Page 53 of Dark Embers

“Then can you please help us get her from Mr. Mirochin.” Magda’s words have my brows lifting. And she carries on indignantly. “He won’t let me take her and has her with him.”

“Sure. Where is he?”

“I will take you to him.” Magda walks the elevator and hits the down button. Once in the foyer we head through reception, down the long corridor behind it until we reach a polished oak door with gold lettering—Radomir Molchanov. “In there.”

I nod then knock, but there’s no answer.

I push the door open and as I step inside I stop.

My heart squeezes. Elena is cradled in Oleksi’s arms. They’re asleep together in a plush chair. His feet propped up on a leather ottoman. Her little fingers are curled in his shirt. It’s the most adorable thing I’ve seen in a long time.

The door shuts behind me with a soft thud, and Oleksi’s eyes blink open.

“Sabrina?”

“Hi. Mind if I take my little girl?” I say quietly. “Magda is quite put out that you wouldn’t let her take Elena for a walk.”

“It’s not my fault Elena didn’t want to go with her.” He grins.

There’s a knock and Ivan pops his head in. “Is it safe to get Elena?”

I bend down and scoop her up, kissing her rosy cheek before I hand her to Ivan.

“Keep her safe,” Oleksi barks after Ivan who waves him off and disappears, pulling the office door closed behind him. Helooks at me, his eyes dropping to the box I retrieve from under my arm.

“Is that the box you found hidden beneath your bed last night?” He blinks up at me.

“Yes.” I sit on the ottoman as he moves his feet off it. “I hid it when you went to find out what the noise was.”

“Thank you for telling me.” Oleksi’s eyes narrow at me. “I thought the intruder bitch had taken it with her.” He looks at me accusingly.

“I was going to tell you last night but…” I stop myself.No more secrets… Okay maybe one more after this but the other secret really isn’t mine to tell.“Okay I wasn’t going to tell you. I was still pissed off at you for ruining my career—which I still am, by the way.”

“I didn’t ruin your career.” Oleksi still doesn’t apologize and a lick of anger flickers inside me at that. Like he doesn’t give a shit about it. “I forced you in another direction.”

“Whatever…” I wave it off. I don’t want to get into that right now. We have bigger issues to solve. Like what the fuck is going on with my sister and a bunch of Russians after her. “But I realize that if you’re going to help me you need to know everything. Withholding anything could put my little girl in danger.”

“Exactly.” Oleksi nods as he stares intently at me.

I swallow. “In light of me telling you the truth there is something else you need to know about last night.”

“Okay.” His brow furrows.

“The woman that was in my apartment spoke to me when she locked us in my room,” I tell him and his features change.

“What the fuck, Sabrina!” he growls. “What did she say? Do you know who she is?”

“No, I don’t know who she is. I’ve never seen her before.” I bite my lip. “Although I couldn’t see much of her face, but I do know she had a Russian accent.”

“What did she say?” Oleksi asks, leaning forward. I can feel the heat from his body, he’s so close. “Did she threaten you?”

“No, she didn’t threaten me. She… warned me. She said if I found Tara’s picture and the documents she hid, I should leave them in my mother’s postbox.” I look at the box in my hand wondering if those items are in here. “She said that no one else should get hurt because of this mess.”

His jaw clenches. “What the fuck did she mean by that?”

“I don’t know,” I say. “She seemed scared though.” I hold the box up looking to see how to open it. “There is no opening on this thing.” I shake it. “There is something in here.”

He leans forward holding out his hands and I give it to him. Oleksi runs his hands over the wood, and presses something I hadn’t noticed before. A soft click, then the lid pops open.

---