Page 15 of Stolen By the Don

Leo doubles his pace as I stride through the lobby, catching up with me as I get to the elevator. He shakes his head as he struggles to catch his breath.

“I need to put in more hours at the gym,” he comments while I press the button that turns green. “But between shadowing you and attending to other matters, the only time I have is between noon and two pm.”

The doors open, and I step in, waiting for them to close again before turning to him. “Twelve and two?”

He nods. “Yeah. You’re a morning person, which means I can’t be in sweaty shorts when you need me, and you’re not the kind to go straight home from the office either. Twelve to two is the least busy time of the day—according to my data—” I glance down when he looks at his watch.

“I have Sergei,” I remind him. “You can take time off if you need to.”

“You need me,” he says with a quiet snort. To prove his point, he presses the button for the top floor, before facing me with a smug look and an arched brow.See?

“What’s the update?” I ask, ignoring him.

He leans against the metal wall as the elevator rides up. “Nothing new. And believe me, I’m using every resource at my disposal. A lot of loan sharks and safe houses are out of business now.”

It’s not enough.

My patience is thin, and it’s close to snapping. I don’t want to start a war, but the longer Marco Ricci stays hidden, the less likely I am to honor certain obligations and treaties.

“Alex,” Leo comments. “What did you do to him?”

The accountant. “Took him off the list,” I say flatly.

Leo shrugs, pushing upright when the doors open. He follows, hot on my trail, as I walk to my office. “Okay. Who’s next?”

“Mr. Volkov,” Marge greets me with a polite smile.

I nod, but Leo looks at her desk with a big grin. “Marge. You look as beautiful as ever.”

He kisses her hand, earning an eye roll from her and a swat on the shoulder when he refuses to let go. I leave them, moving on.

My seat is barely warm when Leo walks in. “The list,” he reminds me. “Who’s next?”

An executive.

It took a couple of broken fingers and a bloodied nose, among other things, to get the name from Alex, but he eventually confessed.I have to admit, I was a bit impressed that he held out that long.

Two broken fingers, but I expected him to rattle from the threat alone.

“What do you have on Billie Russell?” I ask.

Leo rubs the back of his head, frowning a bit. “The former director of human resources who’s now on the executive board?”

I nod.

“The standard,” he says. In addition to being the only person I trust, Leo has an unofficial capacity in the company. A photographic memory with a large file on everyone in upper management.

“Any family?” I ask.

He purses his lips, thinking. I reach for my laptop to do a quick search, but I barely have it open when he snaps his fingers. “Yeah, an ex-wife. They split five years ago in a messy divorce. She took the house.” He laughs. Why?”

“Children?”

“Yeah. Two. Again—” He gestures. “Why?”

My jaw clenches, and my anger coils, sitting patiently in my gut. “He was the middleman between Alex and Ricci.”

Leo drags his hand over his face with a sigh. “How many now? At this point, you’re better off turning the company inside out. He used to attend dinners at your house, didn’t he?”

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