Chapter 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
Alex’s breath caught in his throat, his fear quickly rising.
Jesus Christ. His mind froze.
“And,” Isobelle said, lifting a slender finger, “Andrej employs his daughter Nora to scout women. Like any game, they get some sort of thrill with the hunt. Pick a big game—the daughter of a someone prominent—befriend her, invite her into their home, and gain her trust. Extra points for preying on someone dealing with grief.”
Isobelle shrugged. “The game’s stakes were raised when Scarlet was promoted. Balthazar has been in an increasingly foul mood since her attempted kidnapping. I think he realizes how close the authorities are.”
Kyle looked over at Lyn. “What other proof do you have?”
Lyn handed him some files. “I did some digging for some sort of evidence. Brevic is North Pointe’s chief investor. He’s on the board. That’s part of his game. Paper trails can lead somewhere if you look hard enough.”
Lyn lifted her phone up and looked at the screen. “I found transactions and emails between Brevic and Maxim that speak of a third partner named Stefan Petrovich.”
Edward shifted in his seat, his attention snapping to Kyle.
“Maxim was receiving big funds from overseas accounts attached to the name. Everything was highly suspect, so I dug more,” Lyn said.
“Turns out, Stefan Petrovich is Andrej Brevic’s real name, and Nora isn’t even his daughter.
She’s a Croatian ballerina he entrapped years ago.
He most likely brainwashed her, or she’s just nuts, and now she does his dirty work under the radar. ”
Kyle didn’t even look surprised. He nodded to Lyn. “You figured this all out on your own in a few hours?”
“Sure,” she responded. “I may look like some elitist, money-grubbing lawyer, but I’m great at digging up dirt.
I can forward you everything I have. Brevic doesn’t exactly hide his business dealings.
No one at the North Pointe office looks at him because his name has a clean record, and it’s a ballet company. Pretty good place to hide.”
Kyle blinked. “Impressive.”
“Thanks.” She smiled at him.
Alex stood up abruptly. “If you’ll excuse me. I need to go.”
“Hold on,” Kyle said, turning off the recorder. “We aren’t done.”
“I left Scarlet with Nora,” Alex said. “She lives with her! They’re best friends.”
Isobelle sighed. “I tried to warn her.”
Alex pulled his phone out, dialing Scarlet. Just answer. Please…
A wave of regret hit him. He should have made Scarlet stay with her parents.
Instead, she’d been sympathetic to the situation, thinking it wasn’t about her.
In the end, Andrej Brevic—or whoever he was—caused the chaos and stirred up dust, so when the time came to really strike, no one knew what hit them.
The phone continued to ring until Scarlet’s cheerful voice asked Alex to leave a message. He squeezed his eyes shut, willing the panic away. He had to keep his head in the game.
The door to the interrogation room opened and Lance poked his head in. “Boss, Uly’s here. Says he needs you.”
Alex opened his eyes, letting out a sigh of impatience. “Finally.”
Uly sauntered through the door, looking calmly around. “Hey, we need to get going. I’m double-parked.”
“Where are we going?” Lance put his hands on his hips.
“And what do you know?” Alex pressed.
Uly eyed him. “One question at a time.”
Alex fought against the urge to punch him. Uly moved at the pace of a retiree strolling the beach. His unconventional attitude called his skill into question.
“What did you want, then?” Alex frowned, unsure of the man’s quirky behavior.
“Oh,” Uly said, snapping his fingers. “I have a name for you. We need to go … you know, get him.”
“Stefan Petrovich?” Kyle asked, standing up.
“Yeah.” Uly gave him a goofy smile. “Well-known crime lord.”
“Well known to whom?” Lyn scrunched up her nose.
Uly looked up at the ceiling instead of answering.
“He made a name for himself over the past four years doing steady business out of the Bay Area after his old partnership dissolved and he had to relocate. He targeted Maxim early, manipulated him, and replaced him as partner— which, my bad, I thought was Edward North at first.”
Edward blinked. “Me?”
Uly shrugged. “Yeah. Since Petrovich was already involved with both companies, it was hard to tell which company was the dirty one. I don’t do tech shit, and I certainly don’t put anything past anyone.”
Alex raised an eyebrow. “So, what did you find out?”
Uly pressed his lips together in thought. “I know some people who have been after Petrovich for a while. They gave me some info to start my search, if I promised to resolve the situation myself, and deliver him to them.”
“What?” Lance looked confused. “Like a bounty hunter?”
Uly thought for a moment. “Yeah, man. Sure.”
“Not gonna happen.” Kyle shook his head, moving his jacket out of the way to reveal his badge.
“I mean, I don’t think you can stop these people.” Uly smirked at the shiny piece of metal. “They’re the type who don’t follow rules. This Petrovich guy has his hands in a lot of candy jars, and he has a real weird fetish with control … maybe it’s a crime lord thing.”
“What people?” Lance asked.
Uly looked over at him and winked.
Alex didn’t want to stick around, trying to figure out what the hell Uly was trying to say. Whoever wanted Petrovich wasn’t his concern—Scarlet was.
If I lose her… Alex didn’t want to finish the thought.
“What do we have to do?” He asked.
Uly’s eyes flashed as he cracked a smile.
“What?” Alex blinked.
Uly inched closer to Alex, like he wanted to tell him a secret. “We need to get going … like now. Petrovich is on the move, and I’m serious about being double-parked.”
Lance sighed. “You need a plan. No one runs anywhere blind. Crime lords aren’t my thing, and I don’t want to be killed by one.”
Uly raised an eyebrow, then glanced at Kyle. “You think you can get your men down to Pier 70? I’ll take these guys and track Petrovich. We’ll cover more area that way.”
Kyle narrowed his eyes. “That wasn’t the deal.”
Uly shrugged nonchalantly. “Deals change.”
Kyle tilted his head at Uly, looking him up and down. “You can’t kill him.”
“I won’t kill him,” Uly held up a hand. “I’ll keep a low profile. You know, I’ve been doing this longer than you.”
Kyle threw Uly a glare to which made Uly’s smile widen.
“Doing what?” Lance raised an eyebrow. “What the hell is going on? Since when are you in charge?”
Alex fought to keep his composure amidst Uly’s strange behavior.
“Both of you shut up,” he ordered. “Scarlet’s in trouble. We need to go find her. Now.”
He pulled out his phone and looked at the GPS.
Please. Please have it with you…
Alex frowned at the screen. The signal was active, and it had moved recently from Clay Street, where Scarlet lived. Scarlet had to have the phone on her.
Somehow the new location made sense. He had to check it out. He locked eyes with Uly.
“I’m trusting you,” he said, walking to the door, motioning for Lance to follow him. “Let’s go.”
“Wait,” Edward said. “Where are you going?”
Alex turned back to him. “North Pointe.”