Page 81 of Stolen Empire

No family ties that she's mentioned other than her mother in Perm, but I found that out on my own.

No connections to the Bratva.

She came to Moscow alone, drifting from job to job, hostel to hostel.

But what if there's more?

What if she has a history?

I need answers, but first, I need to keep her safe.

I stand and move to the window, pulling the curtain back just enough to see the street.

It's empty and quiet, but that doesn’t always mean anything.

I always trust my gut, and now it's feeling off.

It tightens down and makes me want to go find her and bring her back to ask her these important questions.

I let the curtain fall and return to the desk.

The office feels smaller now, the walls closing in.

If the Radich crew knows something about Katya that I don't know, I know they'll use it.

And if it's something dangerous for her, I'll never forgive myself.

I rub a hand across my forehead and open my laptop.

It's time to dig.

Because whatever this business is about a name and old money, I need to know about it.

And I hope this isn't hindsight, because I won't lose her.

If those bastards lay a hand on her…

15

KATYA

Iarrive at the safe house at nine, climbing the stairs with my hand wrapped around the burner phone in my pocket.

Dimitri is already here, sitting at a small table with his laptop open.

He looks up when I enter, his eyes scanning me from head to toe.

"Any trouble?" he asks me, nudging his laptop back a bit.

"No." I close the door behind me, locking it.

"Daniil texted. He wants to meet tomorrow at a cafe."

Dimitri nods, typing something into his laptop.

"What time?"

His eyes scan the screen as I approach, but he doesn’t seem willing to share whatever's on it.