“Thank you,” I tell her. “I appreciate that.”
“Lev.” Alexei angles the phone back toward himself.
“I received the files you sent me,” I tell him.
“Yes, I am sorry.” He shrugs. “I have not found a way to get around the three missing years of information on her record.”
“Why would those records be sealed?” I ask.
“It is difficult to say.” He frowns. “Typically, it’s done to protect the information of a minor. But something would have had to occur. Something that the court felt it best to hide. I also suspect that since Kat changed her last name from March to Blake, she has something to hide.”
His words don’t put me at ease. For days, I’ve been trying to put Kat out of my mind, but she continues to haunt me. “What else can we do? Surely, someone can access them.”
“If I knew where to look, I would have better luck,” Alexei notes. “Perhaps the name of a foster parent, an institution, things of that nature. Right now, I’m just shooting blindly with the little information you were able to provide. If you get me more, I might be able to dig up something else.”
Easier said than done, considering I told Katerina she would never see me again. It’s not likely she will answer any questions openly now. The only alternative is Nina, and I foresee that being a problem, given the current circumstances. Nina might be a spoiled princess, but even she seems to have some morals. I don’t see her ratting out her friend so easily.
“Thank you, Lyoshenka. I will see what else I can find.”
“Who is this girl to you?” he asks with an arched brow. “Is she in danger?”
I know he means to ask if she is in danger from me. The question wouldn’t be so offensive if it were anyone else, but I can’t divulge my warring feelings for Katerina. Alexei has always been a protector of women, and for that, I can only respect him.
“She is in no danger from me,” I reply. “I simply found myself curious. Her past is a mystery, and it seems like perhaps she was in danger from someone else. I only wanted to make sure she was safe.”
Alexei seems to buy my half-truth for now.
“Get me more information on her, and I’ll see what I can do,” he says.
“Thank you.” I nod. “I will let you get back to your wife and son.”
“Bye, Lev!” Talia shouts from the passenger seat. “Take care.”
I bid them both goodbye and disconnect the call without any sense of relief. This is proving to be more difficult than I anticipated, but as I glance at the few bits of information Alexei was able to source, I find that I can’t let it go.
From what I’ve gathered so far, I’ve learned that Katerina’s mother was killed when she was three. There is some mystery regarding her death, but foul play was never confirmed. From that point on, she was placed into the foster care system, jumping around from house to house. There were only brief notes in her files up until the age of fifteen, when abruptly, everything else was wiped clean.
I can’t shake the feeling that something horrible happened to her. Whatever those scars are, they were no accident. I can’t rewrite her history, but I tell myself that I need to ensure she’s safe before I truly let her go. It’s the only way I can move forward and leave her behind.
Andrei slams the door upstairs, interrupting my thoughts and reminding me there is still work to be done. He seems to have difficulty with the concept of staying quiet, and I’m tempted to slip enough Valium into his drink to knock out a horse. At least it would make my night easier.
I return upstairs with some sanitizing wipes from the kitchen and wipe down every surface near the window he may have touched before I retrieve the binoculars. Nina von Brandt has returned to the sanctuary of her home, and there is nothing of importance happening at the residence when Andrei finally exits the bathroom.
The next five hours pass with much of the same. Andrei continues to grumble about every minor inconvenience, and I focus on the von Brandt home while considering my options. A small part of me had hoped I might see Kat come to visit her friend while I was here. But a part of me is also relieved she hasn’t. I don’t need her getting caught up in this scandal, and I definitely don’t need Andrei seeing her again.
By the time night falls, Andrei is wound tighter than a jack-in-the-box, and I’m ready to get the fuck out of here. But first, there is something else I need to do.
“Looks like they’ve all turned in,” I tell him. “You can head back to the club.”