Page 58 of The Bratva's Innocent Sold Bride
It wasn’t easy, but to keep the peace when Mat came home, I put Artem in his own room for the night, giving him a handful of extra treats to make up for it. However, Mat never came home.
His side of the bed wasn’t even rumpled when I woke up in the morning. Throwing caution to the wind, I called my dad, demanding to know if he’d heard anything from Mat or any of his people.
“No one was following you?”
“I’m sure of it, CJ. I only wanted to try to make things right.”
“Well, stop it. I mean it.” I hung up, feeling a little better, though guilty for snapping at him.
I needed a major distraction, and since caution was already in the wind, I decided to try to go to the office. Mat never explicitly told me how long I had to wait. I asked the driver when he could be ready, and instead of laughing in my face, he snapped to attention and told me whenever I was.
“As soon as I get Artem,” I said, hurrying out back to collect him.
He was as eager as I was to get going, and we both perked up as the building came into our sight. The guards had been notified that work was resuming, and I greeted them rather smugly. My beautiful computers were waiting for me, just where I left them. The only problem was that I didn’t have anything particular to do.
The Terrence Hendricks project was a dead end. Still, I couldn’t help wondering if my programs found anything new. A quick check showed that I’d uncovered a list of properties under all the corporations I’d been able to tie to the tech genius,including many in Moscow. Even though I thought the Russian ties were interesting, it wasn’t anything useful to Mat. I couldn’t call him and ask him if he’d be interested in this list since I wasn’t technically supposed to be there, but I could clean up some loose ends and email the final findings to Delta. By the end of the day, when I returned home safely, Mat would see that there was no reason to wait and give me a new project right away.
But first, coffee. Reaching into the cupboard for the can, it was suspiciously light, and when I opened it, there was only a fine, brown dust on the bottom. Well, the guards weren’t going to be happy about that, either, since I usually brought them each a cup before I got settled in and before their game shows got started.
“Hey guys, we’re out of coffee,” I said, showing them the can. “I’ll go get some from that stand around the corner.”
“Nope, I’ve got this.” One of them jumped up I thought it was Josef, but they could have been big beefy twins, so it was hard to tell.
“Well, in that case, let me give you a list if you don’t mind. The snacks are dangerously low as well.”
He followed me into the main office while I inspected the cupboards and fridge, writing out a list. I hadn’t eaten breakfast in my haste to get there, so my stomach was making me add things we didn’t really need.
“I think you’re both going to have to go,” I said. “This is a regular grocery run.”
“Ha, not likely,” Josef replied.
I actually stamped my foot in irritation. Then my phone dinged, and I looked at it while I thought of reasons why Ishouldn’t be allowed to stay here alone, with the driver parked outside under his favorite tree, for fifteen minutes. It was a text from Mat, saying he’d be there in five minutes.
I sighed, holding it up. “Mat’s just down the street. I guess I have to admit it’s possible I’m not supposed to be here. But don’t worry, I’ll take the blame, and he might not be mad when he sees the new info I’ve got.”
He ignored my chipper assurances and swore. The other one in the front heard and stood in the doorway, repeating the colorful curse. Then both their phones buzzed, and they seemed to get an urgent message that had them reverting from buddy mode to armed guard mode in a blink.
“The cameras are showing something’s up just outside the office park,” Josef said. “We need to move.”
I expected to be picked up and hustled out of there like a rolled-up carpet, but instead, they told me to lock myself in until Mat arrived. No amount of asking what was going on would get them to answer me, and they took off before I could try, only pausing at the front door to make sure I locked it.
Then I turned off the lights in the reception area and hunkered down in the back. More than five minutes went by, but I was determined not to work myself into a tizzy, instead rolling a tennis ball across the floor for Artem to chase.
As I was about to give up acting like I wasn’t worried and call Mat, someone knocked on the door. Not exactly pounding, but still urgent-sounding. Peeking around the edge of the door, I could clearly see through the darkened front room and out the glass panel that it wasn’t Mat.
“It’s Garik,” he called. “Mat asked me to pick you up. Mrs. Fokin, it’s important that you come with me.”
I had never met Garik, but I’d heard plenty about him. Mat trusted him with his life. I went out and inspected him, but one big Russian was as good as another.
“Show me your ID,” I demanded.
He smiled. “Good for you. Mat will be pleased.”
“If this is some kind of test to teach me a lesson for—”
He cut me off, pressing his driver’s license against the glass door. “Not a test. He needs me to bring you to him.”
“Is he okay?” The ID checked out, and I opened the door, snapping for Artem.
