Page 31 of The Fixer
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay here all day?” she asked.
“Yeah. You’re gonna work, so I might as well work, too. I’m gonna uncover a huge conspiracy, remember? It’s not gonna uncover itself. What if Malda’s right, and Erik’s up to something? I have to find out what that is.”
Honestly, I didn’t have a reply to this, so I busied myself with combing my beard. Ophelia would now start talking to herself, that’s how these things usually went.
“I have a few theories. Number one: if he got rid of everyone else, Aleksander would have less people to choose from. While he doesn’t need traditional advisors, having them around is useful. Number two: Erik’s trying to pin everything on Aleksi without seeming obvious about it, which means he has a reason to and I have to figurethatout. Number three—”
“What if it’s the other way around?” Throwing out my own question, I turned back to the mirror to run my hand through my hair. “You know Erik’s capable of this, but what do you really know about Aleksi? What if he’s just pretending to be a sniveling bitch?”
She paused for a second. “… I guess I’ll have to find out. According to his social media, emails, all that stuff, Aleksi isn’t really the definition of a spoiled teenager, but he’s got his quirks. I’d like to talk to him, but that will never happen, not while it counted. Would be nice, but you know how much people lie to wriggle out of situations they’re uncomfortable with… like bad grades they can’t hide from their parents and stuff.”
“You should totally do that, Oppie— after I leave. I’m gonna be late.” My admission earned me a soft swat on the arm, and I frowned lightly. “What?”
“Don’t you scientists believe in the concept of time?” She shook her head with a fainttsk, leaning on the counter next to me but opposite the mirror.
Adjusting my tie clip to my shirt, I didn’t answer as I pursed my lips thinly. I always cared about how I looked; rarely did I ever go to work without putting a little more than the medium into my appearance. “We acknowledge the concept of time, just think it’s utter horse shit and time itself isn’t real. Concepts are ideas. Hence, they’re realistic or feasible in some form.”
Rolling her eyes at me, Ophelia didn’t get a chance to open her mouth when I kissed her cheek. Checking my watch, I headed out of the bathroom only to pause and glance back at her. “Where’s the kitchen from here? I left my briefcase in there.”
“Down the stairs and directly left, back…then right. Want a map of the important places?”
Shaking my head at her snark, I gazed around Ophelia’s childhood room on my way out. The sound of water pounding against tile followed me, but it became a drone in my ears. I’d suggested keeping this house because I simply didn’t realize how big it was. For her parents, brother, and two sisters, the family home had twice as many rooms, and at least half of them had their own bathrooms.
It seemed like when planning this house, the architect wanted each room to be a home in itself.Well, when you hate your spouse and your kids, not wanting to see each other is par for the course.
I hadn’t been inside Ophelia’s parents’ former room, but if she was to be believed, they were more like apartments. Her parents had separate rooms on either side of the mansion—thiswas how much they hated each other. Rumor had it, the only time they acted even friendly towards each other was when on official business. Once all their children were old enough, there was no reason to keep up the act.
Which was fucking, infuriatingly pathetic.
Entering the kitchen to snatch my briefcase off the large island, I opened the flap to check the contents, but my mind was elsewhere. It amazed me how Ophelia had turned out so stable when it was obvious everyone in her life hated each other. Her younger sisters were particularly bitchy while her elder brother had been enabled to hell and back.
Yet, Ophelia was wonderful and kind and yes, she could be a hard ass at times, but she felt remorse for it, despite knowing it was necessary. She was so damn smart, too. I mean, she theorized that Aleksander Makovich was essentially trying to resurrect the USSR because his father was the victim of a bad assassination attempt. Ophelia wasn’t the type to overreach, either. Even if she was off the mark, it wasn’t by much.
“Here…“
Snapping my briefcase shut again, I shouldered the strap before Ophelia tossed something at me from the archway. The keys were cold against my palm.
She crossed her arms as she leaned on the wide frame. “Don’t crash…it’s my favorite car.”
“And why am I using your car? Can you even drive?” Ophelia usually took a car driven by a professional wherever she wanted to go if she couldn’t walk.
Shrugging lightly, she shook her head.
I glanced down at the keys. “Thanks. I promise not to crash.”
“I’m calling my family’s lawyer today, too. I’m liquidating all the cars, so if you want one, just let me know.”
My brows rose at the offer,andthe mention of a lawyer. Shuffling out of the kitchen, I wrapped my arm around her waist as she led me down a hallway I hadn’t been through, yet.
“My sisters are minors and Makovich’s lawyers are already appraised of the situation. No doubt they’ve been busy since the day of the attempted assassination. Also…” Trailing off, she pushed open a door to reveal a huge garage. Despite all the crap the maids supposedly stole, the cars were all untouched. Two rows of perfectly parked, sparkling vehicles lined either side of a wide aisle. The faintest layer of dust sat on everything, probably gathering before the roundup.
A deep, forest green two door caught my eye, so I sauntered over to it to peek through the windows. Obviously, the vehicle was foreign, but the interior wasreallynice. It wasn’t too flashy, but still a little flashy and obviously expensive. The top went down, too, which would be nice during the summer. “I like this one.”
“They all use the same key… my parents weren’t very smart.”
A bark of laughter burst from me to echo through the garage; it wasexactlywhat I expected of those people.
She smiled slightly. “When you get back, the rest may not be here. Do you wanna take a look?”