Page 44 of Vengeful Embers

“I don’t think you have to worry about Tara and Gavriil anymore,” Konstantin says.

I laugh bitterly. “Why’s that? You killed him?”

“Tara has ended it. He’s not involved anymore. She plans to raise the baby alone.” Konstantin's words make me breathe a little easier, but my gut is still twisted in conflicting knots.

That changes things a bit. “So Tara is doing this alone?”

“With my help.” This time there’s no apology or strain in his voice, just confidence.

That hits wrong. “You two seem close.”

“I’m winning her trust,” Konstantin answers. “Just like you asked me to.”

A beat of silence passes.

“Good.” My tone’s clipped.

I close my eyes and try to force my mind to focus.

“I also found out that they went to the hospital to meet a contact of Gavriil’s who was going to let them into the records room. Only when they got there, there were RMSAD guards waiting for them.”

So I am right. This has RMSAD written all over it. “I take it they didn’t get into the records room?”

“No.” Konstantin confirms. “But the contact told them to be back at eight that night, only…”

“The hospital was ablaze, and the fire started in the records room,” I finish for him. Fuck! That fire had been deliberately set because someone was getting too close to finding out about Lidiya Zorin.

“Yes. Then, when they were going back to the Mirochin mansion, they were abducted,” Konstantin informs me. “It was a woman who put them in a car, but hoods had blinded them and their hands were zip-tied so they couldn’t see who she was.”

“What the fuck!” I hiss. “Is Tara okay?”

“She’s fine. The woman warned Tara she was in danger if she stayed in Russia and took them to the Mirochin jet,” Konstantin says. “They’ve gone back to Vegas.”

“Did you try to find out who abducted them?” I say, alarmed.

“I tried to. But there was a convenient power surge around that time that knocked most of the cameras around that area out,” Konstantin’s words make me go cold.

“So it was someone who knew what they were doing!” This just gets better and better.

“How did your meeting with the Zorins and General Morozov go?” Konstantin asks.

I lie without hesitation. “Dead end.”

“That’s tough. I’m sorry,” he says.

“At least you’re getting some answers,” I point out.

“You still want me to stay close to Tara?” he asks.

My jaw clenches. I can hear from his voice that something is shifting in him. Everything in me wants to scream no. Stay the fuck away from her.

But that’s not the man I can afford to be right now.

“Yes,” I say through gritted teeth. “Keep watching her. If she’s going through this pregnancy alone, I want someone nearby. Keep her safe.”

“I will.”

There’s a pause. Then Konstantin says something I don’t want to hear.

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