Page 156 of Dirty Damage

Fuck.He definitely knows who these men are.

He hands back my phone without a word, his expression carved from stone.

“You know them?” My voice comes out small.

“Doyou?” There’s an edge to his question that makes me flinch.

“I know Drew,” I explain, picking at my nails. “The guy with the Mustang. He’s my ex. We broke up ages ago?—”

“But you still have access to his surveillance system?” One dark eyebrow arches up like a question mark made of skepticism.

I cross my arms, nails digging into my flesh again. “He never changes his passwords. Probably forgot I had the code.”

That eyebrow stays raised, calling bullshit without saying a word. “And the others?”

“No idea.” I force myself to meet his gaze. “But I’m guessing you do.”

Faye’s head swivels between us like she’s watching some high-stakes tennis match, wanting to jump in but not knowing which side to pick.

“Why didn’t you take this to Oleg?” Artem’s voice is soft. Dangerous.

“Because I was scared,” I whisper. “The board sided with Boris again and he’s already dealing with so much. I didn’t want to make it worse by telling him about Drew and whatever fucked-up game he’s playing.”

“And what game do you think that is?”

I exhale slowly. “Nothing good.”

His eyes slide to Faye, then back to me. “You’re right, Sutton. I know exactly who those men are. Which means I have to act. And I can’t do that properly without involving Oleg.”

I flinch, even though I knew this was coming. “Then you should know there’s more.”

His whole body goes still. “Go on.”

“I saw Drew’s car leaving Pavlov Industries this morning. That’s why I checked the cameras in the first place.”

Artem nods once, sharp and decisive. “Thank you for telling me. But now, you need to tell Oleg. All of it.”

My heart tries to crawl up my throat. “Those men… Are they dangerous? Will they hurt Oleg?”

He actually snorts. “They wish.” He stands, all six-foot-something of him radiating violent purpose. “Tell Oleg everything you just told us. He needs to hear it from you first.”

My palms are sweating when I grab my keys. “Thanks for listening.”

Faye pulls me into a hug. “It’s going to be okay, honey.”

I manage a tight smile because I can’t make my mouth form the lie of agreeing with her.

Then I’m back in my car, rehearsing how to tell Oleg that I’ve been keeping secrets while his uncle tries to destroy everything he’s built.

The speech dies in my throat when I reach the concierge desk at his penthouse tower. The guy working—Alex? Andre?—waves me over with a sympathetic dip of his graying mustache.

“Miss Palmer, Mr. Pavlov left a message.”

My stomach drops through the floor. “Oh?”

“He had to leave rather suddenly. Said it was urgent business.”

The world tilts sideways. “Did he say when he’d be back?”

---