Page 36 of Bought By the Bratva

He nodded, handed me my keys, and left. The front door opened as I approached, and Tasha stepped out. “Nadia is in the entertainment room,” she said, coming to stand before me.

“Thank you,” I replied, hugging her tightly. “I had the computer whiz at the scene send you the images. If we can see who is in those pictures, we will know who attacked us.”

“I’m on it,” she replied, heading to her bike. “I’ll catch you in the morning. Try to get some rest.”

I stood for a bit, watching her pull out and drive off. She was the only one in this family I could speak to about anything. Tasha never judged me and never would. I found Nadia where she said she would be.

“Is everything okay? You look a tad distressed,” she said as I walked over to join her on the couch.

Exhaling loudly, I shook my head. “Nothing for you to worry about. But I am a bit tired, so I’ll turn in early.”

Nadia turned her head sideways. Her eyes narrowed as she studied me. “You sure?” she questioned.

Pulling her into my arms, I squeezed her tightly. “I’m sure,” I replied, kissing her cheek. Have a good night.” I felt sure but had this nagging thought I couldn’t get rid of. Entering my room, I locked the door and entered the secret room.

I went through all the videos from last week and all the messages. I couldn’t find anything indicating that Nadia had any involvement with this incident. Feeling slightly relieved and grateful that I was right, I went to bed.

Early the next morning, I left the house. This was before Nadia was up or breakfast could be ready. I left a note with Nadia's kitchen maid, letting her know I would be back soon. I had to meet Tasha and get to the bottom of this before the others got wind of it.

Upon my arrival at the office, I headed straight up to Tasha’s office. I felt sure the rest wouldn’t be in yet, and we would have time to figure it out before letting them know. I didn’t even knock as I reached her office. I simply waltz in.

“Good morning, you’re just in time,” Tasha said, smiling as she looked up from her computer.

Hearing those words and her cheerful demeanor put me at ease. Grinning, I replied in a light tone. “Morning, sis. So, what have you found that could bring on such cheerfulness?”

“Let me start by stating that Nadia had nothing to do with this,” Tasha commented as she rose from her desk. “I went through everything. Nadia sent no intel that could have led to the raid; she is clean.”

Breathing out hard, I felt some of the tension in my shoulders dissipate. My heart even felt lighter. “This is good news indeed,” I replied, smiling. I had jumped to conclusions but was very glad I was wrong.

“Have a seat, let me show you something,” she added waving her hand for me to sit in her place.

Taking her place, I saw she had a set of images on the screen. She pressed a button, and the images fell away. Theycame up one by one, filling the screen as if I had zoomed in on each. There were two I liked most. They clearly showed two of the Vasilievs. I recognized them from the files Tasha had compiled before all of this started.

“Thank you, Tasha,” I huffed, feeling my body heating up as anger filled my veins. “Can you find out how they knew about the warehouse? If Nadia didn’t assist with this, they may have someone else within our midst.”

I could see she was pondering on my question. “I can try,” Tasha replied. She tapped my back showing me to get out of her chair.

Grinning, I got up and moved to the side. Lifting my hands in the air, I spoke in a light tone. “Okay, sorry, jeez, don’t be so pushy.”

She gave me a wicked look before laughing. “I can’t make any promises, but I will see what I can gather. You going to talk to Alexandr?” she questioned, raising her brows.

“Now that I know Nadia is not involved, I will,” I replied, walking to the window. “I hoped we would have more information before I did, though.”

“Yeah, but it’s going to take some time. Sorry, brother.”

Turning, I walked back to her side. “Will some extra large coffee shakes help?” I asked, speaking in her ear. There was a small family-owned coffee shop a block away. They made milkshakes that Tasha just loved. She always said they gave her brain superpowers.

Tasha glanced at me as she tapped my cheek. “It might. But I doubt it. I will try anything right now, though. Thanks for offering.”

Grinning, I left her to do her thing while I sneaked out of the building to get her one. As I returned, I saw Anton and Akim arriving. I took the staff elevator and quickly went to Tasha’s office. Entering, I looked both ways down the hall. They weren’t on the floor yet.

Closing her door, I handed her the shake as I whispered. “Found anything?”

Tasha grabbed the shake and took a big sip. Shaking her head, she closed her eyes and pulled her face. I was sure it was a result of a brain freeze and not my question. I waited for her to recover before leaning closer and looking her in the eyes as I spoke. “Anything?”

“Go home!” Tasha demanded. “I will tell them that you forgot something and will be back later. I will try my best to find something for you and will let you know as soon as I do.”

Nodding in agreement, I left. Maybe there was something I missed. I would speak to the employees at home to see if Nadia had gone out or had any visitors.

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