Page 38 of Claiming Veronica

The footprints stretched back years in the fight circuit. He was talented, well respected, and tied to Luther in the promoting business. As I watched video after video, it was clear, though … Havoc and Eli were the same person. This all meant that this fight promotion business belonged to Luther and Eli. I bit my lip as I thought it through. Everything pointed to a fight coming up soon here in Arizona that Spato was involved in. I couldn’t locate anything definitive, but that was par for the course in this business. Locations were varied to keep from getting caught. I had all the essential details on Spato, including his residences, banking details, and offshore accounts, to give Maxim.

This kind of connection threw me. Maxim wanted info on this guy, and now it tied back to Eli. Fuck.

I wasn’t technically Bratva. I hadn’t sworn an oath to Maxim or anything crazy, but I knew as well as anyone did that I was part of the Volkov Bratva whether I asked to be or not. My allegiance should be there one hundred percent.Somehow, though … I couldn’t bring myself not to consider the consequences to Eli.

I had to talk to Natasha. She’d know what to do.

I found her sipping tea and flipping through a file in the kitchen. She looked up when I walked in, her expression shifting from relaxed to concerned. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost. What’s wrong? Are you alright?”

I sat down across from her, trying to find the right words. “So I was looking into Matteo Spato for Max. That guy he wanted us to dig into from last week.” She nodded.

“I remember. I’ve looked over the file, but most of what he sent me isn’t much for me to go on. What did you find out that has you so freaked?”

“This Spato guy is a broker on the dark web for all sorts of stuff, which is not an issue. He’s got all sorts of fingers in all kinds of things, from contract killings to weapons deals.”

“Ok … and?” She peered at me, obviously wondering what was going on. We both knew that the Bratva weren’t any choir boys. Weapons, drugs, and contract killings were probably just part of what Maxim was involved in.

“And underground fighting.” Her eyes widened, and I knew I was on the right track with the commondenominator. “He’s going to be here in Arizona, and I think he’s involved with Eli and his friend Luther.”

Natasha covered her eyes with her hand. “What are the odds? Shit. Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” I said, exhaling sharply. "At first, I thought maybe it was just a coincidence, but I’ve watched the videos. EliisHavoc. There’s no doubt in my mind. And he and Luther are promoting these fights. Somehow, Spato is connected either in the promotion or with the fighters. It’s hard to tell.”

Natasha was quiet for a moment, processing what I’d said. She rubbed her temples, the weight of this new information clearly sinking in. "This is a mess, Ronnie. If Maxim wanted Spato investigated, that means Spato is crossing a line. And if Eli’s involved..." I leaned forward, my hands gripping the edge of the table as my anxiety ratcheted up.

“There’s something bigger happening, and we’re missing it.”

Natasha sighed and pushed her mug aside, her eyes hardening with resolve. “We need to handle this carefully. If Maxim finds out Eli is involved, it could get ugly. Fast. What do you have that you can take to Maxim?”

I nodded, though the thought of keeping anything from Maxim gnawed at me. Wasn’t that its own kind of betrayal? Withholding information? “I’ve got all the deets on where he lives, where he keeps his money, and who he sleeps with—all that shit. Natty, I don’t want anything to ruin things. Eli’s special.”

“Special?” Natasha raised an eyebrow, skepticism clear on her face. “Ronnie, I understand you care about him, but Eli isn’t innocent. He is Pike’s brother, though.” She bit her lip. “So we need to figure this out. And,” she pointed a finger at me, “I’m not sure what funny business is going on between you two, but I’m watching.” She narrowed her eyes comically.

“I know,” I whispered. “But that doesn’t change the fact that I don’t want him caught in the crossfire.”

Natasha leaned back, staring at me, her expression softening. “Alright. We’ll handle it. But you need to be smart about this. We can’t afford to make any mistakes when working for the Bratva. This stuff gets serious fast. You wanted in. Well, this is in.”

“I’ll keep looking. There’s more to Spato than just the fights, and I’m going to find out what.” I stood up, pacing the room. “I have a lead on one of his shell companies. If I can crack into that,maybe I can get a clearer picture of what he’s really up to.”

Natasha’s eyes followed me as I moved. “Okay. But keep me updated. If anything else comes up about Eli, we need to knoweverythingbefore we decide what to do.”

I nodded, my heart still racing. I couldn’t shake the unease settling deep inside me. It wasn’t just the connection to Eli or the risk of exposing him—it was the sense that I was only scratching the surface of something much bigger. I could feel it, lurking just beneath the surface, waiting to pull me under. There was this sense that I was betraying someone if I did my job, and I didn’t like that.

“I’m going to call Maxim and give him what I’ve found so far on Spato,” I said, grabbing my phone off the counter. Natasha’s expression tightened, but she nodded in agreement, but her eyes were filled with worry.

I dialed Maxim’s number, my pulse quickening as the phone rang. He picked up after a few rings. His voice was warm even if he was the pakhan and grumpy with everyone else.

“Ronnie, how’s my favorite girl?” His words made my heart clench. I was going to be lying to him in a moment when I gave him only part ofthe information, but I told myself it was a stall for time.

“Shh, Max,” I said in a mock whisper. “Nat can hear you. It’s not good for her ego.”

“She’s used to it,” he teased and then added, “but don’t let her hear too much. How was the doctor’s appointment?” We both did this dance, pretending that Maxim didn’t have access to my medical records and didn’t already know the answer to this question. It was his way of having some control and my way of pretending that I had some privacy. I could have locked him out, but I loved him too much to do that.

“It was decent. She was nice. I liked her.” My eyes shifted to my sister, who was acting like she wasn’t listening but wasn’t doing a good job at it.

“Ronnie,” he pressed, and I closed my eyes briefly.

“She wanted to remind me about nutrition and general overall wellness. Dr. Bennett also is concerned about my lungs, but that’s not new. She wants me to keep in touch about any breathing episodes or changes in the coughs I’ve had. The nebulizer and inhaler are still what I’ll be using.” There was a silence on the line for a beat, and I wanted to rush to fill it, but I didn’t. Itwas hard for my family to accept that my health was the way it was. They wanted to help but didn’t want to overstep.

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