Page 118 of Ruling Scar
“Why,” Adeline enunciates each of her words, “is the last location for my sister’s phone in the harbor?”
“Adeline, please do explain.” Because things start to spin around me.
“I know something happened to Lennie. Now tell me what the fuck is going on with this Leopold guy because I’m fairly certain he just kidnapped my sister!”
Roma grabs my phone from my hand, pulling up security details.
“What the fuck is happening?” Adeline snaps over the phone. “Where the fuck is my sister?”
“Adeline, I’ll have to call you back.”
“Don’t you fucking?—”
I end the call.
“We need Dima,” Roma says, taking back his phone and handing me mine.
I begin walking down the street. I expect a black SUV at the curb in five, four, three, two. . .
It’s here.
I get in, Roma following.
“Elijah.” Roma touches my shoulder.
I shrug away from him when I get a new alert on my phone. It’s an unknown number but I know who sent it the moment I open it up.
Leopold sent me a photo of Ivan’s lifeless body. Slumped over, a trail of blood soaking his shirt.
Roma sucks in a breath when he catches sight of it.
I trusted only Ivan to look after Leonora. I told him if it came down to it I’d require him to take a bullet for her.
He kept his promise.
“Elijah.” Roma tries again, touching my shoulder lightly. He’s well aware of my friendship with the man. “What do we know?”
“Leopold.”
“The card fight guy?” He looks on in disbelief. The car travels as quickly as it can through daytime traffic, toward Ivan. It’s too late, though. They’ll be gone.
Ivan’s dead body means only one thing. “He took Leonora.”
“We’ve got to call Dad and we have to tell Boris,” Roma says.
“We need to find Leopold.”
When Ivan didn’t watch Leonora he began to compile as much information about Leopold Stuart as possible. His daily activities, the phone calls he makes, and the people he speaks to. He uncovered the strained father-son relationship that makes any tiffs with Lev look like child’s play. Leopold’s not so much of a daddy’s boy these days.
Which means he’s off the leash, but with little room to play, due to the fact his finances are shit and he has few friends.
He’s got a list of assets throughout the city, but he’s not wise with his money. He’s cash-strapped.
Adeline calls again. I send her to voicemail.
I list out an address to the driver.
Roma pulls out his phone. “Adeline’s calling me now.”
