Page 52 of The Russian Pakhan's Forced Bride
He sighs, seemingly doubting that notion. “Perhaps it was the temporary conclusion we came to, but I still don’t know for certain.”
“What has snagged your suspicion then?”
“At the restaurant the other week, I know Victoria said she doesn’t have any siblings, but is there any chance that could be false?”
I don’t entirely like what he’s implying. “Are you saying she’s lying?”
“No…not necessarily,” Mikhail mends without hesitation before sighing. “I’m wondering if she’s just unaware. If she believes she isn’t Viktoria Nikolaev because she doesn’t know any better.”
Eyeing him uncertainly, I try to gauge how much grace I should offer the speculation. “You think it’s possible?”
“She was in the foster care system and was adopted by a family along the way, right? I don’t see why her identity couldn’t have been buried at some point. You have to admit, it’s a strange coincidence…not to mention, our intel lines up exactly with hers.”
As much as I don’t want to let my mind wander into speculative territory too much, I can’t completely discredit what he’s saying.
I absently rub at my chin. “…do you think Maxim knows about her then, if she really is his sister?”
Mikhail shrugs. “Who’s to say? He might know, he might not, but either way, we won’t be able to find out if you keep her hidden forever.”
His words sink in, and I find myself lingering on them.
He certainly has a point.
I tried to lay to rest those thoughts surrounding Victoria and her identity, but with it back in the forefront of my mind, I know that something isn’t right.
It still doesn’t add up.
My phone ringing in my pocket breaks the spell of our conversation, and before we can continue, I grab it. Finding Nikolai’s name across the screen, I accept the call and bring the phone to my ear.
“What is it?”
Nikolai, who is normally calm and collected, sounds vaguely out of breath on the other end. “One of our convoys was intercepted…the one heading north-east.”
Pausing, I pull the phone back before putting him on speaker. My brows knit together.
“What happened? How bad was it?”
He takes a breath, the continues, “They derailed the truck and caused a shoot-out. As far as we can tell, they got away with very little and lost a few on their side, but now we’re working to get everything up and running before we pull too much attention.”
Anger flares beneath my skin, and at once, that knowing feeling settles in my gut. I have to force myself not to crush the cell phone in my grasp. “…who did it?”
“They looked like Nikolaev men…”
Seeing red immediately, I clench my jaw and scrub a hand over my mouth. “That bastard…is this retaliation? Does he know about Victoria?”
Mikhail, focused on the conversation, has that usual look of deep thought in his eyes, quietly scrutinizing the situation. He seems to be wondering the same thing.
“It’s possible…but either way, we have to get this thing out of the public eye.”
Despite the rage moving through me, I pull in a breath and nod to myself, trying to focus more on the next steps, rather than those volatile emotions.
“Yes…go with them and make sure nobody inspects the load too closely…we need to up the security detail on the other shipments going out today,” I murmur, trying to think with the clearest mind I can manage. “Get everyone out of there. If you come across more of Maxim’s men, don’t hesitate.”
“Got it…I’ll let you know when we arrive.”
My patience is barely hanging on by a thread, but I force myself to hold it in. “Stay safe.”
Exchanging our goodbyes, I end the call and grip the phone a bit tighter, pressing my hand to my mouth in an attempt to hold my most instinctive reactions in.
