Chapter 13
thirteen
“You had the men move Abram’s widow and children?”
Vas nods as he prepares himself a cup of coffee at the hotel’s continental breakfast. One look at me and he hands me his cup and pours another. Damn. Do I look that bad?
Sleep has been negligible at best. Haunted by memories of the past. Doesn’t help it’s all one large porn dream that has me waking up hot and heavy with a growing need pulsing between my legs.
My hand isn’t the same as Matthias’s. That is for sure.
“Sully and his men cleared them out this morning,” he informs me. Taking a sip of his coffee, he continues. “Seems like Abram had a contingency plan in place in case things went to shit. She wasn’t even surprised when we showed up on her doorstep. Had some suitcases ready to go and everything.”
“Good,” I murmur, my eyes closing as the taste of pure heaven sears my tongue. It’s cheap, but that’s fine with me. I spent a year downing cheap coffee and booze. “Sully says we can’t touch Cartwright. Not yet anyway. What about O’Neill?”
Vas’s eyes twinkle with mirth. “Oh, I have just the plan for that.”
“Why do I have a feeling I’m not going to like this?” I groan. Vas shrugs.
“Depends.” He shrugs, grabbing a plate and helping himself to a hearty plate of eggs, bacon, and grilled veggies. “How quick of a study are you?”
“Pretty good,” I tell him. “What are you having me learn?”
“How to be the CEO of a billion-dollar security company in less than–” he looks at his watch. “–six hours.”
“Great,” I mutter. “Cause that’s something I’ve done before.”
Vas grins at me as we sit down with my father at one of the tables situated in the back. “Did you tell her the plan?” he asks. I turn to him.
“You’re in on it too?” I pretend to be appalled.
“It’s not like it’s a real date.” My father shrugs casually. “It’s mostly just business.”
Pump the brakes.
“I’m sorry.” I stare at the two men incredulously. “Did you just say date?”
My father shoots Vas a look. “You didn’t tell her that part?”
Vas chuckles lightly. “Hadn’t gotten that far.”
Liam curses under his breath.
“You want me to go on a date with the guy who had a hand in covering up my mother’s murder?” Disbelief is written over my entire face in red permanent marker. “He’s old and crunchy.”
The two men choke on their breakfast.
Serves them right.
Vas coughs, pounding on his chest to dislodge whatever is stuck. His fucking ego, probably. Devious bastard.
“With his son,” my father placates in a hoarse voice. “Jaysus. What kind of father do you take me for?”
“Eh.” I shake my hand side to side. “So-so.”
“So-so?” he repeats slowly. “I am not so-so.”
“Then where’s my pony?”
Vas snorts into his coffee cup and coughs.
“You want a pony?” he asks seriously. “I’ll get you a pony. Fuck, I’ll buy you an entire stable.”
Throwing my head back, I laugh.
“I don’t need a pony.”
He doesn’t look convinced. Shit. What if he actually buys me a stable full of horses?
Wouldn’t be the worst thing.
Except—I don’t know anything about horses.
And I am pretty sure I’m allergic to hay.
“Alright,” Vas intercedes. “Moving on.”
“Fine,” I grumble. “Why do I have to go on a date with crusty’s son?”
Leaning back in his chair, Vas fixes his gaze on me. “It’s not a date, Ava,” he assures me. “It’s a business meeting. Matthias has always vocalized his disdain for Platinum Security publicly. We need you to convince him we want to partner with him.”
“Why? What’s the end game?”
“Jameson O’Neill built his company with money stained in your mother’s blood,” Vas explains gently. “Not only that, but there is evidence that his company is working with whoever has been shipping women for auction.”
That is suspicious. Where did he come up with that information?
“Who told you that?”
“Mark’s been digging into their background and clients.” Vas waves his hand dismissively. A sure sign he is hiding something from me. But why? “If we can make him believe that you don’t have the same scruples as Matthias, maybe we can get some insight into who they are working for.”
“The Dollhouse.” Why is he repeating information? We’ve already been over this.
“We think the Dollhouse is just one facet to something larger that we can’t see,” Vas informs me. “Have you ever heard of Potestas Omnis?”
I snort. “Impotus Omnis sounds more appropriate if you ask me.”
They both groan. “Potestas Omnis is Latin for Power Over All. We believe it’s a secret society going back more generations than anyone could count. Possibly even as far as the fall of Rome.”
“We?”
Vas’s lips part slightly. The only tell he gives me that hints at his duplicity.
“Mark and I.”
My lips tip down, I nod. “You and Mark discovered a sudden link to a secret society?” Vas nods. “By yourselves?” Another nod.
“Right.” I stand from the table. “Look, I’ll go on your stupid business date with Crunchy Jr. But, until you start telling me the fucking truth Vasily Ivankov, feel free to step down as my sovietnik.”
“Ava,” my father cautions gently.
What the hell?
“No.” I slam my hand down on the Formica tabletop. “I’m done with the lies and subterfuge. How am I supposed to trust my own men when they can’t tell me the truth? Do you not trust me to be your leader? Was you backing me with your father all a lie?”
“It’s not like that, Ava.” Vas pushes his chair back and stands. He leans toward me, hands on the table supporting him. “I need you to trust that I can’t tell you everything. Not right now.”
The laugh that leaves my lips is dead and mirthless.
“That’s not how this works, Vasily,” I tell him. “Matthias and everyone kept me on the outside. Hell, I didn’t even know I would inherit the Bratva. Or that his security company is an actual thing and not some showboat site. How can I trust someone who has never once trusted me?”
“I do trust you.”
My eyebrows disappear into my hairline. “Then where is Dima?” I cross my arms against my chest and stare at him expectantly. Vas sighs and hangs his head. “That’s what I thought. Send me up what you need me to learn.”
Then I walk away.
“Shit,” Vas rages behind me. My father whispers something to him that is too low for me to hear. Whatever he tells him doesn’t appear to have any effect on Vas. Not at first. But slowly, he submits and sits back down in his seat.
What the hell is going on?
One thing I know for sure, I am going to get to the bottom of whatever they are hiding.
Even if I have to do it myself.