Page 81 of Canyon of Deceit
I wanted to scream that Rurik had no concept of the truth.
“You can. I promise.” Rurik squared off with Blane. “Promise me you won’t give up on finding Alina.”
“You have my word.”
“What is your next assignment?” Blane repeated an earlier question.
“Falin hasn’t said.”
I refused to hold back my ire any longer. “You lied about your use of firearms.”
“Yes. But I’m finished with the ROC.” He captured my attention. “Dear lady, through all of this you’ve never let me down. Only you and Blane are trustworthy. I beg of you... if anything happens to me, please take my Alina. There’s no one in Russia who would care for her properly. I’ve drawn up my will and given it to the agents here to ensure an American attorney delivers it to the Russian embassy. It’s a legal document.”
My eyes widened. “You’d like me to take Alina in the event of your death?”
He shook his head. “I want you to adopt her as your daughter, love and cherish her as I have. Be her mother. My attorney will be in contact. No matter what happens, I’m on a hit list.”
A chill raced from my head to my toes. What dare I say? My ownmother ignored me after Kate’s death... and I’d suffered ever since. I didn’t have a good role model, but if God ordained it, I’d find a way to embrace motherhood. “All right. I already love Alina. If anything happens to you, I will raise her as my own.”
Blane gave my hand a gentle squeeze. He supported me like no one had ever done. Still, doubt of my ability to be a mother wrapped me tightly.
Another question burned in me. “What does Falin believe we know?”
“Your presence in Dog Canyon confused him, and he hasn’t learned how you found him and Chandler. I didn’t tell him about the trackers in Alina’s shoes or the necklace.”
“Does he think we have inside information from one of his cohorts?”
“Right. He asked me if I’d given you Chandler’s location. Giving him a name tempted me, but if that person had an alibi, Alina’s life would mean nothing. Jurg doesn’t take any risks. If he believes you have something valuable, he’ll want what you learned and who told you. And he has the means to extract it. You need protection twenty-four seven. They are professional killers.”
“Then why try to kill me?” I said.
“The order didn’t come from Jurg.”
“Then who?” I kept my tone low.
“I don’t know.”
FORTY-SEVEN
BLANE
Rurik had made heroic gestures, but that didn’t make him a hero. He’d also successfully frightened Therese—and me for her. The men who’d bled and died placed my caution on high alert. Who else had Ivanov talked to on the burner phone, and what was said? If not for my commitment to Alina, I’d walk away. Hard to sift through the truth from a man who’d been trained to conceal it. When this ended, Rurik might spend the rest of his life in prison.
I pulled out my phone to record the remaining conversation. “I need details about every call you’ve made on the burner supposedly only to talk to Jurg.” I pointed to my phone. “This will be recorded and sent to the Rangers and the FBI.”
Rurik slowly nodded. “There weren’t many. Not sure I remember them all.”
I kept my demeanor in check. “I think you have excellent recall.”
I suspected he formed his words... carefully. “I already told you, the original call about Daria’s murder came from Jurg. I was afraid to tell you. I have no idea of the other person’s identity that night in the garden. Jurg told me he’d been eliminated. The day of Daria’s death and Alina’s kidnapping, I returned home to find the burner phone on the kitchen counter. Attached to it was a note instructingme to answer if it rang, not to use it for anything, not to tell anyone about the phone or Alina would be killed. I complied with all the demands.”
“Did you recognize the handwriting?”
“Typed.”
“The first call from Jurg happened while you were at the university. He phoned you late that afternoon again.”
Rurik nodded. “He restated the note’s contents and asked if I had followed instructions. I said yes and asked what I must do to ensure Alina’s safe return. He said she was with him, and if I wanted to see her again, I must join the ROC.”
