Page 155 of The Enemy Protector
I look down at my hands, at the platinum band on my finger. “My husband is powerful. Very powerful. He doesn’t need the Baranov operations. He has his own empire.” I meet the man’s eyes. “I’m tired of fighting. Tired of looking over my shoulder. I just want to be his wife. Stand by his side. Let someone else deal with the headaches.”
It’s a good story. Believable. The kind of thing these men expect from a twenty-one-year-old woman who married for protection. They see me as weak and naive.
He nods slowly. “And what exactly are you proposing?”
I slide the folder across the table. “I’ve had documents drawn up. Everything signed over to Yuri. The legitimate businesses, the distribution networks, the real estate holdings. All of it.”
The younger man reaches for the folder first. He opens it, scanning the pages. I watch his face carefully. I don’t think he knows what any of it is.
There’s nothing to find. The documents are perfect forgeries. Sergei had them prepared by the best document specialist in the city. They look completely legitimate.
“That’s why I want to meet with Yuri in person,” I say after the younger guy slides them to the other. “He and I both need to sign to make it official.”
“You just decided to do this now?” The older one looks rightfully skeptical.
“I don’t want any trouble,” I say. “I just want this to be over.”
I can tell they’re not buying it. Under the table, I pinch the inside of my thigh. Tears burn. I lean into the pain, forcing myself to think of my mother’s death. Sergei holding her beaten body.
A single tear slides down my cheek. “My husband wants me out of the business,” I whisper. “If I don’t do what he has ordered, he’ll…”
Another tear squeezes out.
The younger man is watching me. Something in his expression makes my skin crawl. That prickly sensation at the base of my spine comes to life.
“Why now?” he asks. “Your father just signed power of attorney over to you. You finally have everything you wanted. Why give it up four days later?”
I was prepared for this question. Sergei and I rehearsed it last night.
“Because Yuri is going to kill me,” I say bluntly. “I’m not stupid. I know he wants me dead. I know he’s not going to stop coming after me until he succeeds.” I lean forward slightly. “So I’m giving him what he wants. In exchange, he leaves me alone. I get to live. He gets to run the Baranov empire. Everyone wins.”
It’s logical. It makes sense. A woman choosing survival over pride.
But the younger man is still watching me with those calculating eyes.
“We’ll need to take these to Yuri,” he says finally. “Have them reviewed.”
My stomach drops. That’s not the plan. The plan was for them to set up a meeting. To give us a location where we can find Yuri.
But Sergei suspected this might happen. We’re ready. I don’t like Plan B. It’s less controlled.
“Of course,” I say smoothly, like this doesn’t change anything. “But I’d prefer to be there when he reviews them. I want to answer any questions he might have directly.”
“That’s not how this works,” the older one says. “We take the documents. Yuri reviews them. If he’s satisfied, we’ll arrange a meeting.”
The younger man closes the folder and tucks it under his arm. “We’ll be in touch.”
"Yuri says Sokolov has had eyes on you for years." He looks at me. "Did you know that before you married him? Or after?"
He stands.
I stand as well, forcing myself to move slowly. Gracefully. Like a woman who’s accepted defeat and is just trying to end this with minimal bloodshed.
“Thank you for your time,” I say.
The younger man says nothing. They walk out of the conference room, taking my carefully prepared documents with them.
I wait a full minute after they’re gone before I move.
