Page 174 of Bossy Hero

“And that makes you the architect,” I add unnecessarily.

Chief Bigsby dips his forehead in a showy bow. “Daedalus. At your service.”

In Russian, Yuri orders his men to wait outside and close the door behind them.

After they file out, I tell him, “Quite a show of force you have there. One might think you’re paranoid.”

The wrinkles around Yuri’s mouth deepen as he tuts dismissively at me. “At least I sleep in own bed at night. Unlike some.”

Fucker.

Shep’s hatred of this man makes so much more sense now.

With some of the awkwardness out of the way and the tension dissolving, we take our seats. Patterson remains standing, offering his chair to Yuri.

Kiss-ass.

Bigsby takes the lead, guiding the conversation. I sit back, content to see how this plays out. I have a million questions but a stubborn desire not to reveal my hand too soon.

“Lancaster, I brought you here so we could talk frankly in a place where we aren’t at risk of Lenkov overhearing. He has his little birds everywhere.”

As much as I’d like to say that he’s being over dramatic with his datedGame of Thronesreference, I know he isn’t. Lenkov’s people are hiding under every rock. With the rest of the slime.

He crosses his legs, resting casually with one arm draped over the chair’s back. “I must admit, we thought you had figured it out. In fact, your repeated meeting requests these last few days forced me to speed things up on my end.”

“You should have come to me sooner. We could have been working together all along.”

He arches a gray-streaked brow at me. “I thought that’s what we have been doing.”

“You know what I mean.”

“If I had told you the truth when we first met, you would have sprinted to the FBI or the DOJ and sold me down the river.”

Keeping my lips sealed, I wait him out, neither refuting nor denying his assertion. He’s not entirely wrong. And I still might.

Depends on what he reveals tonight.

“As you have ascertained, I’ve been trying to remove myself from the bratva for a long time.” He glances towards Yuri. “When I firstjoined—for lack of a better word—it was Nikolai’s father, Dmitri Lenkov, who was the pakhan. He’s the one who trapped me there. After he was gone, Nikolai was all too happy to continue in his father’s disgusting footsteps.”

I point at Yuri with my chin, holding the chief’s gaze. “Why didn’t you leave when Yuri did? He took a deal. The feds might have given you one as well.”

He looks fondly at Yuri, then drags his gaze back to me. “Until recently, I suspect my reasoning wouldn’t have mattered much to you. However, given the recent addition to your family, I think you can better appreciate the lengths a man will go to protect his children.”

“Katia and Savin?” I ask, wondering how the chief of police’s children have been held captive by the bratva for this many years.

“Yes.” His eyes fall to the ground, grief tugging his features downward. “And Yev.”

The one who flew too close to the sun and ended up killed by the mafia in prison.

“I’d like to say that I’m sorry for your loss.” I shake my head, disgust unfurling inside my chest. “Considering the atrocities Yev committed, including those against my daughter, all I will say is that we reap what we sow in life.”

“I cannot find fault in your logic, and I have spent many years regretting the life that my children were forced to live. If I had been allowed to raise Yevdom, I assure you, he would not have hurt your daughter.”

In my mind, the once-jagged sides of puzzle pieces become smooth and begin locking into place. “Lenkov kidnapped your children. That’s how he forced you to stay in the bratva.”

“Correct.”

My sympathy for people who choose to associate with monsters is lacking. And I won’t feel bad about it.

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