Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 66833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 334(@200wpm)___ 267(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 334(@200wpm)___ 267(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
Good question. I text it to Valery. He replies immediately:
Relation too distant to blip on the regular background report. Were only alerted to the possibility of a connection when we hacked Bocelli’s father’s email this morning. A couple of weeks ago, he reached out to Accardi for help with prosecuting the only suspect, the German girl. Seems convinced she’s behind it. Accardi must’ve pulled some strings with the Geneva police to initiate the arrest.
“So let me get this straight,” Alina says after I read her the message. “The father of the man I killed is looking for someone to blame, and because of his distant mafia relative, he was able to get an innocent woman arrested on next-to-no evidence?” Then she must reach the same conclusion as I did earlier because she gasps and says, “That’s how he got away with it, right? The rapes he was never prosecuted for? Accardi must’ve pulled some strings for the Bocellis then too.”
“I suspect that’s the case.”
Which makes everything so much more complicated. If Bocelli truly thinks her guilty, Birgit is fucked. With Accardi’s kind of pull, proof of innocence can be disregarded, or conversely, evidence of guilt manufactured. It’s simple enough to do. We’ve done it dozens of times ourselves, as have the Molotovs.
When you have enough money and power, the legal system is your weapon, to be wielded as you see fit—which is fine when we’re the ones wielding it. But in this case, it’s being wielded against an innocent woman, one that my wife cares about. And, more importantly, a woman who knows my full name and thus Alina’s. At this very moment, Birgit could be talking to the Geneva police, telling them all about the sick Russian woman who stayed with her—and then disappeared right when Bocelli did.
If they don’t put two and two together after that, I’ll be very surprised.
“We need to do something.” Alina resumes pacing. “We have to get Birgit out.”
That, or ensure she’s not able to speak to anyone. I bet that’s the solution Valery is favoring. And it’s one I would choose also if not for the fact that it would cause Alina distress. Not to mention, Birgit may have already opened her mouth, and eliminating her would only bring the police—or worse, Accardi’s people—to our doorstep that much sooner.
The Geneva police are not a real threat to us, but Accardi could cause trouble if he were so inclined.
Would he be inclined, though? Just how close is he to the Bocellis?
It’s one thing to bribe a cop or two to indulge a distant relative, but it’s another thing entirely to go up against a family as powerful as the Leonovs… and the Molotovs.
I doubt Alina’s brothers will stay on the sidelines in this fight.
I’m about to text Valery with my next question when a text from him arrives with a ping:
Konstantin just accessed the cameras and arrest records at the station. Schwann hasn’t said anything about Alina yet. The problem can still be contained.
“What did he say?” Alina grabs for my phone, and despite my misgivings, I show her the message.
Her face goes pale, and she clenches her jaw. “No. Absolutely not. Birgit is not expendable. Do you hear me? You cannot ‘contain’ the problem by making her go away. I won’t have it.” Her voice rises. “Alexei, please, don’t let them hurt Birgit, or I swear to god, I will—”
“I won’t.” The promise emerges of its own accord, born not of rational thought but of an automatic, instinctual need to please her, to take away the source of her stress and worry.
Six months ago, I wouldn’t have made this promise. I would’ve done what’s best for her and for our future life together, regardless of the fallout—as I’ve done so many times in the past. But that was before. Before I knew what it was like to have her snuggle close to me and hear her whisper, “I love you.” Before I knew—truly knew and understood—the tender, vulnerable, complicated core of her, this woman I’ve wanted for so long and have fought so hard for.
Six months ago, I was a man she hated—and I don’t want to be one ever again.
So, even though the simple, logical thing to do would be to let Valery eliminate Birgit as he’s undoubtedly planning, I frame Alina’s face with my palms and tell her solemnly, “I’ll stop them. We’ll find another way to make the problem go away.”
She inhales slowly, and I see the tension drain out of her. She believes me, trusts me, and that makes all the upcoming headache worthwhile. I lean in and kiss her forehead, inhaling her sweet scent as I do, and then I text her brothers:
Do not do anything. It’s time for a meeting.
Chapter 30
Alina
My brothers have visited me in our new residence before, but we’ve never sat together like this. Whenever they’d come over, the atmosphere would be painfully tense until Alexei made himself scarce and let me have at least pretend privacy to talk to them, to have the same circular conversations that always feel more like interrogations, with my brothers doing their best to determine if Alexei is indeed the monster I’d once imagined him to be… and whether the risk of acting to extract me from his grasp outweighs the risk of letting me continue in this marriage for now.