Page 39 of Shielded Secrets

I doubted that any politician would be so open and vocal about a connection to any specific Mafia Family. They were too careful to walk a fine line between crime and the law. The only deciding factor that pushed them toward one side or the other was how they could make the most money.

“He was in favor of giving Petrov more demand,” Vik said, “whereas Eric Benson seemed to be a fan of the Ilyins doing business and supplying drugs on the campus.”

“Then what, any Ilyin could’ve taken out Marcus James at that meeting?” I asked.

Vik shrugged. “No one is owning up to it yet.”

“And if an Ilyin had done it,” Lev added, “they would claim it as a show of power.”

They would have. Claiming a kill wasn’t only about glory, but to show power and superiority.

“Speaking of claiming a kill,” Lev said with a tired groan that followed his words, “word is spreading that Igor Petrov ordered the hit on Yusef Ilyin.”

I stared at Lev, confused how these facts could be changed. Lev was the hitman who’d taken out Yusef Ilyin. That was his last assignment before being Eva’s bodyguard on campus. He’d had to hunt the Ilyin leader for months, and it wasn’t a simple stakeout and shot to kill him. Yusef’s death had been an important factor in the recent trouble because all the drug trade issues started with Yusef interfering with drug trade routes. Hescrewed over the Baranov distribution outside the city, and Oleg had tasked Lev with taking him out. Lev had killed him, and he had the pictures to prove it, too.

Vik shook his head. “That’s not true. We checked with Irina, and she said Igor had nothing to do with Yusef’s death.”

“Regardless, rumors are spreading with these lies,” Lev said. “And we can only interpret that as someone wanting to stir doubt and spread doubt about the Baranov power.” He shrugged.

“It’s probably that one man you didn’t kill,” I reminded him.

Lev glowered at me. “Ididkill that man. I have the picture to prove it.”

I shrugged, unsure what to believe. After Lev returned from that assignment, one of the Ilyin guards who’d been protecting Yusef came back from the dead. Lev shot him. And he did have a picture as a timestamp and proof, but the man’s face had been spotted in the city and even on the campus. I wondered if the man had a twin or if it was just an uncanny likeness. But some soldiers—from all the families—were talking about this man being another spy from some other entity or power.

“All I care is that this… John Doe,” Oleg said, “for lack of a better term, doesn’t interfere with my interests. Like looking into the Benson family.” He turned his attention to me, and I winced at being put in the spotlight about this matter. “Have you talked with Kelly about the idea of her wearing a wire in the office when Benson is next expected to have a meeting at the dean’s office?”

Honesty was best. I shook my head. “No, I haven’t talked to her about this, not specifically. I’ve been trying to get closer to her and make sure she’s interested in caring enough to help.” Thatwas a lie, though. I knew Kelly cared. While she was passionate and fiercely protective of her independence, she wasn’t a cold-hearted person. She cared about me. I saw that every day and night when she tried to please me and make sure I wasn’t in pain. She’d make food with me. She’d rub that medical cream on my scars and over the injury I’d had. She even did my rehab exercises with me to encourage me and show support.

“I want to solidify my relationship with her before talking more in depth about how she could help,” I explained. “But I still really don’t like this idea.”

“Why not?” Oleg asked bluntly. “She’s not afraid to help, is she?”

I shook my head. Kelly wasn’t a fearful woman. She had been spooked by something in her past, but she was so independent that she refused to let it rule her.

“I will hate any plan that even potentially puts her in danger,” I stated plainly. “I want her safe.”

“She would be,” Oleg said. “Of course, she would be protected.”

“Because she’s Eva’s friend?” I asked. “That was why the offer of security was extended to include her before.”

Lev nodded. “Yes, she would be protected because she is Eva’s friend. But also because she’s your…?” He raised his brows, indicating that he wanted me to finish that.

“My girlfriend,” I said. I was confident I could call her that. We were moving fast. This was new and it could be considered sudden for how quickly we’d acted on our attraction for each other, but it wasn’t as though we’d just met. I knew her from before. She’d started to feel something for me back then too,but we’d had to go through that separation spell of a couple of months when I wasn’t on campus.

Lev held his hand out, as though to saysee?“Ergo, Kelly will be protected.”

“Only to an extent,” I argued. Lots of soldiers had girlfriends and fiancées. Wives and kids, too. The Baranov Family was a large organization, and there were many people to keep track of. We looked after our own, but there still was a noticeable difference between how deeply safety was a priority for girlfriends, who could come and go, and wives.

“She’s not family,” I reminded them.

After our discussions over the week, it seemed like she could be one day.

“For now?” Vik asked.

I shrugged, then rubbed my hand over my face. “For now. She’s still so nervous to trust me—to trust the family—that it doesn’t seem like a good idea to push her on if or when she’d be in the mindset to think about marriage.”

Oleg grunted. “Then make her family.” He looked me in the eye, making sure I didn’t glance away. “You care for her, don’t you?”

---