Page 41 of Echoes of Sin

“I have some accounts, not related to my business, that I need someone with an eye for detail to look at it. You’re here and I trust you.”

I looked away as guilt threatened to overwhelm me. I didn’t want Ilya to trust me, not when I was keeping the biggest possible secret from him. But I shook it off because now wasn’t the time for guilt, it was time to figure this shit out so I could get back home to my daughter. “Let me look at them.” There was a small punch in my chest that I chose to ignore, chose to believe that it wasn’t disappointment over the fact that soon this love bubble would burst, and I would leave the cocoon of this penthouse and Ilya and go back to my regular life.

He set a laptop in front of me and pointed out several files. “These are the ones that look suspicious to me, but feel free to look at everything. And take notes of anything that seems off to you. Please.”

I risked a look at his face and saw that he was disturbed by what he saw or suspected. “Sure, no problem. Just one question.”

Ilya nodded.

“Is anything I see here, going to put me in even more danger?”

His lips pulled into a grim smile. “There is nothing more dangerous than a bratva leader wanting you dead, Brooke. But these are numerical accounts with no names associated with them, so I think you’ll be fine.”

“Okay, give me a few hours.”

He left me alone at the kitchen island. He cleaned up after lunch, then the place went silent. Or maybe I was just too lost in the numbers to hear anything but the churning of the wheels in my head.

Something was definitely off about these accounts. I didn’t know exactly what it was that I was looking at, but based on what I did know, I had an idea. Thanks to the forensic accounting classes I’d taken, as well as the limited information I had on Ilya’s line of work, I also knew what I was likely looking at.

And it wasn’t good.

“That’s not what I was hoping to see,” Ilya said, clearly frustrated.

I looked up at him and realized it was completely dark outside, which meant more than a couple of hours had passed. I stood and stretched. “This is just my face.”

His lips twitched, but he was too wound up to smile. “You found something?”

“I did, but I’m not sure if it means anything nefarious. I’ll just tell you what I think, and we can go from there, okay?”

“Yes. Okay.”

“Good.” I grabbed the laptop and went to the sofa. My ass was numb after sitting for hours on his bar stool at the kitchen island. “They might look good, but they aren’t comfortable for long periods of time.”

“Noted,” he answered, and that time I detected a hint of a smile in his voice. “Okay, hit me with it.”

I laughed nervously and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. “Alright.” I pointed to the screen. “It looks like these two accounts actually belong to the same person. Each time this one,” I pointed to the top number, “makes a withdrawal, the same amount is deposited into this account.” I pointed to the other number. “It goes on and on for years. And this second account makes one large deposit each month. Does that help?”

Ilya nodded, but he didn’t say a word for several long minutes as he looked at the accounts, going back more than fifteen years. “Shit.”

“Ilya, are you all right?”

“Yes. No. Hell, I don’t fucking know, Brooke.” He shook his head and scrubbed one hand over his face. “These accounts belong to some of the men my father considered loyal soldiers.” He set the laptop on the coffee table and groaned. “Now I’m not so sure. About anything.”

He looked so distraught, almost heartbroken, and I felt bad about that. I wanted to comfort him, but I wasn’t sure if he needed comfort or if he needed to break something, so I climbed into his lap and stroked his hair. “I’m sorry.”

He looked up at me with a small smile. “You have nothing to be sorry about. In fact, I should be thanking you.” He tried for a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes and then he took my hand and flipped it over, pressing a gentle kiss on my wrist. “You gave me the answers I was looking for.”

“But they weren’t the answers you wanted.”

“I did not want one answer or another, I just wanted it to not be true. But the facts are the facts. I appreciate your honest assessment.”

I couldn’t meet his eyes. The way he tossed around these words, trust and honesty, was like a kick in the gut because of the secret I was keeping from him. And now that things felt different between us, I felt worse for not telling him about Karina. Then again, the more I learned about his life and now this level of disloyalty and danger, the more I was scared about the implications. When he first returned, I’d been worried he’d want to take her away from me, that somehow the courts might rule in favor of a father who was wealthy and connected. But now there was a whole new level of worry that he brought into our lives.

“I am not sure how I could have done this without you,” he said quietly.

I flashed a smile I didn’t feel. “Ruben would have found this as well, possibly faster than me.”

“Possibly, but Ruben isn’t as pretty.”

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