Page 97 of The Umarova Crime Family

In our case, we’re not in a pod that has actual chairs around it. Instead, ours is a sort of booth design with plush pillows lining the back of the booth. We both have a glass of white wine, and there’s a red pot filled with cheese fondue in the center of the table. We have numerous items we can dip in the cheese, from a variety of bread, fruits, and vegetables to even a collection of meats. Every bite I’ve had has been absolutely decadent, and I’ve come to the realization that any time I’m in London, I’ll make sure to make a pit stop here.

It’s killing Santos that I haven’t given him an answer yet on his proposal. I’ve been debating it, and I’m more than likely going to accept it as long as certain precursors are made. While Santos has said he’s only been doing as his father has asked because his father has power over him… I’d like to get something out of his claim. He needs to prove himself to me, and he will. I have a great idea of what I’m going to get him to do, and if he’s being truthful with me, he won’t have any problem doing it.

“I’ve heard that your family has issues with my father’s girlfriend.” His father’s girlfriend is Lu, Amelia’s mother and Emily’s aunt. Lu is arguably as vile as Julio. Julio deals in a lot of child trafficking and has been for many years. Emily had gone to her aunt Lu for some help because she’d gotten pregnant as a teenager.

Her aunt gave her false hope by saying a family was prepared to adopt her baby. So Emily, who grew up in a very small rural community in America, could keep her pregnancy a secret. But when she gave birth, her aunt took the child. Only very recently, Emily discovered her daughter was taken into a child trafficking situation run by Santos’ father. Lu knew exactly what she was doing, and you’d think that the baby being of her own blood would make her actually try to help Emily and the child, but it didn’t matter. Lu didn’t just do this to Emily and her daughter, Sierra, but to many other children as well. Thousands, in fact.

“We do.” I don’t beat around the bush with this. Santos has claimed to be honest with me, and now I feel as though I can give him small bits of honesty from me as well.

Santos clears his throat and takes a sip of his wine before he says anything else to me. “She’s in London. I figured that information would be valuable to you.”

I take a sip of my own wine and nod. “It is. Do you know where she’s staying?”

He blinks once before he answers me, “Here, the same hotel as the two of us.”

“I see. Is your father in the city with her?” I wonder if his father came here to micromanage the meetings with Santos. He might feel as though it’ll go better if he’s close by, but little does he know his son has intentions of betraying him. The simple fact makes me want to smile, but I refrain from doing so.

Santos shakes his head. “No, he’s in Mexico currently.”

“So, he sent your almost stepmother to babysit you.”

Santos cackles lightly. “He said it was a coincidence, but you and I both know those don’t exist.”

“Yeah, they don’t. He sent her to watch your every move, and I guarantee she’s up here with us, watching the two of us smile and laugh, reporting back that everything seems to be going well to daddy dearest.”

“I wouldn’t be shocked in the least bit.” Santos grabs one of the dipping sticks with bread on it and dips it into the cheese, twirling it around for a moment before taking it out. He lets it rest for a moment before he brings it over to my lips. “Let’s give her a show then.”

I smirk and bite into the cheesy wonder. Fontina, white wine, and garlic explode over my tastebuds while the hint of nutmeg hits me at the last moment. As I finish chewing, I clear my throat. “We’ve been sitting here for hours at this point. I’m sure we’ve given her quite the show already, and I do have some business to tend to while I’m here.” I’m lying straight through my teeth. I don’t have any business to handle while in the city except my meetings with him, but since I know Lu is here, I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure this woman suffers.

She didn’t just betray Emily in the worst way possible, but she also betrayed her own daughter. Lu gave Amelia’s ex-boyfriend her social security number, birth certificate, and whatever other information he needed to steal her identity. In doing so, he put her in thousands of dollars of debt, which my brother paid off, so she could start her life over. The kicker is the boyfriend didn’t just take directly from Amelia. He got greedy and planned this whole subversive operation to steal money directly from the safe at the club she had just started working for at the time. He was a piece of shit, and Lu is a genuinely bad person. I won’t feel bad for anything I do while I’m here. She deserves everything that’s coming to her.

“I understand. I’ll text you, and we can meet up tomorrow or the day after.” For the first time, Santos isn’t speaking with questions behind his words. He’s speaking like the man I know he is beyond his father’s shadow.

“I’ll be in touch. Thank you for dinner. It was lovely.” I grab my wine to finish the rest of my glass, place it on the table, and lean over to place a kiss on his cheek before going to the pod door. Goran is watching from the restaurant and opens an umbrella, walking across to the pod. I open the sliding door as I walk underneath the safety of the umbrella.

The two of us walk toward the covered part of the restaurant. “How did your date go, Miss Eset?”

“It went very well, and we have work to do. I’ll explain when we get back to the suite.”

Goran and I head back to the hotel suite I rented for the two of us, and once we’re safely behind closed doors, we go into the small living room area. “You know who Emily’s aunt and Amelia’s mother is?”

Goran nods immediately. “Yes, she’s with Julio Ramirez, correct?”

“She is, and she’s in London right now, staying at the same hotel as us. I want you to go to the lobby, Goran, and see if you can find her. I’m going to make some calls and get into the security cameras here.”

“Are we doing what I think we’re doing, Miss Eset?”

I look Goran dead in the eye. “What do you think?”

***

Three hours pass, and I’ve been in contact with an ally who’s been able to remotely give me access to the cameras within the hotel. I’m staring at her floor right now, waiting for her to exit her room. She’s been in there for two hours, and Goran was able to track her phone and see what she’s been doing over the past few days. It turns out that whenever Santos and I have been together, she’s been close by, which isn’t too surprising. I’m sure she’s been reporting back to her beau whenever she can.

“Miss Eset, she’s sent a text message that she’s going out for a stroll. Hyde Park is right across the street.” Goran has his wits about him today, that’s for sure.

“All right. Let’s get ready and see where she’s headed. I want you near me, but don’t be too close. Be tucked away in the shadows in case I need you.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Goran comments, and I grab my knife from the coffee table, put on my jacket, and slide my knife right into my pocket. I have on a beanie hat, long jeans, black boots, and a matching black jacket. It’ll be enough to have me blend in with anyone else who might be walking around at this hour. Bundled up and cozy.

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