Page 47 of The Bratva's Innocent Pregnant Bride
“How did you end up staying with the Fokin family?” he asked after we drove for several miles in silence.
As I started to tell him about Marlowe’s agency and her needing an emergency replacement at the last minute, I got a shiver. Cold fingers seemed to trail down my back as I shut my mouth in a hurry. When did I ever mention the Fokins? I had told him I was in Aspen, but not exactly where or why. I was positive I never once mentioned I was staying with the Fokins by name.
“Just a lucky opportunity to have a place to stay once I got out of Los Angeles,” I said, not wanting to drag Marlowe’s name into an FBI investigation.
He continued asking me questions that had nothing to do with Axon or the list. “Had they been there long before you arrived?” he asked.
It seemed like he was making conversation, but also like he was fishing for information. I had been on high alert for hours, weeks, really. He was a damn FBI agent for goodness’ sake. I didn’t know anything about how they operated, but it stood to reason they could easily deduce things like the people I had been staying with from the information I had already given him.
“I really don’t know,” I said honestly. “I don’t think so, though.”
“Did anyone from Moscow arrive while you were there?”
What the hell? The cold fingers of fear rose up my spine to grip the back of my neck. Fokin may have been a Russian name, but how could he know any of them were from Moscow without an in depth background check? And if he ran one, why was that necessary?
I shook my head slowly, thinking about Dan and his brothers, as well as his cousins Lilia and Masha, all from Moscow. “No,” I said firmly. It wasn’t a lie, they were already there when I arrived.
All except Dan, who’d turned up a little bit late, and I had already met him at the hotel in town. I felt my cheeks turning red despite the chill of fear that Agent Pierce’s odd questions raised in me.
“What’s going on?” I asked, meaning what wasreallygoing on? “Is any of that important to your investigation into Axon?”
He shrugged, glancing at me. “Any and all information could be important, especially since you were targeted at the lodge with that gift.”
I blinked rapidly. My thoughts flying back to our message exchange after the explosion. I was certain I had only said package, never once telling him it was wrapped like a present. He was probably assuming it was a gift. He had to be.
It was then I realized we were heading out of the city and toward the port. The highway was desolate at this time of night and it felt like we were barreling faster and faster away from safety, instead of toward it.
“Where are we going again?” I asked, dodging his question about the package.
“The FBI has safe houses all over the city,” he replied, also not answering my question.
It took everything I had to remain calm as we continued further in silence. Instead of ending up at a hotel or house, or even an office building, Agent Pierce pulled into a warehouse park. My heart was back to hammering like I was runninginstead of sitting quietly in a car. My fingers twitched as I looked at the door handle.
Was I actually thinking about jumping out of a moving car? My nerves were shredded and I was tired, making up wild scenarios that had nothing to do with reality. What did I know about the FBI’s process? If they thought the safest place for me to hide was in a warehouse, who was I to question it?
“I’ve read about people transforming these old buildings into amazing living spaces,” I said nervously.
He only grunted, finally pulling into a spot in front of a particularly dilapidated building, in almost complete darkness. Once he turned off the car’s headlights, there was nothing but the faint glow from the moon. He got out, rushing around to open my side and helping me out.
He didn’t have my bag, but I was too busy trying not to trip over the cracked concrete underfoot as he led me toward the rickety staircase leading to the front door.
A dull light streamed out from a single window and the door at the top of the stairs swung inward on creaky hinges before we reached the top.
“My partner,” Agent Pierce said reassuringly.
Unsurprisingly, I wasn’t reassured. Once inside, things got even worse. This was no lux apartment, but a completely empty space, vast and echoing. An overhead light illuminated swirling dust motes and dirty drywall riddled with graffiti and holes. There were a few doors so I hadn’t completely lost hope that this wasn’t as safe a place as Agent Pierce made it out to be.
Until another man stepped out of the shadows and peered through the gloom at me with a keen eye. My mouth droppedopen and I took a step back, running into the FBI agent, who steadied me with a firm grip on my arms.
Why the hell was Gavril Bocharov here? I didn’t exactly know him but I recognized him well from his many visits to Axon. He wasn’t a regular employee, but someone much higher up on the food chain, only visiting to receive reports. Everyone had to be on their best behavior, warned well in advance when he’d be coming. If he showed up unannounced, there was scurrying and swearing as the management team used the time it took him to travel up the elevator to whip everything into shape.
He was impeccably dressed, as usual. In fact, he might have easily come straight from one of his many inspections at Axon. His dark hair was smoothed back off his strong brow, his chiseled jaw immaculately clean shaven despite the late hour. The designer suit fit him perfectly, and even in the dim light, his heavy gold watch glinted on his wrist.
As usual, he didn’t look happy. In fact, he looked extremely pissed off as he stepped closer to me, his leather soles tapping on the concrete floor. I tried to take another step back, suddenly realizing that Agent Pierce wasn’t holding onto my arms to steady me.
He was keeping me from moving.
Chapter 31 - Daniil
