Page 62 of Hunt Me

“Like I said. You like her.”

I rubbed my eyes. “She brought some entertainment the other night. Nothing else.”

“Well, I’m glad you didn’t propose. There are other photos of her as well.”

Why he was tormenting me, I didn’t know, but I was about at the end of my rope.

I flipped the page. There was a photograph of her in her graduation gown, ready to toss her hat into the air. Another was obviously a picture with friends enjoying a glass of wine at a café. She was not only beautiful, she was utter perfection, glowing in every photograph, her smile stirring. God, she looked so young.

My cock twitched in response.

“Why the charade, brother?” I threw out.

“You really don’t recognize her name? She returned to Las Vegas only five weeks ago, where she passed the bar, I might add. However, this is her hometown. Her family is here. She’s been searching for employment with every respectable law firm in town.”

“How do you know that?” I turned to look at him. He was far too glib for my liking.

“Because I called our attorney, curious as if he knew anything about her.”

“And?”

“And… She applied for a position with the firm.” His laugh was different than before.

“What did Mark Jenkins have to say?”

“That she’s a ballbuster, even chastising him for being late to interview her.”

“Did he hire her?”

“No. There’s a very significant reason.”

He was running his fingers back and forth across the arm of the chair. “Talk, Kazimir. I’m not getting any younger.”

“Rork, as in Mayor Sebastian Rork?”

Chuckling, I threw back a swallow of my drink and sat on the edge of the desk. “Sebastian Rork is controllable. I’m not certain why Mark wouldn’t hire someone of her qualifications.”

“Because he’s heard through the grapevine our mayor is considering opening a commission to begin a serious investigation into organized crime. I think he has sports betting in mind, but you can bet he’ll look into any possible criminal activity. Now, think about the man who just announced you beat the crap out of him and it would appear reporters are seeing blood in the water.”

I took a deep breath. The mayor’s daughter. I wasn’t entirely certain how I felt about that.

“Par for the course.” While I tossed the words out, I heard what he was saying. A giant setup. Eliminating an enemy when he was down on his luck was much easier to do than when he was running strong.

“You’re being cavalier about this, Mikhail, but we don’t need to be condemned for something that happened over twenty years ago. Plus, it’s entirely possible our good mayor managed to rig the system, so our sister became roommates with his daughter. Maybe Rork is an alumnus. With the Irish breathing down our neck…”

He didn’t need to finish the sentence.

I took a deep breath, shaking my head. Granted, as always Kazimir was the voice of reason, but that didn’t mean I was going to suddenly become cautious.

With my drink empty, I headed to the bar, finally slamming my fist on the surface. “Goddamn it.”

“Now you understand. There is no proof of that and Lilia is a smart enough girl not to open her mouth about our business operation, but if they were close, things could have slipped. If that goddamn black book is missing, who the fuck knows what could happen, but it’s a goldmine.”

“Yes,” I hissed.

“There’s something else and you’re not going to like it. Word on the street is that Mayor Rork is attempting to hire his daughter,” he continued. “Perhaps for the commission. Imagine if she knows anything at all.”

I tipped my head over my shoulder, seething inside. Had the woman played me? If so, what the fuck had she gained? “Now, Sergio is dead.”