Page 26 of The Hunted Wife

Adam decided to go visit Dmitry Petrov. He knew he had connections to the Bratva. The fact that he was supposed to be retired meant nothing. People didn’t retire from the mafia, Russian or Italian. The connection was a lifelong commitment.

He walked back to the house from the barn and checked on his brothers before heading to the garage.

Benjamin reported that the sheriff had no leads. Ricard had not tried to get out of town.

That meant he was still here in Steamboat or the surrounding area, somewhere. But where?

Adam pulled up in front of Dmitry’s two-story home. The outside was wood siding and there was a river rock chimney.

He walked up to the door and rang the doorbell.

A middle-aged woman with graying black hair answered the door.

“Mrs. Petrov?”

“Yes.”

“My name is Adam Sullivan and I’d very much like to talk to your husband. It’s a matter of life and death.”

The woman’s brows went up, but that was the only reaction to his statement.

“Wait here. I’ll go see if he’s receiving.”

See if he’s receiving? Who does he think he is the pope?

She returned a short time later and opened the screen door to let him in. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to him.”

Adam followed quietly, taking in the artwork on the walls. Other than the fact that some of these paintings probably cost millions of dollars, no outward sign of Petrov’s wealth was present.

He was like Adam in that respect. The most obvious sign of Adam’s wealth

was the helicopter and private plane. The copter was a definite luxury, unlike the plane which was a necessity for them to do business.

Dmitry Petrov was a short, overweight man with thick gray hair. He had brown eyes that sized a person up as soon as they entered.

He stood when Adam entered and extended his hand. “Mr. Sullivan. So nice to finally meet you. Please have a seat.” He reached for a box on the corner of his desk. Cigar?”

“Thank you, but no.”

“Very well.” He closed the humidor and sat back in his chair. “What can I do for you, Mr. Sullivan.”

“Please call me, Adam.”

“Very well and I am Dmitry.”

“I need your help. Someone in your old line of work, has taken my wife from me and I need to find him. Do you have any idea where he would go?”

Dmitry steepled his hands. “I must assume you are talking about Ricard Sokolov. Am I correct.”

Adam nodded. “You are, as usual, well informed.”

Dmitry waved his hand dismissively. “He came to see me to gain my help in that endeavor. I told him he was in error pursuing the woman, but it sounds like he did not heed my advice. I even introduced him to Janine Smirnoff hoping he would forget about Milena.”

“It didn’t work and if he has hurt her in any way, then I’ll kill him. Otherwise, I’ll turn him over to the Routt County Sheriff who will probably turn him over to the Colorado Bureau of Investigations.”

Dmitry tilted his chair back. He rested his still steepled hands over his chest. “I did not give him the help he sought. I told him his plan was unwise. He is obsessed with the woman. Determined to marry her and then succeed his father-in-law as head of the family.” He paused. “He would not have lasted long in that position. He is not smart enough to become Pakhan.”

“What is Pakhan?”