Page 64 of Her Silver Fox Mountain Men

“A handful of ledgers and other accounting books all bearing my father’s handwriting, each carrying proof that Igor had been pilfering from Lev’s businesses. A couple of thousand bucks here, a hundred grand there. He’d amassed quite the fortune by the time he was twenty. Problem was that when my father first reported the issues, Lev was furious, and the wrong guy was pinned for it, a lieutenant of his. Somewhere in the ledger, my father recorded the issues until it became obvious and impossible to deny that Igor didn’t just steal from his father—helet an innocent guy die screaming in agony.”

“Jesus,” Roman mutters, lowering his gaze.

“Lev Konstantinov is not a merciful man, especially if you steal from him,” I continue as I get up from my seat, moving closer to the fireplace. I get restless whenever I look back into my past. “I had proof against Igor, and I confronted him about it. He got violent. Worse than before. Then he said that his father already knew, telling me if I tried to push this any further, I’d disappear, and he’d do the same to Michael.

“One morning, we were all at Lev’s house for breakfast. They were all so happy, getting along great. It made me feel like the odd one out. I tried to talk to them about my dad, but Lev cut me off. He said the past should stay in the past and that I shouldn’t scratch that old wound. I suppose it was his subtle way of telling me to shut up.”

James turns toward me, arms still crossed while a muscle ticks furiously in his jaw. “What happened next?”

“I made a plan. I tried to go to the authorities, but I wound up unknowingly talking to one of the cops on the Konstantinov payroll. It got me a ride back to the house in the back of a police car and a promise I’d end up like my mom and dad if I didn’t leave well enough alone. I tried talking to Mike about the whole thing, but he idolizes Igor. I couldn’t get through to him. The mere mention that Igor might’ve had something to do with our parents’ murder… he rejected it. I had no choice but to find a way out in a manner that might ensure my survival. Igor kept a close eye on me, but I knew our house better than he ever did. I was the one who took care of it after all.

“Over the following weeks, I gathered evidence: pages from the ledger, photocopies of the books. I even managed to sneak one of the actual accounting books out of his safe. I cut the original cover and wrapped it around a Dostoyevsky novel so Igor wouldn’t notice. I took as many photos as I could with my phone of anything I thought might be incriminating at some point, and I set aside money and jewels just in case.”

Oliver takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Then you ran away.”

“I snuck out of the house one night. Mike never understood why, and like I said, I figured he was safer not knowing the reason. Turns out, I was right. Lev has kept him close while Igor has been out looking for me.”

“It’s why you came all the way out here to the middle of nowhere,” James realizes. “You wanted to get as far away from them as possible.”

Roman is on his phone, probably googling their names. He needs to put faces to the people of my past, which I completely understand. But there’s something unspoken between the men, something very much present in their stolen glances. “Shit,” Roman says. He looks at me. “Have you spoken to or seen Igor since you came here?”

“No,” I shake my head slowly. “I thought I saw him once, but—” I pause as he shows me a photo of him on his phone. “Yeah, that’s him.”

“He’s in town, Elise,” he replies. “Has been for at least a couple of months.”

“What?” I mumble, my blood running cold.

It’s not what I wanted to hear but it is definitely what I had dreaded all along and what made me decide to leave this place in the dead of night. Even so, having my fears confirmed makes my stomach tighten.

“Oh, God,” I whisper, sitting down, my knees suddenly feeling weak. “I kept a low profile. I only called Mike from a burner phone, never mentioned where I was or what I was doing. I didn’t contact anyone else from my old life, from Chicago. Nobody.”

“Did they ever file a missing person’s report for you?” James asks.

I shake my head again. “I doubt it. Igor wouldn’t want the federal authorities involved, which is most likely what would happen since I crossed state lines. I came to Rustic because it was far away and the complete opposite of where I came from and where I expected him to look for me. I hoped Igor would assume I was somewhere on the coast. West or East, it didn’t matter. I made sure he heard me talking about the ocean a few times before I left.”

“Planting the seed in his subconscious,” Oliver nods with appreciation. “Smart girl.”

“Clearly, not smart enough,” I sigh deeply. “When did you see him? Where?”

James gives me a troubled look. “At a coffee shop in Rustic. I was with the girls. We even talked for a bit. He told me his name was Carl, then gave me a sob story about how his wife left him and he would never find anyone else. I didn’t think anything of it at the time. Elise, you should’ve told us about all of this long before now.”

“Sure, because that would’ve gone over so well,” I say sarcastically.

“You thought you were safe here,” he says.

I lower my gaze, sadness adding bitterness to my tone. “You made me feel safe, all of you. But then those flowers came to my place and then to yours—”

“Wait. You got flowersbeforethe ones that arrived here the other day?” Roman asks.

“Yeah, a while back. Shauna wouldn’t tell me who sent them. ‘Client confidentiality,’ she called it. I tried to get her to tell me more, but she obviously hates my guts and gave me nothing but a hard time.”

James curses under his breath, trying hard to keep his anger contained. “Will you let one of us talk to her? We might be able to get more out of Shauna this time.”

“What’s there to get out of her? I know it was Igor. It had to be him. You confirmed that he’s been in town for a while. He must’ve followed me, though I don’t understand why he hasn’t come after me yet.”

A heavy silence falls over the room.

“I’ll leave now and get out of your way. Nobody gets hurt if I leave.”

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