us all laugh and Adele stutters, “You have nothing. My husband will–”
“Will what, Adele? Call in a few favors. Ask his friends at Burning Roses for help to sweep this discretion under the carpet. Perhaps he will appeal to his Russian friends, or then again, call in help from the chief of police and the mayor, who I believe are close personal friends of yours.”
Adele has no words and Mikhail growls, “Consider us the untouchables, and consider this arrangement over. However, the only way you will keep this scandal from hitting the campaign trail is to answer a few questions we have.”
“Questions.” I can see Adele’s mind working as she seizes on any way out of the situation.
“What questions?”
“Who killed Andrei Romanov for one?”
Her eyes widen and I watch with interest as the penny drops and she gasps, “Andrei!”
“Otherwise known as our father.” Mikhail says with a snarl and Adele gazes around the room in a blind panic as she realizes she has nowhere else to run.
“I don’t know.” She says quickly and Mikhail merely laughs.
“Don’t know, or won’t tell.”
“I don’t know.”
She takes a deep breath and says quickly, “I mean that. I really don’t. There is no reason to kill Andrei, he was too powerful and important to us to wish him dead.”
“Then who would – wish him dead, that is?”
“If I knew I would tell you, please believe me. ”
Mikhail shifts and says quickly, “Marsha Steele. What can you tell us about her?”
“That bitch.” Adele sneers. “I went to school with her. She was always an easy lay and kept the men entertained—all of them.”
“So you are aware of her organization, Burning Roses.”
Adele hangs her head and says softly, “I am. It’s not anything I want to be a part of.”
“Your husband can’t say the same though, can he, Adele?” Mikhail adds, and she snaps her eyes to his and hisses, “Charles has his fun and so do I. What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing if you don’t seek public office I’d say and preach the sanctity of marriage and Christian values to the voters, while breaking every rule on morality in the process.”
Adele has no response to that and Mikhail changes direction.
“Veronica Scott-Stanley. Tell me about her.”
She shrugs. “She was another school friend. I heard she died in a freak accident.”
“Do you know who wanted her dead?” He adds, and she shakes her head vigorously.
“Your mother, I’m guessing.”
I swear if I had a gun I would shoot the words from her mouth and Mikhail is not known for his self control when it concerns our mother and this is no exception.
He grasps her face between his fingers and squeezes hard, a muffled squeal of pain coming from the woman who likes to dish it out but can’t take it.
“Never speak of my mother again, you sad old bitch.”
He releases her face with a look of disdain and to our surprise, she laughs out loud.
“What’s this? Have I hit a nerve? You know, Grace was always the innocent one. Butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth and she played all the right moves.”
“What moves?”
I stand and head to my brother’s side and stare deep into her eyes as she hisses, “She was always so innocent. The pretty one. Everybody loved Grace. She was perfect marriage material. None of us stood a chance against her and she could have chosen any of those fools, but she chose the penniless one. Andrei Romanov. She chose him because he was in love with someone else and she couldn’t bear being second best.”
“You’re talking about Veronica. He was in love with her.”
I throw Mikhail a warning glare to back the fuck off as we uncover more secrets from the past that appear to have defined the present.
“Yes, they were in love. It was obvious but Grace decided for reasons of her own that Andrei was the prize and she took steps to change his mind.”
There is a moment in life when it all changes. Everything you ever believed is brought into question and in this hotel room, a desperate woman is throwing everything she can to get herself off the hook, but something about the way she tells it is too real.
She shakes her head and sighs.
“All I know is that one minute Andrei and Veronica were in love and then the next thing he was announcing his engagement to Grace. I swear that’s it. As for your father–”
She shakes her head and a sad gleam lights her eyes.
“Nobody associated with The Rose Foundation or what it stood for would have wanted him dead. He was one of our founders. An important member of the team and when I learned that Veronica had also died, I wondered if it had something to do with their relationship.”
“Who would have been concerned about that?”
Mikhail’s voice is rough and I can tell he is shaken and Adele shrugs. “You may find that answer closer to home. That’s all I’m saying.”
I glance at my brother and he nods, shifting off the desk before saying as an aside, “And Marsha Steele, who wanted her dead?”
Adele shrugs. “Many people, I’m guessing. That woman was a walking disease. Once again, you may find the answer closer to home than you think.”
She holds out her hand. “I’ve given you what you want. Now give me the recording.”
Before Mikhail replies, James says with a wince of pain, “There are still the questions regarding the donations. ”
“What donations?”
“The corporate ones mainly.” I add. “However, that can wait because I’m mindful this man requires medical attention and you?—”
I glare at Adele with pure hatred.
“Are expected at The Rose Foundation first thing tomorrow morning to explain the discrepancies we have uncovered.”
The blood drains from her face. “I don’t understand.”
“Oh, haven’t you heard? I’m one of your new accountants and I don’t like what I’ve discovered. In fact, I am honor bound to report my findings to the relevant authorities and will be making the call at nine-fifteen tomorrow morning unless you are sitting in James’s office with the answers to our questions. So, good day, Mrs. Kenricky. Say hi to your husband and tell him I’m looking forward to meeting him soon.”
I take James’s hand in mine and throw her a filthy look before heading out of the room, leaving Mikhail to do what the fuck he wants with that despicable woman. I have more important things pending and the first is to make sure James is okay.