No, not supposed to. Going to.
Was he the man she’d come face-to-face with in the car the other night?
The whole incident was surreal. If she didn’t have faint marks on her cheeks, she would have a hard time believing it had actually happened. So she was glad he’d marked her—it was a reminder she couldn’t sweep it under the rug. Fedor’s actions could not go unchecked. Intoxicated or not, he could not treat her like that.
She was hoping the professional atmosphere of his office might help her cause, might remind him of the persona he’d adopted as a legitimate businessman. Violence had no place in this world.
Fedor’s receptionist, a twig of a girl who didn’t look old enough to buy herself a drink, looked shocked to see Ginny walk in the front door. She didn’t greet Ginny or anything—just sat there with her mouth hanging open.
“I’m here to see Fedor.” Ginny didn’t bother introducing herself. The girl obviously knew who she was.
“Do you . . . do you have an appointment?”
“No,” Ginny said, “but I’m sure Fedor will make time to see me.” She picked an imaginary piece of lint off her shirt and sat in one of the chairs in the reception area. In actuality, she wasn’t so sure Fedor would want to see her. She hadn’t been in contact with him since the other night when things hadn’t ended well. He hadn’t said goodbye and had commanded his driver to go before she’d even fully gotten out of the car. She was lucky her toes didn’t get run over. She’d stood in her driveway long after the car had left, staring in the darkness of the night—the darkness that matched the soul of the man she had promised to marry.
After getting over the shock and dismay that he would treat her with such disregard, Ginny had started panicking. What if Fedor broke off the engagement? She couldn’t see him walking away easily—he would definitely make her pay. And that could prove catastrophic for Veronica.
Ginny needed to fix things between her and Fedor while also making him understand how she expected to be treated. It was a tall order.
The receptionist pushed a button on her console and whispered into her headset. The act put Ginny on edge. Why the secrecy?
Moments later, though, Fedor himself appeared in the reception area. Ginny regarded him carefully, but his expression was open and tinged slightly with adoration.
Ginny relaxed slightly. Perhaps the other night had simply been an anomaly. Still, she couldn’t take that chance. It needed to be addressed.
“Luybov moya.” Fedor took her hand and helped her up. “To what do I owe this pleasure? You’ve never been to my office. Come, look around.”
He held open the door that led to the back part of the office, and though he told her to look around, he ushered her straight down the hallway to his office, which was massive and lavishly decorated. In the center of the room was a large mahogany desk—one that screamed of masculine power. To the left of his desk, there was a bar with at least a dozen bottles of various whiskeys and scotches.
As she turned to close the door behind her, some less than reputable looking men walked down the hallway and out to the reception area. Though Fedor had refused to divulge how he’d made his money—and to be fair, Ginny had never directly asked—he’d never been secretive about his power in certain circles. She’d hoped that once he established himself with the help of her connections, he’d let go of that side of his life. Now that didn’t seem likely.
The tension returned to her body.
“Have a seat.” He gestured to the leather couch along the front wall. She sat, but he remained standing, so that she had to look up at him. She didn’t like it—it made her feel small. Did he do that on purpose? Knowing him, probably.
Fedor was turning out to be a manipulative bastard. But what did she expect from someone who’d blackmailed her into marrying him?
Veronica would have actually been the better match for him.
Ginny took a deep breath. “I want to talk about the other night.”
His brow furrowed, as if he didn’t know what she was talking about.
“After the engagement party. In the car,” she said, hoping he wasn’t going to make her say it out loud—when you manhandled me and left bruises on my face.
Still he said nothing, waiting for her to continue.
“I appreciate everything you’ve done for me—”
“And your family,” he interjected pointedly.
“Yes,” Ginny said slowly, “and my family.” She knew then this conversation wasn’t going to go as she’d planned. She’d come here wanting to demand an apology and a promise that he’d treat her with more respect in the future. But his reminding her of how much she was in his debt was no coincidence. She needed to tread carefully.
“I just want to make sure we have a successful partnership,” she said carefully. “Even though we came together by nontraditional means, there’s no reason we can’t be happy.”
“Are you unhappy, my kotik?” His gaze was challenging, daring her.
Yes! She wanted to scream You’re twice my age and I was blackmailed into marrying you. Of course I’m unhappy.
Instead, she played it smart.
“No, but I do want to make sure we have a clear understanding.”
“I understand. I’ve always understood.” His menacing black eyes looked her over coolly, like she was a piece of property. And she realized that’s what she was to him—his possession. “Perhaps you are now finally coming to understand what it means to be the future Mrs. Barkov.”
“Yes.” Her stomach clenched and dread rolled over her. Ice filled her veins. “Yes, I understand now.”
Chapter 8
“This is Ginny. I can’t answer my phone right now. Please leave a message.”
Tony listened to Ginny’s sweet voice and wondered if the message was true or if she was simply avoiding his calls. He disconnected without leaving a message. He’d already left one, and she’d see his missed call. She might not be ready to accept his help, but all the same he wanted her to know she wasn’t alone.
His internal line buzzed, and he answered.
“It’s Dr. Gilbert.”
Tony came to attention. “Yes, what can I do for you?”
“I looked into that file—B37.” The doctor’s voice was hushed, like he was afraid of being overheard. “It was there this morning and I couldn’t access it, either. Then after lunch, it was gone.”
Tony had been worried that attempts to access the file would alert the owner. Looked like his theory was right, and whoever created B37 didn’t want it to be found.
“Thanks for letting me know,” he said. “For your own sake, don’t look into this anymore. I’m taking care of it.”
Dr. Gilbert hesitated before agreeing. After disconnecting, Tony stared at the phone. The disappearance confirmed his suspicions—something wasn’t right.
He didn’t have long to dwell on it because Ingrid buzzed in, letting him know Knox and Natalie were out front. He told Ingrid to send them back.
“Thanks for coming,” he said, shutting the door behind them.
“No problem,” Natalie said, kissing his cheek. She settled in a chair while Tony and Knox stood.
“What did you learn?” Tony asked, cutting to the chase.
“Barkov is a slippery bastard. Even more slippery than X.” Knox’s face clouded over at the mention of his former boss, a criminal powerhouse who’d operated the gym X and Tony had fought in. X had basically controlled Knox’s life, until Knox got fed up and left, but not before beating the shit out of X. That hadn’t gone over well, and X pursued Knox with a vengeance. Natalie got mixed up in the mess as well, but they’d managed to escape. X’s current whereabouts were unknown.
Tony pounded his fist into his opposite hand over and over again. “He’s not infallible.”
“He had dealings with X before you came around,” Knox said. “But they parted ways. No one can say for sure why. Some people say X double-crossed Barkov. Others say Barkov cheated X out of his
cut in a deal. With those two, who knows? It’s safe to say some shady shit happened between them.”
“What isn’t shady where that motherfucker is concerned?” Tony muttered.
“Do you remember Lenny?” Knox asked.
“Tall, skinny guy?”
“Yeah, that’s him. His family owned a restaurant over on West Lark Street. Barkov took a fee from each business on that strip. Ten percent or something like that. Lenny’s family talked some of the other people into taking a stand and not paying. The restaurant was burned to the ground.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah,” Knox agreed. “But they’re probably lucky that’s all he did. He’s one sadistic fuck.”
“Why the sudden interest in Barkov?” Natalie asked.
Tony considered lying, but one look at her told him she already knew the answer. “Ginny.”
Natalie nodded grimly. “I don’t know her well, but I could tell something is off between her and Barkov.”
“Exactly,” Tony said, somewhat relieved to get confirmation from an independent source. “I need to find out what he has on her.”
“There’s no connection between them,” Natalie said. “Not that I could find. Once Knox told me he was looking into Barkov, it wasn’t hard to figure out why, so I did a little digging on my own. All of his dealings with the north side have been legit from what I can tell. He’s been trying to establish himself in society for a while, but his reception has been”—Natalie paused, considering her words—“less than warm.”
“Good thing he has deep pockets, because his blood sure as hell isn’t blue,” Knox said. Tony and Natalie turned to look at him. “What? You can’t deny you high society people value pedigree, like people are fucking dogs or something.”
Tony and Natalie looked at each other and shrugged. Knox had a point. Having money wasn’t enough in some people’s eyes. Tony never gave a rat’s ass about it, but he guessed it was easy not to care about money when you had it.
“Anyway,” Natalie continued. “Seven years ago, a woman agreed to testify against Barkov when her boyfriend went missing. He was some kind of low-level muscle. But when push came to shove, she recanted. They couldn’t even indict him without her testimony.”
“What happened to her?” Tony asked.
“No one knows,” Natalie said. “The best anyone could figure was that she moved away. Or at least, that’s all anyone would say when the detectives went looking for her. She’s never been reported missing or anything like that, but she had no family to speak of. The case was dropped once it became clear their star witness was gone. That’s the closest the cops have ever gotten to Barkov.”
Barkov easily could have taken her out. With no family, who would know? If no one reported her missing, then the cops wouldn’t have a reason to hunt her down.
“Both of Barkov’s parents are deceased,” Natalie went on. “His father ran in similar circles on the south side, built himself an empire of sorts. But he was pushed off his throne when his men turned on him. So Barkov’s penchant for quick violence makes sense—he takes people out before they become a threat.”
“You said both of his parents were deceased,” Tony said. “What about his mother?”
Natalie sighed. “That’s a little more complicated. She worked for the Harding family and, for whatever reason, kept the job after her husband rose to power. Some say she was having an affair with Victor Harding.”
Knox snorted. “Is that the same guy from earlier this year?”
“The one and the same.”
“That guy is a prick,” Tony commented.
“That isn’t the word I would go with,” Knox said, “He threatened Natalie and then bit me. Motherfucker.”
“And then lied to the media about it,” Natalie said. “But anyway, Barkov’s mother left employment suddenly. Some say she broke it off with Harding. Some say he abused her one too many times, so she left. No one I talked to knows for sure and it’s not like we can ask Harding about it. But either way, it might explain why Barkov has a chip on his shoulder concerning the north side.”
“Barkov moves in the shadows,” Knox said quietly. “He never does any of his own dirty work, and he has countless men willing to take the fall for him. No one has ever rolled on him. He is one dangerous motherfucker. You don’t want to cross him.”
“Too late,” Tony said. Barkov might not know Tony was his enemy yet, but he would soon. Everything he’d learned in the last ten minutes made him even more determined to help Ginny.
“No, it’s not,” Knox said. “You haven’t made any moves against him. Unless you’re not telling me something.”
Tony looked him square in the eye. “I can’t let Ginny marry that motherfucker.”
Knox clenched his jaw but said nothing. Given his history with Natalie, he’d be a hypocrite to speak out. But Tony could tell Knox thought he was crazy.
And he got that. He and Ginny weren’t involved. And even after he got her away from Barkov—which would happen—she might not want anything to do with him, despite the heat between them.
But no matter what happened, he couldn’t let her make the biggest mistake of her life. And what could turn out to be her last mistake.
“Do you know why she’s marrying him?” Natalie asked.
“No.” Tony lightly pounded his fists on the desk. “And she’s not talking, either.”
“You need to find out,” Knox said. “Until you know, you’re operating blind.”
“Don’t I know it,” Tony muttered. He pulled a flashdrive out of his pocket and stared at it, rotating it in his fingers.
If only he’d kept in touch with Ginny over the years, then maybe she’d confide in him. Then again, if they’d kept in touch, she probably wouldn’t be engaged to Barkov to begin with.
It had to be something big. Although Veronica said money was Ginny’s motive, Tony wasn’t buying it. Veronica might marry for money—hell, she already had—but not Ginny. He’d seen the despair in her eyes. No way would she put herself through marrying Barkov solely for financial reasons.
There had to be something else. Maybe something that involved her family. Had her father somehow gotten tangled up in some bad shit? Daniel Frazier was a nice guy, but sometimes he lacked common sense. Tony could see him stumbling into something, not realizing he was in over his head.
It was a shame his own father was such a bastard. If the Frazier family had a secret, his father might know. And if he didn’t know, he could probably find out more easily than Tony.
But he didn’t trust his father, especially not with this. Ginny was too important.
And right now, he sincerely hoped his only problem with his father was that the man was an asshole.
When the story came out about how Gerald Kent, Natalie’s father, was treating her, his own father hadn’t seemed surprised. Although Tony had always butted heads with his father, he’d never questioned his integrity, but the lack of surprise really opened his eyes.
If his father had suspected something foul was going on and that Natalie was essentially her father’s prisoner, why hadn’t his father done something? Though Natalie refused to talk about it, it was also widely speculated that Gerald had been involved in his wife’s death.
Tony’s father hadn’t seemed shocked by that, either.
He squeezed the flashdrive in his fist. After speaking with Dr. Gilbert the first time, he’d made several copies of the file, not trusting that it wouldn’t suddenly disappear. His trying to access it might have triggered something that alerted whoever owned the file that he was looking at it.
Turned out he was right. It was a good thing he’d been proactive.
“Natalie, do you think you could break the encryption on a file?” he asked. She was a self-taught computer hacker and one of the few people he trusted without reservation. She had Knox’s hard-earned seal of approval, so that was enough for him.
“I can try,” Natalie said. “It depends on how sophisticated it is.”
/>
He handed her the flashdrive. “It’d be a huge favor if you’d see what you can do with this.”
She stared at it in her hand. “What is it?”
“That’s what I need you to tell me.”
* * *
Tony waited until the last employee left the building, which was almost nine by the time Dr. Gilbert left. The scientist hadn’t contacted Tony regarding their conversation, so Tony assumed that meant he hadn’t found anything.
Or perhaps the doctor’s loyalties laid elsewhere.
Tony didn’t think so, but either way, he was taking matters into his own hands. If he was going to head up Adamo Enterprises, then he needed to know what was going on.
He passed through the various security doors, glancing up at the camera recording his every move. He’d considered disabling it but had decided against it. This was his company and he had every right to do any damn thing he pleased. He had nothing to hide. Besides, it might not hurt to have a record, in case he did find something.
He hoped to God he didn’t, that he was being overly paranoid.
The thing was, he wasn’t a man prone to paranoia. When his gut told him something, it was usually right.
He stood at the entrance to the lab, surveying the area. He didn’t even know exactly what he was looking for, and for the first time, he realized how huge the lab was. It took up an entire floor of the building, and that was just the research and development portion.
He bypassed the work stations in the open areas, figuring those projects were most likely legit. It was true that sometimes the best place to hide something was in plain sight, but not with Dr. Gilbert around.
In the back of the labs were enclosed areas for development of what Tony thought of as the high-test stuff—narcotics. He slipped into the narcotics lab, once again stopping to survey the area. The workstations were clear and uncluttered. He fired up the computer to find perfectly detailed notes from the day’s experiments. Most of it didn’t make sense to him, so he turned his attention elsewhere.
Hold You Close Page 7
