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I did, mostly because the sight of her hands shaking made me want to kill something, and following the small order seemed to steady her.
The SUV swerved around slower traffic while our escort closed around us. Maksim contacted the estate and ordered a full lockdown, all while handing me the picture. “Tell me what you see.”
“For one, we need better curtains.” Kirill clicked his tongue against his teeth. “For another, Anika, darling, you are stunning.”
She blushed and I thanked god that at least one of us could keep Anika from spiraling into panic by complementing her. I wish I’d thought of it, but that wasn’t the type of man I’d ever been or likely ever would be.
I held the photo beneath the overhead light and tilted it. “Maksim, you realize the shooter was never trying to kill her, right?”
He grunted, a hand running over his jaw. “He put a laser on her heart.”
“Exaclty. A trained sniper would never announce his shot with a visible laser, then wait long enough for someone to react. He had a clear view of Anika before we found the suitcase and he didn’t fire. The first round struck high and to the right. The second hit the window while Kirill was exposed.” I glanced at Anika to see how she was taking the information. “He wanted to frighten you."
She sank against the seat. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
“No. It means Sokolov likely needs you alive, which is useful information. Doesn’t make him less dangerous, but it’s useful.” I ran my thumb over the shape of her spine in the picture, memories fighting to take over my focus. Later. I’d think about everything else later.
Kirill rubbed the cuts on his cheek. “Maybe he wanted us out of the apartment.”
“Then he succeeded.” I flipped the picture over, but the backside was blank. “He let us leave with two clues. If the evidence was his objective, he would’ve fired before we opened the case.”
“Unless he wants us to have them.” Anika twisted the silver ring around and around.
“Correct.” I brought the picture up close to my face, then pushed it out as far as my arms would reach. The bedroom in the photo matched my memories in every visible detail, but the angle didn’t. The camera had been above us, aimed down from near the decorative molding along the wall. “No one took this by hand.” I showed the others. “The height and angle are wrong. There must have been a camera installed before we entered, and after our inspections. This photo was likely pulled from a recording. That would explain the fuzziness.”
“You mean they recorded us?” Anika stared at the image, disgust in her face and lowering her voice.
The SUV rolled over a bump, and we all braced for several seconds before I took out my phone and snapped a picture of the photo to zoom in on the bedroom door. Most of it dissolved into a dark, grainy nothingness, but a dark figure remained. He stood half inside the suite wearing a mask. One hand rested against the doorframe. “Maksim. The ring.”
“I see it.” A pained look raced over his face before he hid it away. “Fuck.” At Anika’s questioning look, he tapped the photo. “That’s Dmitri’s ring. A signet ring I gave him. He wore it every day.”
“He was inside our room after we fell asleep?” Anika gasped, her hands flying to cover her mouth. “Then he must have helped Alina. She was dating him. He worked for you. He could’ve gotten her inside.”
It was a neat, tidy answer that checked all the boxes. Was that why it made me more suspicious?
The SUV slowed, changed lanes, then accelerated onto the highway.
Pieces clicked in and out of place, so I verbalized them for a better understanding. “Alina arranged for you to meet us. She knew where we’d be and that we’d be occupied. Dmitri’s access gave her access, and he knew we were asleep. That gives him the opportunity to let her in.”
“Enough access to help someone who knew what to request.” Kirill tapped the ledger beneath my jacket. “We assumed the woman in our bed seduced us to create an opening. We were correct about the distraction and wrong about who knowingly provided it.”
Anika scowled and crossed her arms over the thick armor. “She used me as bait. I shouldn’t be surprised but I’m hurt as hell.”
We’d take care of the problem. If I thought killing Alina would make Anika feel better, I’d go after her myself. But that wasn’t Anika. She was soft and vulnerable. She had a huge heart that loved deeply, and her sister’s betrayal gutted her.
If only I knew how to make the pain go away. I’d give her anything. Everything.
15
KIRILL
The SUV stopped beneath the mansion’s covered entrance, and Anika had her seat belt off before the doors opened.
Roman caught the back of her vest. “Wait for clearance.”
“My daughter is in there.” She tried to twist free, but body armor didn’t lend itself to graceful movement. “Let go.”
The doors opened, and three guards spread across the drive while two more took up positions inside. Roman released her only after the lead man nodded. Anika jumped down and marched through the formation with Maksim beside her.
