“Let Kirill Viktorovich decide what’s best,” Olga said predictably. “He knows his business. Don’t interfere.”
“What a surprise that you’re on his side.” My mutinous mutter had no effect on Olga, who merely shrugged.
“You know, he told me this would happen this morning,” Max said.
“Because he knows me so well?” I argued. It was true, though. Kirill did know me. Which meant he knew how much it would annoy me, and how much I was going to fight his high-handed edicts.“And how did he instruct you to manhandle me onto a plane without my consent?” I looked suspiciously at my tea. “This isn’t drugged, is it?”
Max laughed. “Of course not. You’re pregnant. It’d be bad for the baby.”
“You’re all horrible people.”
“True. But I have to give it to the boss. I doubt I know my brother as well as Kirill knows you.”
“If he knows me so well, how did he plan on getting rid of me, since I don’t intend to take a European tour anytime soon?”
My sweet, grating tone rolled off Max’s back. The man was shameless. “I suppose this is an instance where you’ll have to see it to believe it.”
His phone vibrated, and he glanced at it before standing. “Be back in a minute.”
“Don’t tell me you’re having a helicopter land on the roof so you can carry me out of here kicking and screaming, without anyone seeing?” Now I’d said it, it sounded all too realistic for the bratva bred sociopaths in control of my life.
“Oh, Mallory, when will you learn the simplest ways are often the best?” Max chuckled as he left the room.
I looked at Olga as she pressed more toast to me.“What the hell did that mean?”
“Here, eat more. You’ll need your strength,” she muttered.
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Need my strength for what?”
She didn’t answer and avoided my eyes. She picked up her teacup and took a large mouthful of black tea.
“She’s through here.” I heard Max’s voice drift to me from the hallway.
I stiffened. I never got visitors here, except Federica, and she hadn’t texted me. A man appeared in the doorway, followed by another. They wore distinctive uniforms.NYPD.
Color drained from my cheeks as I stared at the officers entering the room.
“Mrs. Mallory Chernova? We are here to take you down to the station to answer some questions about Kaplan Holmes’s disappearance.”
Kap Holmes?
Holy fuck.
“Am I in trouble?” I blurted as I stared at the weird image of police officers in a bratva boss’s penthouse. I had to call Kirill. A thousand thoughts flew through my head as I stood up and the officers approached.
“No, Mrs. Chernova, but our investigation revealed you may have been one of the last people to see him alive, and we need to fill in some blanks.” They moved to escort me out of the room.
I turned shocked eyes to Max.My fears suddenly died, transforming into anger, when Max smiled broadly. Fucker.
“Don’t worry, Mallory. I’ll have a lawyer sent downtown to sit with you. I’m sure it’s just routine. You’ll probably only be in there for . . . what’s the maximum, boys?” Max directed toward the officers.
His casual tone revealed that this was no normal procedure. Kirill had claimed to have friends in the NYPD often enough. For fuck’s sake, he’d gotten away with shooting someone in plain sight in my mother’s nursing home only a few months ago.
“Forty-eight hours, max,” the officer said.
“Forty-eight hours? That should be long enough,” Max said simply.
I was utterly speechless as the officers escorted me out of the building into a waiting squad car.