Page 16 of King

I arrive at the parking area behind the warehouse, and after parking my vehicle, I enter through the receiving entrance.This is the door through which so much of the equipment and supplies enter the building and construction business that is O’Connor Enterprises.I can’t imagine shutting it down, selling it off, and moving on.

Not yet.

I have to try to work this out myself before I decide to go to the Feds.I know what they’ll do.They’ll force O’Connor Enterprises to use Ryan to take down Ivanov and then shut down O’Connor Enterprises completely.

Ryan will be put in prison, and the business will die.

I can’t let that happen, and as much as I know Natalia is right that I should go to Fogerty and tell him what I’ve learned, I just can’t.

Not now.Not yet.

I have to learn more, discover if what Fillmore is saying is true.I have no reason to doubt him, but at the same time, there is also no reason to completely trust him.He could be compromised.He could be being used to get to me by someone out to destroy O’Connor Enterprises and me from the inside.

I go to my office after saying hello to Diane and the other admin staff who are, as usual, here bright and early, ready for the day.There’s a fresh pot of coffee in the break room, so I make myself another cup and head to my office.Once there, I sit behind the desk that used to be my father’s and survey the office.

From where I sit, I can see through the door to the admin area, and staff are busy at their computers or on the phone.Across from my desk is a window that overlooks the waterfront.

It’s amazing.

I can see why my father chose this part of the building for his offices.In the distance, a ship sails by.I can see the docks on the shore of Brooklyn.There are buildings across from Manhattan that O’Connor Enterprises has built over the decades.

I don’t want to lose that.I don’t want O’Connor Enterprises to go down in history as just another mafia-run business that was taken down by crime and corruption.I want to salvage as much as I can.My family’s legacy for my children.Yes, my father made mistakes during the 80s and 90s when the Russian mafia became such a powerhouse in the building and construction trades.But he did it out of necessity and because he wanted to save the family business.

For us.

For Ethan, Liam and me.

I want to do the same for my own children, since I am the last surviving child of Ronan O’Connor.

I owe it to him.

ChapterEight

Natalia

My week back at the hospital passes without a glitch, thankfully.

No one at work or in my family, such as it is, questions why I was suddenly married, or why I have returned to the hospital to complete my residency.They’re all too busy with their own lives to worry very much about mine.

My supervisor knows, but to everyone else, I just lucked into a short-term assignment with the FBI because of my background and interest in Forensic Psychiatry.They’re all thinking about which hospital they want to work in and have their own personal dramas to keep their minds occupied.In other words, no one except Michelle peppers me with questions about my time off and how things are going.

My father is actually happy when I tell him about my pregnancy over the phone.

“Natalia, I am so happy for you and Harrison.Please, bring your new husband to our home on Sunday for dinner.We will celebrate together.”

“Thank you, Father,” I say, glad that he’s willing to invite us into his life.It will make things both harder and easier in the end.

Sunday arrives,and since I have already accepted my father’s invitation for dinner, I’m preparing myself both physically and mentally for my evening performance.

“You could call him and say you’re not feeling well,” Harrison says while we stand at the bathroom vanity and prepare.

“I need to do this,” I say with a sigh and apply one last coating of lip gloss.“Besides, you need to get in good with my father if we hope for this to work.Tonight, you have to be on your best behavior and put on a good performance as my new loving husband.”

Harrison smiles and pulls me into his arms.“Iamyour new loving husband for real, so that shouldn’t be too hard.”

He bends down to kiss me, and I try to pull away.“Hey, I just put on my lip gloss.You’re going to mess up all my hard work.”

“Mmm,” he says and pulls me closer despite my playful resistance.“I love messing up your hard work.You look so desirable when you’re all messed up…”