Page 52 of Resurrection

“Mr. Kuznetsof is busy at the moment.”

I raise my eyebrows. “Too busy to watch this money walk out the door?”

“An employee of Ms. Van de Berg called. They located Valeriya.”

“Ah, I see. Is he working on getting her back here?”

The guard hesitates and then sighs. “In a way.” He frowns. “She’s dead. Bullet to the head.”

An execution. My heart rate jacks up about fifty notches. Valeriya is dead. Did they find her dead, or was there an incident? He said one of Carys’s employees called. Not her. Jay.For fuck’s sake. If anything has happened to her…

This morning I’ve alternated between annoyed, angry, and frustrated, but right now, I’m not any of those.

Carys.

Her name is a drumbeat reverberating through me. Very few things bother me, so this tightening in my chest, borderline panic in my gut, is new and unwelcome.

I stare at Demid’s guard. “I’ll give you ten grand to drive me to the airport immediately.”

Chapter Twenty

Carys

The morgue is in the basement. I haven’t been in many, but the environment is perfect for dead bodies. Linoleum floors, white walls, bright lights. The distinct smell of disinfectant and decay latches onto my clothes, seeps into my pores. Later, when I take a shower, I’ll be expelling death.

The attendant sitting across from me and Jay has a picture on the table turned face down. Jay was in the middle of calling Irish contacts when he got a text alerting him of a body being dragged out of the Belfast Harbor. We didn’t think it could be Valeriya. What were the chances?

My phone pings in my purse, and I tense. Jay’s sideways glance is accompanied by the tiniest smirk. If we weren’t here doing this, I’d tell him to shut up. He knows I’m anxious because half of my brain expects Finn to call, to show up, to do something reckless even though he doesn’t have the means.

The younger man offers a kind smile. His baby-faced good looks only reinforce my advancing years. “You’re Valeriya Kuznetsof’s employer?”

“I am.” With my hand, I draw my purse closer to my body while the other rises to touch the side of my crown braid.

“I’ll show you a photo of a person we believe to be Valeriya Kuznetsof.” He continues to drone on, detailing her facial injuries, the bruising, the bloating from being in the water, and finally the gunshot wound to her temple. “Do you understand?”

Briefly, I close my eyes before opening them again. “Yes. I—this isn’t the first time I’ve seen a dead body.”

The attendant turns the photo over, and I wish I’d kept my eyes closed. It’s Valeriya, but I’m grateful I’m making this identification and not her father. Demid would be devastated to see her so beat up. While she might have turned out to be a traitor, I’m not sure she deserved this send-off.

“That’s her,” I confirm as he slides papers across the table for me to sign. “Am I able to notify her father?”

“Check with the police. I’m only the morgue attendant.”

“Right, okay.” I won’t be checking with the police. Demid deserves to be told as soon as possible, not when the authorities get around to it. Rising, I stare at Jay who is tuned into his phone. His wife must want to throw the damn thing across the room sometimes.

When he glances up at me, there’s concern in the brown depths of his eyes. A new complication must have arisen. We’d better get out of there. Frowning, I turn to the attendant and offer my hand.

“Thanks for your time.”

“Just doing my job.” The attendant’s smile is brief, and he peruses my fitted white skirt and my dark-purple top. “You in Ireland for long?”

My smile matches his. Then my thoughts drift to Finn. He’d lose his mind if he saw the hunger in this guy’s eyes. “Flying visit. Taking care of business.”

“Ah, shame.”

“We gotta go.” Jay takes my elbow. As soon as we’re out the door, he shakes his head. “We can’t be anywhere without a guy thinking he can get a look in.”

I laugh. “It’s not that bad.”

---