Page 93 of Sinful Bride

I don’t stop him. Neither does Arlo. Brennan leaves through the main office door and almost takes a left toward the elevators, but seems to change his mind about being seen and opts for the private stairwell on the right instead.

As if someone here may be looking for him.

Arlo glances at me. “That man is a liability.”

“I agree.” I stare at the door before shifting my focus to him. “What would you do, in my position?”

He’s silent for a long moment. Then: “I’d kill him.”

My brow arches. “Yeah? I almost did. It was very tempting.”

“He’s too much of a wild card. Not just for you or the business, but for his own people.” Arlo waves a hand in the air and makes a face. “These Americans, they vote for who they want and it’s a roll of the dice on who they get. But this guy? Who is he helping?”

“If he vanishes, people will go looking for him. He’s too much of a public figure.”

“So then he doesn’t vanish. He’s an older man with libertine tastes. His kidney could give out any second, for all anyone knows.”

I snort. “Will his kidney give out?”

Arlo smirks. “With the right help, anything is possible.”

I like his style. I also make a note to keep a closer eye on him, just in case. “I need to focus my energies and resources on keeping my family safe.”

“Are these issues not one and the same?” That eyebrow of his drifts upward once again. “So long as the senator lives, he’s a beacon for disaster. Best not tempt him near those you truly cherish.”

34

PASHA

“Yes, I remembered to ask for the sprinkles.”

Daphne’s grin glows through her voice over the car’s Bluetooth speaker. “Thank you, my love. Taty says hi, by the way. Can you say hi to Daddy?”

“Hello, malyshka,” I croon to my baby girl as I listen to her babble. “I’m almost home.”

“She misses you. I miss you.”

“I’m maybe ten minutes out, moya plamya. Then I’m all yours.”

Having someone to go home to is worlds better than what my life used to be like. To be honest, though, I barely remember my life before Daphne.

It was miserable, I’m assuming. Compared to what it is now, how could it not be?

I catch a familiar sight in the rearview mirror and frown. “Daphne, don’t panic, but I’ve got someone tailing me. It’s probably nothing, but I’m gonna let you go so I can shake them.”

“Oh. Okay. Be careful.” I can hear the worry in her words, but she swallows it down. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Judging by the tinted windows and not-quite-current-year model of the SUV, the vehicle I’ve been watching in the rearview mirror belongs to the feds. There’s no telltale spotlight on either sideview mirror like other cars I’ve spotted in recent days, but that means this is probably a personal vehicle.

I take a sharp left at the last second to throw them off. A few cars honk at me so I know he’s probably not going to?—

Son of a bitch. He’s still following me.

The SUV behind me revs the engine and barrels dangerously close. I swerve to the side so there’s room for it to pass. Instead of passing, though, it pulls up in my blind spot and nudges my car.

Motherfucker.

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