Page 154 of Unexpected Redemption

When he pulls away, he meets Big Al’s inquisitive stare. “Sue would also feel safer sleeping here. Guess it’s a Redleg sleepover.”

Looks like the bunk rooms will be full for a while.

“Yay,” Lettie squeals, clapping her hands to sell her put-on.

Unless she’s truly happy about this development. Who the fuck knows?

Leo shifts his large frame, placing his forearm on the table. “So we’re all in agreement that Katia was the contact the architect sent, and Viktor must have found out about the drop and showed up to stop her. Right?”

We all nod.

“Don’t forget that the architect said he was sendingsomeone specialto deliver us the proof,” Mia adds, craning her neck to look down at Boss. “Therefore, it’s possible the architect is her father.”

Sawyer chimes in. “That would also make him Savin and Yev’s father.”

Klein throws out another question. “What do we think about some of the shit she said to Viktor? Was that an act, or is she working for Lenkovandthe architect?”

“An honest-to-goodness double agent.” Shep leans back in his chair, stretching his arms behind his head. “It’s possible, which means we have no clue where her allegiance lies.”

“I don’t trust her. Not one fucking bit,” I state with certainty, puffing my chest. “There was something sinister in her eyes. Plus, if shewason our side, why all the shit-talking with Viktor? Like how she said he failed Nikolai and that she was sent to watch him. What was the point?”

Mia taps her fingernails on the table in a rhythmic pattern and offers her thoughts. “Because she didn’t know what was going to happen with him. She could have been protecting her cover in case they both walked away.”

“Wouldn’t that be equally as dangerous for her, though?” Shep asks, bringing his arms down to the table with a soft thud. “If she and Viktor went back to life as usual last night, how would that have played out for her? He would’ve still wanted her dead for giving us intel. Regardless, she was fucked once he found out she was meeting us. So why make it seem like she was doing Nikolai’s bidding?”

Big Al finally jumps in. “The only thing that could have saved her would be Nikolai’s protection. I doubt Viktor would go against his father. Therefore, if Viktor were to leave last night while believing she was doing what his father asked, then she’d have been safe.” He leans his head to one side. “To some extent.”

Maybe I’m still pissed off for the shit she said about Lettie, but I don’t buy it. She might have started out on the right side of this war, but just like her half-brother Yev, she flew too close to the sun. Katia got swept up in it and turned.

Stifling my groan of frustration, I say, “Unless we can bring her to Jonesy’s farm for some complimentary dental work, we won’t know. And I’m not suggesting we rough up a pregnant female, so that’s out as far as I’m concerned. However, I don’t want to let her go either.”

Boss rolls out his shoulders, his gaze darting from face to face. “For the time being, CPD is letting her slide off their radar. They’re considering her an unidentifiable witness. Anyone want to make an argument for or against hunting her down? Or should I decide? ”

Klein’s the first to respond. “For now, I say we put her on the board with the others we’re tracking. We’ve got more important things to worry about than Katia’sallegiance.”

I point at my open laptop. “Like finding out what the fuck is up with this list she gave us.”

“What kind of list is it?” Sawyer asks.

Big Al holds out his palm. “Hang on, children. One thing at a time. Katia.” He lowers his hand. “Put her on the whiteboard, and we’ll find her when we have time. Ideally, I’d like to get a tracker on her or implant some bugs. And I’d love to get a look at her phone.”

“Me too,” Mia says, her fingers tapping across the keys.

The rest of us nod in silent agreement.

“As for the architect,” Boss starts. His head wobbles subtly as if he’s searching for the words.

Since he doesn’t finish his sentence, I offer my opinion. “We need to email him again, asking for direction on this list. And maybe we can ask him about Katia. Or who the fuck he is other than Alexei Bugrov, which is obviously an alias. Maybe he’d be willing to meet us if we arranged something secure.”

Boss points two fingers at me, then sweeps them toward Mia and Klein. “Did you three discover anything useful about hisemails in terms of forensics? Something we can use to identify him, perhaps?”

Mia’s been on that. I crook my head, facing her. She’s engrossed in whatever’s on her laptop.

“Mia?” Klein whispers, squeezing her forearm gently to get her attention.

“Huh?” She finally looks away from the screen, her face slack. “What’s up?”

I catch her focus with a wiggle of my hand. “Did you find any useful data in the emails from the architect?”

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