Page 12 of Shielded Secrets

6

RURIK

After watching Kelly wake up in the library then hustle to leave, I went to the bar where she was working. I shouldn’t have even known that she was employed there, not when the expectations for watching the drug trades meant a more general security of the college campus. No one had called me out on watching Kelly specifically, though. Until I could figure out how to see if I could start something with her, I was careful not to expose myself by following her or watching her. If anyone else were to comment, they’d say I was stalking her.

Eva had asked me to check up on her, and doing that included watching her do more than nap at the library. Either her subject matter was really boring and tedious or she was that exhausted.

My opinion was that it was a combination of both.

As she started going through the bar with dirty cups and plates to take into the back, I noticed how weary she looked.

Is she stressed?

Not sleeping well?

Still dealing with the effects of being drugged and knocked out?

I hated the lines on her face, the dark bags under her eyes. Her beauty hadn’t diminished, but the mask of fatigue worried me.

My fuller beard and hat seemed to be enough of a disguise that she didn’t notice me sitting at the bar. Every time she passed by me, she kept her head down and didn’t make eye contact. She didn’t lift her face high enough to acknowledge anyone, not just me. Like Eva said, she was a very hard-working woman. But I had to wonder if she was nervous and anxious to look at anyone directly, and that was why she kept her head tucked down. Her shoulders were tense too, braced like she was waiting for a hit.

Why are you so tense?

What’s going on?

Once more, I hated that without Eva here, I had no excuse to hang around and be here to watch over her. Too many gaps remained in the effort of watching over her. If I had taken the risk to claim her as my woman, then I would have more permission to protect her, but so far, with her so guarded and distant from me, I lacked the encouragement from her to assume she’d want me.

Seated at the bar, I fell into the role of just being one of the guys. Blending in came with ease for me. No matter what the mission or assignment, I enjoyed fitting into a scene so I could eavesdrop and listen in to what others were saying. The trick was to zone out—yet not—and appear like I had a million things on my mind to not care about what was happening around me.

Sure enough, as I nursed a beer, the men around me started talking. When I heardPetrovandIlyinnames being dropped into their conversation, I pieced together that these guys weresecurity guards from the campus. Off duty guards who’d just gotten off their shift.

“The vic was someone from the Petrov group,” one said.

Vic? A victim? Of what?If a Petrov was killed on campus, that was news to bring home.

“I’m sick of all those Mafia fuckers on campus,” another complained.

“Well, they’ll always be there,” the first said. “It’s a prime location to sell drugs.”

“I heard that there’s a lot of disruption in the drug trades from their trying to increase the amount of product on campus,” another said. “My sister’s fiancé works for the port, and he says the Petrovs’ and Ilyins’ dealers are cutting down the routes there because they’re focusing on the campus so much right now.”

Interesting.But this wasn’t new news for me. Oleg and Lev had been briefing all of us Baranov brothers for a while now that Igor Petrov and the Ilyin leaders wanted to claim the college area as part of their turf. Oleg had no interest in engaging either of those rival families in a drug or turf war.

I listened in for a little longer, not really learning anything else that interested me. None of them talked about this Petrov victim, and that was what I was most curious about.

If someone had killed a Petrov on campus since Vik’s cover was blown and Irina left school, then this would be just the kind of news that Oleg would want to know about.

Kelly didn’t come back out from the back of the bar for a long while, and through gaps in the door when the swinging door was pushed open, I caught sight of her near a massive dishwasher. Iknew she worked here but not what position she had. If she was just a dishwasher, I couldn’t count on her to hang around out here for much longer.

Disappointed not to have more time to watch her, I gave up and left to report back at the mansion.

Eva, Lev, and Oleg were all finishing up a late dinner in the massive dining room when I arrived. I almost felt guilty to interrupt so soon after their family meal, but they welcomed me inside anyway.

“You’ve been hanging around here more often lately,” the Boss said. “Too bored at home?”

I nodded. “Honestly, I’ve been bored everywhere while I’m told to take it easy.”

Lev smiled. “But you couldn’t have been taking it easy while you were out checking up on Kelly Garnet on campus.”

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