Page 15 of Alexei

Then he looked away and left without another word, moving like a panther. Vasili was right behind him.

Both silent and deadly.

ChapterFive

AURORA

So sue me.

After the Nikolaev men left and McGovan gave me an earful, I came back to my own desk. Then got straight to work.

I typed in Nikolaev's name into the database and information started streaming in.

Nikola Nikolaev.

Father to Vasili, Sasha, Alexei, and Tatiana Nikolaev. Alexei Nikolaev was their half-brother. Mother Marietta Taylor.

Not surprising. Men often had women on the side. Just look at my father.

My eyes roamed the screen, consuming the information.

Nikola and his wife moved to the States along with their children - Vasili and Sasha. Tatiana and Alexei were born in the States.

“Jesus Christ,” I muttered. The old man had ties to the Russian mafia, suspected of possibly leading it. Though it was never confirmed and no proof was ever found.

What is McGovan thinking? Having any kind of deal with these men could tarnish the credibility of the case once solved.

I swallowed hard. The idea of dealing with any member of a criminal organization sent dread through my veins. It was normal considering what I’d witnessed happen to Anya, Sailor’s sister, by a member of the cartel. Or knowing how my mother was murdered.

I forced myself to continue reading.

Vasili Nikolaev took the reins of the business fairly young and set up what appeared to be legitimate businesses, at least on the surface. Or maybe they were fronts, it was hard to tell without digging into each business and their financial records. The Nikolaev men were so successful, they had become some of the top real estate tycoons in the world.

“Impressive,” I murmured, slightly awed.

The Nikolaev ambition and success rivaled my brothers. In fact, in the business real estate market, they were often competing against each other. It was odd that I never heard my brothers mention the Nikolaev name before.

Not that I ever asked about any of their business dealings. My brothers were intent on building an empire so we could be untouchable. I was intent on capturing my brother’s kidnapper.

I clicked the arrow, flipping to the next screen of information.

Sasha Nikolaev. Forty-two-years-old.

My eyes narrowed.

“That can’t be right,” I rasped. “U.S. Navy Seal… sniper.”

What. The. Fuck?

His father already had a reputation by the time Sasha Nikolaev joined the Navy SEALs and trained as a sniper. Lunacy. It was almost as if the government personally trained a member of an organized crime family.

Then there was Alexei Nikolaev.

The most intriguing Nikolaev who only joined the family six or so years back.

He was born in Louisiana, in a private hospital. For about two years, his mother lived in the New Orleans area until she started moving around a lot. She finally settled in Florida where she had a baby girl.

But there were no more mentions or traces of Alexei. It was as if he’d disappeared. Yet, there were no mentions of foul play.