Page 140 of Sinful Blaze

“It is. But that’s why it’s brilliant: there’s no way a guy running illegal weapons imports would invite the feds into his operation.”

“Hiding in plain sight. I like it.”

“By the time anyone catches on—if they ever catch on—we’ll have more than enough legitimate transactions between Chekhov International and the United States military to throw significant weight around. Who wants to explain to the general public why they armed their soldiers with weapons manufactured by a crime syndicate?”

“And the current operations? Your current clients?”

“Will be maintained even after this new contract is signed and sealed. Just with more funding and expedited shipping.”

“Love it.” Arlo grins and pulls out his vibrating phone. “Ah, pity. If you’ll excuse me for a moment, I need to take this call.”

“Of course.” I glance at Mak and Sofi, who step forward to take my place as I step aside to make my own phone call.

Once I’m out of earshot from the group, I hit the name and call button.

“Malysh!” my mother croons. “How are you?”

“Curious.” I make sure to keep my eyes on the group just in case someone starts wandering where he shouldn’t. “What do you know about Arlo Fedorov?”

The line goes silent.

For a moment, I think I’ve lost reception. I pull the phone away from my ear to check the screen and call her back—until I hear her voice through the speaker.

“That’s… He’s… Ah, heh, why do you ask?”

“Do you remember him?”

“Oh, yes.” The way Mama says that gives me pause. “We were—well, we were all children at one point. Him, me, your father. Together, often.” She stops. I hear her take a deep breath. “Malysh, why do you ask?”

“Well, he’s here. Sounds like he’s moving here, actually.”

I hear a thud. Muffled sounds. Then Mama clears her throat and her voice goes from distant to clear once more. “Sorry about that. You said Arlo moved here?”

“From what I understand, yes.”

“With his wife? His family?”

I frown at my phone. Why does she sound so… flustered? “No, just himself. His wife is dead, according to Mak. Arlo told us his son’s taken over their Bratva back in Russia. He’s here as a liaison, or so he says. But I get the feeling there’s something more up his sleeve.”

“Uh-huh. Listen, sweetheart, I need to go. Something has… something’s come up.”

“Are you okay?”

“Huh? I’m fine! Everything’s fine! I love you!”

She hangs up.

Mak sees me staring at my phone, so he comes over to check on things. “Everything okay?”

“You ran a thorough background check on Fedorov, yes?” I ask.

He frowns. “Of course. I wouldn’t let him anywhere near here without vetting him.”

“Right.” I squint at the phone screen like it’s about to give me all the answers. If only. “Did Mama’s name ever come up?”

That makes my brother pause. “Should it have?”

“I don’t know.” I hate not knowing. I am not a man to be kept in the dark. “She’s acting strange about him. He’s strange, too. Do you buy his story?”

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