Page 48 of Velvet Chains
I lean in, my voice low and insistent. “Laura. What did he want from you?”
She shifts uncomfortably in her seat, her gaze darting away from mine. “Victor, I… It’s complicated.”
“So uncomplicate it for me,” I growl, my patience wearing thin. “Because from where I’m sitting, it looks like you’re hiding something. And in our world, secrets can get you killed.”
Her face pales at my words, and for a moment, I almost feel guilty for pushing her. But I can’t afford to have any weaknesses, any vulnerabilities that our enemies could exploit.
Even if that vulnerability is my own fucking wife.
Laura takes a shaky breath, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. “Okay,” she whispers. “I’ll tell you. But not here. Somewhere private.”
I nod curtly, signaling for the check. As I pull out my wallet, I can’t shake the feeling that whatever she’s about to reveal is going to change everything.
“Where are we going?” she asks as I slide into the backseat beside her.
I reach over and pull the seatbelt across her, clicking it into place. Letting my hand brush gently against her arm, I pause just a moment to feel the closeness.
“Somewhere we can talk,” I reply cryptically, nodding at Misha.
Misha fires up the engine, glancing in the rearview mirror with that hawk-like vigilance that’s kept us alive more times than I can count. He pulls out into the traffic, and we start the drive to the helipad located just outside the city, a place discreetly dubbed as The Aerie. It’s about an hour’s drive from Manhattan, giving us plenty of time alone.
Laura is quiet, staring out the window as the city skyline fades into the distance.
I can’t take the silence anymore. “Do you want to tell me why Dave was at the wedding?” I ask, trying to keep my tone even.
Laura’s head snaps toward me, her eyes wide. She glances quickly at Misha, then back at me, pressing her lips together.
She doesn’t want to talk in front of him.
“I hide nothing from Misha,” I tell her firmly. “Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of both of us.”
Misha meets my eyes in the rearview mirror, his expression serious. He’s ready to hear this, too.
Laura pauses, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. “He… He wanted to know where the ledger was.”
I frown. “Ledger?”
“Yes…” She hesitates again, and I feel my patience starting to fray.
This woman is going to kill me with all this suspense.
“What ledger, Laura?” I ask, my tone sharper than I intended.
She flinches slightly, twisting her hands in her lap. “I found a ledger in my apartment. The day you… The day you took me.”
She looks at me then, a mixture of confusion and fear in her green eyes. I tilt my head, studying her. “Did you look inside?”
I see Misha’s knuckles whiten on the steering wheel, his grip tightening as he listens intently.
“Yes,” Laura whispers.
“And?” My voice is louder now, and I make an effort to soften it. “Laura, this is important. I need you to tell me everything you know about this ledger.”
She nods, blinking back tears. Of course she’s scared. She’s not cut out for our world.
Ksenia’s voice echoes in my head. “She’s not like us, Vitya. She’s too soft.”
I push the thought away. Blyad, she’ll have to toughen up fast if she wants to survive.
