Linda waited until the next morning to call Yury. “Boris just called you?” Yury screamed, making her pull the phone away from her ear.
“I guess he waited so he had time to run. I tried to warn you about him,” she said, glad he couldn’t see the size of her smile. “What do you think about the note Boris found? At least he called about that.”
“Forget about it and make sure everything runs smoothly. I’ll be out for a couple of weeks to take care of this, since everyone has a case of the stupids.” The line went dead, and she laughed as she reviewed the email she’d composed that morning. She’d taken a shot the night before and found the clue the note writer put in. The I know the truth part of the letter Boris had found had led her to a website and then to an email address.
Her job might’ve been to manage tons of paper, but she’d become somewhat computer savvy with all her free time. Finally she’d found the perfect opportunity to check off every goal she’d only fantasized about.
The send button felt like a detonator when she pressed it, since she wouldn’t be able to explain or take this back if it didn’t work. She jumped when the phone rang again, then laughed.
“In case I didn’t make it clear before, don’t do anything stupid,” Yury said.
“You’re my family, Uncle Yury,” she said in Russian, “and you know how I feel about family. It’s everything.”
Yury took the phone from his ear and stared at it. He’d never truly trusted Linda, but he owed it to his brother to take care of her and his nephews. “Remember that,” he said and slammed the phone down again. His next call wouldn’t be so easy.
“I see,” Crista said after his explanation.
“Stay inside, and I’ll call you when I’m done,” he said as he rubbed the back of his neck, tired of all this turmoil. He’d been vicious in his climb to the top and earned himself the right and the respect to relax and enjoy his life.
“Don’t expose yourself like that,” Crista said, her tone softening.
“I’m an old man now, but I haven’t forgotten how to survive. But I worry about you, so stay safe.” He closed his eyes and wished he had time to see her before he left for New Orleans. “Don’t ever forget what I feel for you, Nicola.” He hung up after that declaration but replaced the phone gently this time. It was good to say her name one more time. The day was coming that she’d once again take her rightful place at his side, but the accident had given his child the gift of anonymity from the law. Just like him, Nicola was hiding in plain sight, with a life no one of importance knew about.
“Abigail, New Orleans isn’t big enough to hide from me.” He made another call and smiled at how quickly he was put through.
“Whatever you need is yours.”
He laughed, loving the attitude. This job would be a lot easier than people like Boris had made it so far. “Excellent. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
*
Abigail woke alone and a bit cranky from the lingering desire that concentrated in her nipples and clitoris. It’d been so long since she’d needed to have anyone touch her, including Nicola, if she was honest. Something had been so off about their relationship, and it’d made her want to keep her distance even when they had the opportunity to be intimate.
“Thank God for my intuition,” she said as she hunted for her robe. “I doubt she refrained from sampling the merchandise available in a big den of iniquity. I’d probably still be on antibiotics.”
She heard the loud laughter in the kitchen and smiled when she saw her mom at the stove and her girls next to Finley at the table. Liam appeared content and happy on Finley’s lap as they shared a plate of French toast smothered in syrup. It hadn’t really hit her how much she wanted this picture—the normal life with a partner, content children, and happiness. Up to now she’d thought she’d had that, but Nicola and what they’d had was a farce, except for the children. It was time to take a chance, so she didn’t play it safe and kissed everyone good morning, including Finley.
“Thanks for letting me sleep in,” she said, her eyes on Finley.
“You need to be well rested after we’ve sugared these little monsters up,” Finley said, her shirt full of small syrupy handprints. “I have to go out for a while, so you and your parents are on your own.”
“Can I talk to you before you go?”
“Sure. I need a shower, if I’m not glued to this chair.” Finley kissed Liam’s temple before repeating the action with the girls, and Abigail wanted to melt.
Liam hugged Finley with a piece of toast in each hand, adding some more syrup to her outfit, and Abigail laughed. Finley showed her usual patience and opened her mouth when he shared a piece with her. “Be good, you guys, and I’ll see you later.”
“Are you leaving because of work?” she asked when they were alone upstairs.
“Cain called. The elusive Yury Antakov is making an appearance tonight. He wants her help finding you.” Finley stripped her T-shirt off and pointed to the bathroom.
“Let’s finish this before you take anything else off. Who’s this Antakov guy?” The sight of Finley half-naked made her move closer. Her control had snapped. “Wanting you this much is crazy, especially with all this crap happening, and if you give me some psychological reason why my feelings aren’t real, I’m going to hurt you,” she said with a smile.
“I would, but I don’t lie that well.” Finley locked the door again. “When this is done we might not feel so pressed for time, but I want to see if I still want to touch you this much.”
She raised her arms when Finley removed her robe, then her nightgown. “It won’t be rushed or quiet, so finish telling me what’s up,” she said, putting her arms around Finley’s waist after pulling the drawstring on her pants.
“I got up early this morning, since I was too hard to sleep. And to answer your question, even the feds don’t know anything about this guy except that he’s high up in the mob that runs almost all the illegal activities the Russians have in New York.” Finley kissed the tip of her nose. “I have got a hunch, and Cain’s going to help me prove it tonight. If I’m right I’ll hopefully close my case and stop whoever’s trying to kill you.”
“Maybe we should get dressed again so I can concentrate, because that was hard to follow.”
Finley laughed but held Abigail closer. The next part wouldn’t be easy. “Maybe naked is better. Then you’ll know I’ve got nothing to hide.”
“What’s your hunch?” Abigail asked, and she shivered in Finley’s arms as if she knew the words would chill her.
“From what I read, Yury Antakov carved a business out of nothing with the help of his father-in-law, and it was put together one unsuspecting woman at a time. Considering our investigation, his network is vast and so much more than the upscale places like the Hell Fire Club Nicola was involved with.” She leaned back to see Abigail’s face. “Think of it like he’s got numerous stables, but instead of work horses he exploits vulnerable people in search of a better life. That’s easy since they’re usually traveling illegally and alone.”
“So this is who’s coming? Can you arrest him if all you have is a hunch?”
“My hunch isn’t that he’s coming, which he is, but that I know who this guy really is.”
“Tell me already,” Abigail said, seeming at the end of her patience.
“He made more money than he could spend in a hundred lifetimes, but he wanted more than Yury Antakov could achieve with all that wealth. So a few years back David Eaton was born, and so were Valerie, Nicola, and Frederick. The Eatons have the prestige and position the Antakovs never would.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Did you figure out Nicola ran what’s basically a brothel?” she asked, not really wanting to be cruel. “I might be wrong.”
“But you’re not, are you?” Abigail gazed at her as she shook her head. “I have no right to ask, but would you help me explain this to my kids? Please know you don’t owe me anything, but don’t disappear, okay?”
“My other hunch is you haven’t dated because of the cute trio out there, which makes you a wonderful mother. When the time comes, I’ll be here. Don’t worry about that.” She kissed Abigail but tried to keep herself under control. “Maybe we might even fit in a date alone or at a family-friendly place, so don’t think it’s all about taking your clothes off.”
“Just as long as it has a little to do with that.”
“Trust me. You’re a woman no sane person would ever forget.”
*
Finley spent the rest of the morning and all afternoon in front of three computers, mostly studying the email someone was smart enough to send after reading the note she’d included with the package she’d had delivered to the Langoises. She’d read it over ten times before she’d decided it wasn’t a joke and included it with the rest of the information she’d compiled.
“Do you have time to eat before you go?” Abigail asked.
“Not tonight, but I’ll be okay. I need to call my boss, but I’m not doing it from here.”
Abigail put her hands on her shoulders from behind her, and she enjoyed the scent of Abigail’s perfume. “Doesn’t he know anything about you except you’re from here and work for him?”
“He’s met my mother and immediate family, but he doesn’t need to know everything about me. What he does need is in here,” she held up the flash drive, “so let me get going.”
Abigail tightened her hold and didn’t let her up. “I don’t have any experience with any of this, so please be careful.”
“My backup tonight happens to care about me more than anyone on the government’s payroll, but I need you to promise me something.” She swiveled her chair around and stood, then leaned against the desk so they’d be at eye level. “My brother Neil’s the only person who’ll come here if something goes wrong, and he’ll give you this sequence of words and numbers,” she said, handing over a small index card. “Let him do that through the intercom before you let him in.”
“Don’t do this to me.”
“Abigail, please,” she said, putting her hands on her hips. “If something happens, you’re still in danger, and you can trust Neil to watch over you. Try not to give him a hard time.”
“Go, but don’t think you can dump me on anyone, even if it’s your brother.” They kissed, and Finley glanced in her rearview mirror as she left. Today she longed for the safety of her office and computers. Fieldwork wasn’t her norm, but no way was she leaving this to someone else.
She headed downtown to one of the large hotels to use a computer in the business center. The file was encrypted enough that it’d take Peter a few hours to open it, but it wasn’t the only copy she was sending. Even if Yury had bought someone off, it couldn’t be everyone.
“Hey, Chief,” she said to Russell and allowed him to vent about everything on his mind. “You’ve got a right to everything you said, but listen.” She told him what she’d sent and what needed to happen first. “Bring a team that you’re sure about and hit the warehouse first. It holds the answers about where and who. Try to pick up Brian Baylord at the same time. He’s probably got answers, judging from what Peter sent me.”
“Are you sure about this tip?”
The email she’d gotten was from someone who wanted out of Yury’s trap and was willing to trade all the evidence they’d need to bring the syndicate down, including the code key for the journals. “We can’t take the chance not to go. I trust you, sir, but in four hours three other people at different agencies will have the same information. You’ve got plenty of time.”
“Good work, and we’ll have a foothold on this no matter who else you invited. Now tell me what you’re hiding and why you aren’t leading all this. You’re telling me you fucking found all the answers. Right?”
“I need these people locked up—that’s all. I’ll leave the limelight to you.” She finished what she needed to do and it was time to go. “Russell, I know you can do this, and Peter’s ready to pick up my slack.”
“You’re up to something that’ll put you in the middle of the fire. Keep your head down, and make sure you stick around to make me look good.”
“Do this, and do it as soon as Peter’s finished. You need to get there while there’s still something to find.”