Chapter 11 - Lev

"Did you deliver the items?" I cocked a brow at Pietor, noting immediately that he glared at me as he shut the door behind him. The resounding click of the door against the frame was loud as I always kept the office silent, and I secretly wondered if he consistently shut the door so hard just to grate on my nerves.

"You know I did. Why are you even asking?" He growled, striding across the room toward my desk. "And I didn't sneak a glance at your naked guest either."

Molten surged through my veins at the thought of someone, even Pietor, getting a look at any inch of Parker's uncovered skin. Still, I swallowed it down, turning my attention back to the books we'd taken from Pavel's office.

He'd been cooking things for quite some time, and the evidence against him was continuing to pile up. However, they were a scatter of numbers, and keeping up with his "system" was like deciphering code- which had likely been done on purpose.

"Pavel's office needs another look." I glanced up at Pietor, nodding down to the chicken scratch accounting records. "This can't be everything. It's too squeaky clean."

Pietor took up his usual spot, sitting across from me on the other side of my desk in the massive leather chair I'd brought to Chicago with me. As he crossed his leg over his knee, his striking, mismatched eyes stared back at me from beneath his dark brows.

"I'm assuming you mean beyond the standard loan shark BS." Pietor draped his arms over the back of the chair, and my eye twitched ever so slightly as he fidgeted with his damn spinner ring on his middle finger.

We were cut from two very different cloths despite the shared DNA. "Obviously."

Flipping the ledger closed, I tossed the book at Pietor over the desk, letting it slide across the surface and into his lap. He caught it easily enough and lifted it up to casually peruse the pages. Allowing the silence to grow, I looked around my office, noting more of the purposefully chosen items that I'd brought with me.

New York had an incredibly different aesthetic and atmosphere compared to Chicago. The grit was still there, but it was hidden in its unique ways. Chicago was newer money, transplants from larger families in the east. Pulling a bit of the old world with me via my décor had helped make the newness not so unsettling. It allowed me to feel at home.

And you're a picky bastard who hated the original design on top of all that.

Staring past Pietor, I admired my favorite piece of art while sipping the Glen Fidditch I'd poured myself into one of my lead crystal rocks glasses.

Magdalena. In oil.

The painting hung in a massive, gilded frame and sat directly across from me when I worked at my desk. She was a tortured beauty, toiling but depicted sensually with the shoulder of her dress slipping down.

"So," Pietor's voice shook me from my thoughts, "I hate to admit when you're right."

"Yes…" I dragged out the word, well aware and waiting for him to get to the point.

"These are obviously fixed beyond the requested laundering. His profits are too good, and he tries to hide it in expenses, but there's nothing in his office to support the supposed purchases. Plus, Pavel's reporting the same payout to us no matter what. We both know Sergey would have arranged for a percentage, not a flat fee."

Pietor tossed the book back on the desk. He employed his classic casual nonchalance, chewing on his tongue. As he pulled his arms behind his head, the wide stretch of his shoulders was even more obvious, and I knew he was very pretty satisfied with his inspection.

Vadim men and women were known for their strong genetics, and Pietor and I were no exception. We both shared the same tall, dark, and intimidating appearance, although Pietor had a unique feature with one blue and one green eye.

I grabbed the book, tucking it in the locking drawer of my desk. "Have a team sweep Pavel's office again."

Pietor smirked at me, raising his brows as he exhaled hard. "Won't do much good if he's there."

I rolled my eyes, frowning as I offered him a scoff. "I'm aware. I think a little visit is in order for dear old dad and his innocent daughter."

"Innocent?" Pietor cocked a brow.

I eyed him, gripping my whiskey glass. "That's enough."

"Ugh. Get your cock untwisted." Pietor stood up from the large leather chair, straightening his black jean jacket. "Doesn't she have anything useful to offer…besides her ass?"

I gripped the crystal tumbler tight as I went to take another sip, clenching my jaw hard enough to feel it crack. I wasn't about to respond to that comment.

"Have your team on standby. I'll be sending someone to retrieve Pavel within the hour."

Gulping down the last of my whiskey, I set the empty container on the leather blotter atop my desk. My phone was just to the right of my laptop, and I swiped it up, getting the contact number for my delivery crew.

Pietor just raised his brows at me and turned to the door.

"Sure." As he walked off, I narrowed my eyes at the sound of his boots hitting the floor. "I'll have ‘em there. But I'd like an actual answer about Parker's usefulness when the bug up your ass has stopped biting."

He didn't wait for me to reply, pulling the door wide and leaving to assemble the men for their new scavenger hunt. My blood was quietly boiling as I digested Pietor's words, an aching throb setting up shop in my temples.

I had little time to deal with Pietor"s bullshit, and I wasn't ready to examine why I was still keeping Parker instead of just locking her away somewhere to threaten with death later. In any case, there was work to be done, and I was quite curious how the little one's father would react to seeing her actually under my thumb.

Agreeing to something you wouldn't have to watch happen was a lot easier than being faced with the ugly truth.

***

My men were escorting Pavel inside the house any moment, and I'd had Pietor bring Parker from my room. In just a few moments, I was finally going to get a good peek at their interactions. I still didn't like what I assumed I knew of the man. He consistently came across as a deceptive and dishonest person, which only added to my suspicion that he was also an abusive father.

"What am I doing here?" Parker's voice came from the hallway to my right, and I glanced over with a practiced impassive expression.

It nearly cracked when I saw what she'd chosen to wear.

My mouth dry, I raked my gaze across Parker from head to toe, internally beaming as I flagged each article of clothing with what I knew about it. The loose tan jacket gave the illusion of concealment even as it lacked a button closure. The blousy top she wore echoed the jacket's shape and would provide quite the view whenever she bent forward. I smirked when I reached the skirt.

Interesting choice, little one.

I knew for a fact that I'd provided Parker with zero undergarment options aside from a flimsy bra that I'd ordered just because I wanted to tear it off her and a garter belt because I like the idea of stockings.

She wore the bra, but not the garters because I would have seen them underneath the short black skirt she chose. It hugged her supple ass like a dream, and the tiny slit at the back, which I could admire when she turned to glare at Pietor behind her, gave me so many ideas.

Naughty, terrible ideas.

Clearly, I was a glutton for punishment. As much as I knew that I should probably just keep my distance from her, I'd set myself up for failure with the wardrobe I'd chosen. Still, as she walked up to stand next to me, I was finding it difficult to care.

"I've arranged for a visitor. I thought you'd like to ask him a few questions," I finally replied, keeping my voice level.

Parker's brow knitted together, and I could see the blooming suspicion behind her eyes. When her father was shoved down the hall in front of us to meet in this central foyer, she snapped her attention toward him with a tiny gasp.

"You can't just keep dragging me around wherever you want. I—"

"Dad." Parker"s voice held an unmistakable edge, and she closed in as my men escorted him into the room. "Why didn't you answer my call? What have you done?"

Tension roared through the room, and you'd have to be an idiot not to hear the combination of rage and sorrow barely contained in Parker's voice.

I watched carefully. Pavel had been brought here expressly to give me clues as to his motives and pressure points. I literally had nothing better to do than stand by and let these two go at it. What's more, I needed him gone from his office, and this little show could keep him distracted for a while.

"Parker," I didn't bother hiding the roll of my eyes as her father used that defensive tone I'd heard for myself. "You don't understand. I did try to talk to you, but you hung up on me. Excuse me if I didn't feel like answering your phone call in the middle of the night."

Reminder, I need to deal with Parker's cell.

"Your daughter calling in the middle of the night is the exact time to answer!" She scoffed, and I could hear that tremble in her voice that signaled she was fighting against a swell of emotion. "But what did I expect?! You've never cared about me. You—"

At that, she stopped herself.

Pavel's eyes widened, a hair of frenzy touching them to make the whites fill with a growing bloodshot look. He stepped forward on his own this time, raising his hand in the air and jabbing a pointer finger in Parker's direction.

"Don't talk back to me!" The man continued to point at her, and Parker broke eye contact, shaking her head. "You have one job to do here, and you'll damn well be doing it."

In every interaction I'd had with the asshole screaming at his daughter, Pavel had given the air of a sniveling pissant who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. With Parker, Pavel was aggressive, consistently on edge, and offered the stability of a land mine.

The only one he can pick on, huh? Well, that stops now.

Stepping toward the center of the room, I moved myself slightly in front of Parker, eyeing Pavel hard. "This isn't why I brought you here. There are still some very hazy details to your little business, and I expect you to come clean about what you've been doing over there."

He barely broke his glare at Parker to transfer it to me, and for once, I didn't see that fear behind his eyes. I didn't like that. He had something in his back pocket he was keeping to himself. Something new that he'd acquired after I'd left. What is that about?

"You got your trade, Vadim. I'm looking at her. If you don't want the deal anymore, that's not my problem. Drop her off at school. I don't care. Do whatever you want with her."

Pavel never did care all that much. I could sense that about him from the beginning. But the lack of information he was holding back about whatever was going on had only made his statement more sincere.

"You son of a bitch." Parker's voice was low, an angry growl. "You did this. You fucking did this to me, and you don't even care."

She shook her head, a rogue tear slipping free and sliding down her cheek before she could wipe it away with the back of her hand.

"I swear to God, I don't know why I'm surprised anymore. After Mom, you've never been the same person. Who knows if you ever were who I thought you were? And now I find out you're in with the fucking mob! Are you kidding? You're nothing but a crook!"

Disappointment smoothed over the rage taking over her face, and I thought for a moment she might want an apology from him. "And I should have known. I can't believe I didn't know. I never want to see you again."

My muscles were corded with tension as I watched the two exchange words. It's what I'd wanted to learn, to see for myself, but actually witnessing it was strangely affecting.

"You little bitch." Pavel practically spit the word, and my attention snapped directly on him as my entire chest clamped down. "I gave you a roof over your head. A chance to go to that fucking college! I gave everything to your damn mother, too. But the ungrateful apple doesn't fall far from the ungrateful tree, apparently."

"Bullshit!" Parker stepped forward, not letting herself be held back or made small in the face of her father. "You didn't give me shit, except for the regular black eye and a reason to get good at lying."

I'd known it. I'd suspected it right away, but hearing the words…And it looked like Pavel was equally shocked by Parker's blunt admission.

"What did I say about talking back to me? You wanna end up like your mother, huh? Getting up the gall to scream at me and then getting too much of her chemo pills, huh?!"

"What?" Parker's entire body froze, and I put the truth together along with her. Oh, you're a real piece of shit, Pavel.

"You're…" her voice was small. "You're a monster."

The wide draw of Pavel's eyes deepened, and his mouth cracked open in a furious show of his crooked teeth. Movement at his waist drew my attention, and I saw Pavel clench his hand into a fist.

He wouldn't fucking dare.

But then he was jabbing forward, lining up to land a blow right into Parker's face. And the asshole moved quickly, almost quick enough to succeed.

Still, I was faster.

Moving between them, I pushed Parker behind me, briefly noting the astonishment in her eyes, before I caught Pavel's fist in my grip and jerked his hand backward. He screamed in pain at the abrupt yank of his wrist, falling to a knee in front of me.

"I think you'll find Pavel," I wrenched it further, the sound of his mewling a delight, "that touching what's mine will cost you your life."

His elbow was up in the air, and I yanked his hand further back, dislocating his shoulder with a satisfying pop.

"Try my patience again, and you won't be so lucky." I looked to my guards. "Get him out of here."