Page 82 of Ruthless Reign

My entire body radiates tension, like a coiled spring, and I slam my fist on the desk in front of me. “He’s fucking up to something. I can feel it. Secret meetings with the Zhukovs. Forging the logs.” I shake my head. “It doesn’t make sense. Our men went through each and every shipment. It was all in order, nothing was missing.”

The high heel I found on the cargo ship comes to mind. Is the crew bringing hookers onboard for a night of partying in Rotterdam? It certainly wouldn’t be unheard of. Maybe they make a regular pit stop on the way here to get their rocks off. If that’s the case, it would be a really fucking bad reason to deliver cargo late. Or maybe I’m reading too much into it.

Viktor’s forehead creases. “I’ll have my hackers pull CCTV footage from the port of the day the ship was docked there.”

“Good call.” I check my phone. “A shipment left New York today. Let’s send Savin to the Netherlands to watch the port in case there’s a repeat. While he’s there, he can make some inquiries.”

Pavel releases a quiet, tense breath. “You think Anatoly was behind last night’s attack?”

My lungs tighten. I walk to the window, gazing out at the streets below. “With Liza in the car? I don’t see it.” As far as I can tell, Liza is the only thing Anatoly cares to protect. Not because he loves her, but because he loves the control he has over her and her entire family. “But, fuck, who knows. I’m assuming it’s the same people behind the attack on the port and the attack last night.”

I’m struggling to piece together the full picture; it’s like all the pieces are there, but nothing is clicking together.

“Maybe it was the Zhukovs,” Viktor throws out, spinning a pen between his fingers. “Revenge for killing their men at the warehouse.”

I run an irritated hand through my hair. “There’s no way for them to know we were behind their soldiers’ deaths. Anyhow, they wouldn’t fuck with us unless they have a death wish.”

Pavel crosses his arms in front of his chest. “Should we loop Maxim in?”

“I’ll tell him when the time is right. I want him to know it’s being handled, that he doesn’t need to race home.”

After the attack on the port, Maxim whisked Kira off to the Maldives to steer clear of any trouble. He’s entrusted me to work out whatever shit is going on, and I don’t want to burden him unless I know more. I already feel stupid enough that the Zhukovs slipped under my radar.

“Maxim is the only one we tell.” I take a seat and rest my elbows on my thighs. “The less people who know what’s going on, the better. Whatever bullshit Anatoly is up to, we need to catch him unaware. It’s better if he thinks we’re clueless.”

“This may not be Anatoly,” Viktor points out. “We’ve had him trailed since London and after the meeting with Sergey Zhukov, and there’s been nothing out of the ordinary.”

I shrug. “Only time will tell.”

Pavel gestures to the documents on his desk. “And you’re sure Katerina won’t be a problem?”

“I had her send me over a bunch of files at once. She doesn’t know which one I was really after. Trust me, she’s not that clever.”

Pavel leans back, lacing his fingers behind his head. “Glad you’re feeling so confident, but if it’s business as usual, you need to return Liza to her fiancé before he gets suspicious.”

My lips press into a determined line. “Not happening.”

“How is that going to look?” Viktor frowns. “You know she wasn’t the target of the attack; you were.”

“We don’t know anything yet.” I shrug. “Until we do, she stays with me.”

Pavel presses his fingers into the bridge of his nose. “Sometimes, I think you’ve lost your mind.”

Over Liza, I definitely have.

Viktor squints at me. “How do you plan on letting Anatoly know you’re keeping his fiancé hosta— as a guest?”

I smile and take out my phone. “Watch and learn, my friend.”

I dial Anatoly's number and put the phone on speaker.

“Roman,” he answers right away. “What the fuck is going on? Liza sends a cryptic text to her parents last night about some sort of attack on the way home from the opera, and then I can’t get through to either of you all night. What the hell is that?!”

Funny how he doesn't sound all that concerned for Liza, only irritated that he wasn't able to get ahold of her when he wanted to.

“It was best to have no outside communication while we figured out what was going on. We still don't know who was behind the attack.” I pause to let my next words sink in. “Although, we have our suspicions.”

He releases a low grunt. “This is bullshit. Where is Liza now?”

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