Page 38 of Marked By the Devil

“I don’t think you have intended to have a part in any of this.”

I looked at her. “I haven’t.” I stressed it as directly as I could. None of these Volkovs could understand that detail. “I didn’t plan on being at that club where those shots were taken. I didn’t count on being captured. Or kept here and played with and⁠—”

“Played with?” She raised her brows.

Shit.

That wasn’t supposed to come out. While it was different to be in a woman’s company for a change, I wasn’t drifting into the nonsensical illusion that she could be on my side or support me just because of any sense of sisterhood. She was the Volkov Bratva’s queen, loyal to Adrik. While she was more quiet-mannered and soft-spoken than I thought a Mafia wife might be, I had no delusion of where her loyalties were.

“Played with by Viktor and his mind games and not explaining why I have to be captive if I have no answers to give him about anything he wants to know, and if he doesn’t want me dead…” I shrugged.

“Mmm.” She typed and pulled up some more windows on her monitor. “Viktor can be… witty with what he says.”

He could be devastatingly wicked with his mouth in other ways, too. His fingers as well.

“But he must have some hope that you could provide answers to us.” She licked her lips. “I don’t like to know the details. I wasn’t born and raised in this world.” She glanced at me as she typed. “I had a ‘normal’ life too, but since I met Adrik and have been a part of this family… I see how they can’t bridge the gap between their world and the rest of society. Having you here isn’t making sense to any of them.”

I dropped my head in my hands. “Then why not let me go?” I asked incredulously.

“Maybe because if they did, the logical assumption is that you’d tell your agency about being kidnapped and therefore cause more issues with the law enforcement.”

I opened and closed my mouth. “I wouldn’t. I know that’s a sticking point. But I don’t have anything to gain by telling them I was kidnapped.”

“Because it’s not so bad, right?” She gave me a side eye.

“It’s still wrong,” I protested.

She nodded. “As a principle, yes. It is wrong to be kidnapped and held against your will.”

She said she hadn’t been born and raised in the world of crime families. “Were you kidnapped?”

“I’m not talking about me. I’m talking about you.”

“Ah.” I nodded. “So you were.”

She swiveled to face me. “How I came to be in this family wasn’t glamorous. But when I arrived, I was expected to be here. No one was waiting for me to leave this family or their organization. Can you say the same for yourself?”

She had me there. “As far as I’ve been told, the agency isn’t looking for me. I’m not inclined to believe that. Yet.”

She shrugged and yawned, still tired despite her claim of being too awake now. “But you can believe this?” Pointing to another video of Rico Johnson and Smithson talking to a couple of Cartel men piqued my attention. One handed over a case that was no doubt full of money.

“I can believe that corruption can happen anywhere.” I sighed heavily. “I’m just… dismayed it has to happen here. Where I’m supposed to have a career.”

“I don’t think it’s endemic to this region,” she cautioned, resuming her presentation of all the payments she had been tracking. While she pointed out the multiple transactions of money that were loosely hidden as campaign donations, gifts, and other ambiguous deposits, she demonstrated how widespread the fraud happened within my agency. Not only mine, but others too.

I could do nothing but sit there and witness this elaborate uncovering of evidence. Receipts never lied, and they all worked as a collective suggestion that the corruption within several federal-level task forces could be tied to a bigger source. A single source, but she didn’t give many names. I doubted she’d feel like she had the privilege to divest any actual names or details.

The longer I stayed in her office and absorbed all that she showed me, the pool of dread in my stomach worsened. I was sick to my stomach that the colleagues I was supposed to work alongside and trust were not as faithful and truthful to our agency’s purpose.

“I know this kind of corruption can happen,” I repeated with a wince. I wasn’t naïve. People could be tempted by a loophole or a dangling carrot of any amount of money. “But when I took this transfer, I hadn’t realized it would be so… prevalent.”

“Money makes the world go round, and that’s not a cliché thing I’m saying because I’m in the accounting industry. It is prevalent in this area. Part of why that is could be due to the Bratva.” She didn’t look at me as she continued to search for more to show me.

“How so?” I frowned. “Because the Volkovs aren’t above accepting or granting bribes either?”

“Because recently, there has been a concerted effort to undermine the Bratva. And the specific enemy we are most focused on has proven that he is not above using the law to attack us.”

“And Viktor expects me to help with this?” I shook my head. “Even though I’m an agent? Even though I’ve committed my career so far to fighting crime, not being a participant in it?” Before she could remind me that no one was impervious to breaking the law, I sighed. “Yes, I realize that my colleagues’ accepting bribes is a crime as well. But there is a procedure and protocol for that. I could take the intel to the top and let my superiors address it, to let the proper channels handle seeing justice be done.”