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The door opens and I swear my blood stops running when the man from the alley struts into the room with an air of command that tells me I’m fucked.
“That will be all, Angela.” I say, my mouth suddenly parched and my nerves on edge as I wait for the next problem to present itself.
“Mr. Romanov.”
I stand and offer him my hand, outward appearing as if he’s just another business associate. He shakes it hard, before sitting in the chair directly in front of my desk, nodding to mine as if giving me permission to sit.
“James.” His voice is deep, shrouded in mystery and with an accent that I’m guessing is from a country far away from here.
“I am here to update you on our arrangement.”
“My brother?”
It’s the first thing out of my lips because despite my harsh words earlier, Dylan is still the most important person in my life.
“Currently at the New York Military Academy. You’re welcome.”
He smirks. “He took some persuading, but I have never failed yet and he will now have several months to learn some respect before his posting.”
“And the other problem?” I refer to the men in the alley and he shifts slightly, his jacket falling open, revealing a revolver strapped to his side.
“What problem?” He shrugs. “We have no other problem than the pressing one in your business.”
“I still don’t understand what I’m looking for.”
“You are to leave the information gathering to MissStarling. She will report back to me any findings of interest and your job is to assist her.”
“How can I assist her if I don’t know what you’re looking for?”
My voice rises because he appears to have forgotten I’m meant to be in charge around here and for a moment he says nothing and the tense silence sucks the oxygen out of the room before he sighs and leans back in his seat.
“My father was heavily involved in The Rose Foundation. Andrei Romanov was his name. We believe he provided the funds along with other associates to set the foundation up, although the person taking the credit for that is Adele Kenricky, formally Heatherington.”
I listen because this is something I don’t know. I was under the illusion that Adele started this with money from her billionaire father. Apparently not.
Mikhail continues. “It has come to my family’s attention that the money funneled through this organization may not be legitimate. There is something lurking between the spreadsheets that could shed some light on a mystery my family is anxious to solve.”
“I can assure you–” I start to defend the integrity of this charity but he cuts me down with a withering sneer.
“These people are clever and would pass the most stringent of tests. We are masters at reading between the lines and all we ask is that you let us read the book.”
“It doesn’t sound right. I don’t know you or your family.”
I protest and he shrugs. “That is of no concern to me or to you. You are now in our debt. Your brother’s debt has shifted to us and if you prefer to revert to the original arrangement, then don’t expect to see your next birthday because Michael Cordoza doesn’t play as fair as we do.”
He glances around the office and smiles, but if anything, it makes me feel worse, not better.
“You have come a long way from the foster homes you spent your youth in.”
My skin prickles with alarm as he whispers huskily, “It would be a shame to bring to light your proclivities. I’m guessing Mrs. Kenricky would hate for her establishment to be involved with a man who enjoys dark nights with no limits. Think of the scandal when her husband hits the campaign trail and his opponents receive a large dossier in the post with photographs of the boss of The Rose Foundation in, shall we say, not a favorable light.”
“You’re blackmailing me.”
I state the fucking obvious and he shrugs as if this is any normal business meeting.
“Call it an eye for an eye. Your problems with your brother go away and you continue to enjoy the success your position brings. I get the answers my family needs and everyone is happy. You see, James, you are merely helping us to uncover possible fraudulent activity and would be commended if the authorities discovered your involvement in that.”
I think hard, my senses on high alert, wondering ifthere’s any chance I could walk away from this. I realize it’s in my best interests and that of the foundation because if there is anything illegal going on, it will come out eventually. Mikhail is right, I would no longer enjoy the level of success I do now and everything that I’ve worked so hard for will be destroyed because ultimately, the buck stops with me.
