Page 41 of Unexpected Redemption

My hands ball to fists. “Since Yuri doesn’t have any daughters that we know of, I assume he’s talking about one of his strippers.”

“That’s what it seemed like,” Shep confirms.

Mia pipes up at that. “Isn’t that fucking peachy keen? Yuri knows Yev has a history of violence against women. Only he doesn’t do anything about it because he’s his friend.”

“Even better, he allows him to keep working as security at the strip club,” I pile on. “Didn’t know thatbro codewas a thing in Russia. Mia, how do you saydicks before chicksin Slavic?”

Despite the morose topic, laughter travels around the lair.

Shep scratches at his scruffy cheek, a twinkle in his eyes as he sizes me up. “That is not the reaction I expected from you.Pfew. Only here a few days, and Lettie’s already making the work environment better for all of us.”

“She makes everything better,” I blurt out the private thought. Oh well.

Mia and Sue make cooing sounds. And wait... Klein does too.

Whatever.

“Speaking of Lettie, Boss asked her to fill in for Peggy for a while,” I offer, willingly engaging in a discussion irrelevant to the mission.

It’s unlike me to lose focus, but it just feels... so damn nice to not be spun up with frustration all the time. Even my relentless need for vengeance is reduced to a manageable hunger, made more bearable by the people around me and the woman down the hall. I know we’re going to get those fuckers eventually. None of us will stop until we get justice.

Having that certainty is . . . freeing.

“Where’s Peggy going?” Klein asks me, yanking me back into the moment.

“She’s unsettled by the heightened threat level and wants to spend time with family up north.”

“Not a bad idea,” Mia throws over her shoulder while digging through Yev’s file. “I wish we could send away all the nonessential personnel for their safety.”

The room is silent except for the click of Mia’s mouse.

“Find anything yet?” I ask her when she leans back and links her arms behind her head.

Her frame goes limp, head lolling around her shoulders. “No. Let’s turn the recording back on. Maybe we’ll find somethingelse. I need to percolate on the whole Yev’s dad thing. I have a strong feeling we might be on to something.”

I do too.

Let’s hope we’re not both wrong.

Chapter 7

No DNA test required

LETTIE

“The thing about Big Al is you can’t take his gruffness personally. He was in the military for a long time. They often communicate differently than those who come from the corporate world.” The smile Peggy’s been wearing since I joined her at her desk an hour ago finally wanes. I was beginning to worry she was having a stroke. “I don’t mean to say that he’s an angry man. He’s not. And he certainly isn’t ungrateful or rude. It’s just he...”

Sensing she’s being incredibly careful with her word choices, I wait her out. As much as my ADHD squirrel scratches at my vocal cords, begging me to interrupt her so she’ll spit it out, I manage to resist.Barely. However, if she takes much longer to tell me he can be a grump sometimes, I can’t promise my restraint will last much longer.

Finally, she ends my torture. “He cusses a lot. He sometimes forgets his manners, and when he’s busy, he barks out orders. However, that’s only in the moment. Later, when he’s not as rushed, he’s always so kind and showers me in praise.”

Giggle.Praise. Double giggle.

Although the idea of my birth father praising me is entirely different than when Tomer does it, I smile wide and bright anyhow.

“I understand, Peggy. And none of that bothers me. I’m quite used to working around bossy men.” Attempting to spare us both some embarrassment, I end the sentence there rather than admitting they’re Doms ata sex club.

Speaking of which, I wonder if Boss Dad knows about Bask. Does he know Tomer goes there? What if he asks for my work references? Or makes me fill out a job application with employment history?

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