Sins of the Father (2 page)

CHAPTER TWO

Interesting. All of it, interesting. Nicholas closed the door behind him, and Alex went to his desk. His phone was still resting heavily in his pants pocket. He pulled it out and sent Zoey a quick text.
Princess, can you add Shoichrio Akimoto and Shiaqiao Zhu to your list of things to research? I’ll call at lunch.
He thought for a moment about adding a heart at the end of the message, but his cheeks grew hot at just the consideration. He told himself that it was both too soon and too school girl. But he was tempted all the same.

She didn’t respond right away, and as Brianna tapped on his door and entered the office, he slipped his phone into his desk drawer. Brianna picked up the coffee cups that had been left on the table. “Mr. Khordorkovsky wonders if you’re available this morning.” The woman’s talent with languages never failed to impress him.

“For Leo? Always. And can you call IT about—”

“Mr. Blankenship’s files?” She grinned, and he took a moment to enjoy the familiarity the two had built over the past few months. “It is a day that ends in ‘y.’ Daniel would be disappointed, I think, if I didn’t call.”

“Don’t disappoint him,” Alex grinned back, “And send Leo in.”

Leonard Khordorkovsky was the son of a Russian diplomat assigned to the embassy in New York. He’d met Alex when they were both in high school, and while Philip had been basically straight edge outside of his taste in women, Leo had constant access to drugs, booze, and cars. The two of them had far too much fun, and Alex was only moderately sure that he remembered half of it. He had to smile when he remembered the wildness of those days. They’d calmed down more recently, as it seemed maturity kicked in. Leo’s father had moved back to Russia, and Leo had managed to stay and continue to work at a charity he’d created for queer homeless youth in the city. He’d never exactly come out, but he’d been very clear about what had driven much of his misspent youth.

He was a big bear of a man, with broad shoulders, tanned skin, and a beard that seemed wild and wiry even after he’d just trimmed it into submission. When he saw Alex, he let loose with a huge laugh that filled the room. Alex let the other man sweep him into the kind of hug that involved back pounding, and such tight squeezing that his eyes watered. “Jesus, Leo,” he wheezed, and Leo just laughed harder.

“The desk and the suit,” the Russian said. Like many American-educated diplomat’s children, he retained only the slightest trace of his original accent. “They look awful on you. What the hell are you doing, my friend?”

Alex joined him in laughter as Brianna closed the office door. “One of us had to grow up eventually, Leo.” He gestured back towards the more comfortable seating area, and Leo followed him, relaxing into the corner of the sofa as if he owned it. It was another of the man’s eerie talents; he could immediately make himself at home in any situation, and become the instantaneous best friend of anyone he ever met. It was because of Leo that they’d never gotten kicked out of prep school, and because of Leo that Alex was good friends with Luke Pyramus, the police commissioner. Leo had a special talent for finding the person from whose friendship he could most benefit in any given situation, and creating a solid bond with them. It wasn’t using people, not really; Leo was a stalwart friend and gave without concern for his own need. He didn’t ask for favors often, and they were never anything that Alex had been unable or unwilling to give. It was entirely possible that Leo’s family had amassed more wealth than Alex’s had. They’d never compared bank accounts, but Alex knew that Leo could easily keep pace with him on a night on the town, and Alex’s own lifestyle sometimes seemed monkish compared to Leo’s extravagance. Leo didn’t have to bend laws; laws stood up and shuffled quietly out of the way for him.

Leo raised one thick eyebrow. “Interesting you say so,” he said. “When were you going to tell me?”

Alex relaxed into the other side of the sofa. “Tell you what?”

Leo rolled his eyes. “After all this time, you still think I’ll tell the paparazzi what I know? Come on, Alex, you know me much better than that, I would hope.”

“Leo, I swear, there’s nothing I wouldn’t tell you.”

“Your sister’s phone number.”

Alex’s eyes narrowed. “You’d only be calling her for fashion advice.”

Another burst of laughter from his friend, and a nod. “It’s true enough. But tell me now, Alex. Who is the new woman? This Zoey Gardener. How did you meet her?”

Alex’s heart stopped for a moment. His lungs labored to provide air, and his hands clenched on nothing. “What—how did you—”

Leo’s face grew serious. He reached into his pocket for his phone, tapped at the screen a few times, and then turned it so Alex could see. Filling the screen was a picture of him and Zoey, caught up in that heated liplock last night in front of the bar, while they waited for David to arrive. His brain shut off, choking on this new information. He found himself noting details of the composition. The shot looked like a cell phone, not a pro camera, but the composition was much better than your average fan pic. His profile was clearly recognizable. The pic had already been shared thousands of times on the social media account that Leo was logged into. There was no containing this. Not that there ever had been.

He passed the phone back to Leo and rubbed his face with his hand, trying to organize his thoughts.

“Alex?” He couldn’t bring himself to meet his friend’s eyes. “Tell me what’s happening, Alex, so we can figure out the next step. Was she a professional? Or someone from your club?”

“Neither,” Alex managed to say. “She’s a journalist. She was working on a profile of me, but obviously—things have been less than professional since. This may complicate things further.”

“Ah,” Leo said, with a sad sort of sigh. “You finally decided to find a woman with integrity.”

“I need to call her,” Alex said. “I need to warn her.”

Leo shook his head. “No point. I’m sure someone will have told her already. She was identified. Apparently whoever took the picture knew her and ID’d her with the initial release of the photo.”

“She should hear it from me.”

Leo nodded. “But first we need to talk about your company. What are you trying to do, Alex, destroy everything your father created?”

Alex found his fingers clenching again. “If what my father created is poisoning the world? Then you’re damn right I will.”

He expected Leo to argue with him. Leo had always come down on the side of family loyalty, as long as Alex had known him. The only time he had acted differently was when his father had ordered Leo back to Russia. Instead, Leo’s face expanded into his familiar broad grin again, the one that always said they were about to break something, and have fun doing it. “Excellent,” he said. “That is exactly what I hoped you’d say. It seems it’s time to scheme, then, yes? Like two old women.”

Alex cast one last glance at his phone, and then turned his attention back to Leo. He needed to know what his friend knew. He operated in the same social circles as Alex did, but he always had a completely different set of information. Between the two of them, he could pull together things that Zoey wouldn’t be able to dig up in a thousand years. “Tell me,” he said.

CHAPTER THREE

After Alex and Cindy left, Zoey found herself not entirely sure where she should be. She
’d meant to ask Alex if there were any places in the penthouse that he preferred she not go. Sophia seemed perfectly comfortable with Zoey in Alex’s bedroom, for example, but maybe he’d prefer that she stayed out for now. She had her laptop, but was in dire need of a charge, and she had no idea where to find a power strip, much less a seat near an outlet.

Sophia came to the rescue within just a few minutes. It was almost like she could smell Zoey’s unease on the wind. “Will you be staying all day?” She made it a casual question, not a snark, which Zoey appreciated.

“It seems like it,” she said. “Assuming I won’t be in your way.”

Sophia waved a hand. “Not in the least. It will be nice to not be in empty rooms all day long. Can I get you anything? More coffee, tea, juice?”

Zoey’s instinct was to say that if she needed anything, she could certainly get it, but there was something in the way Sophia was watching her. It seemed like the woman wasn’t just asking because it was her job. She didn’t show any signs of irritation or frustration, just a quiet, peaceful patience. It was hard for Zoey to find emotional peace with the idea that this woman might actually value her part in making the household run. She chuckled to herself. Southern white guilt at its finest. “I don’t want to keep you from your work,” she said in compromise. “If you want to show me where things are, I’ll happily keep myself supplied.”

Sophia seemed to recognize Zoey’s emotional imbalance, and she smiled. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll make you another cup of coffee, but I’ll show you where everything is so you don’t have to find me if you want another.”

“That sounds great,” Zoey said. “And if you can give me a hint of a good place to set up my laptop, that would be fantastic.”

Sophia looked her up and down for a moment. “Are you a crash on the couch sort, or would you prefer some sort of desk or table?”

Zoey had to grin. “Couch type, most of the time, but I need to plug in today. My laptop is at about 20% battery.”

Sophia nodded. “Let’s get you coffee, and then I know just where you’ll want to be.”

Sophia gave her a quick tour of the kitchen, loaded her up with another cup of  amazing coffee and a tray of biscotti and fresh fruit, and then led her into a quiet corner of the house. Zoey hadn’t seen this room at any point in her movements, and of all the places she’d been, it seemed the most calm and welcoming room in the apartment. The furniture was plush and inviting, there was a large television in one corner of the room, and the tables looked like a person could put their feet up without inviting the wrath of a thousand interior designers. Sophia did hand her a coaster, but it wasn’t the kind of room where Zoey vaguely wondered if she needed a coaster to keep her coaster clean. “Thank you,” she said, and Sophia just smiled.

“It really is my pleasure,” the woman said. “When do you tend to eat lunch?”

Zoey gave a shrug that she was fairly sure the other woman would understand. “Whenever I wander into the kitchen and find leftovers?”

Sophia smiled again. “Excellent. Let’s say noon, and if you get hungry earlier, please find me. Truly, it’s nice to have someone around during the day.”

Sophia left, and Zoey went back to the bedroom to retrieve her laptop. She drank her coffee and continued to research, looking deeper into the names she had now. And then, about an hour after Alex had left, she got a text from him, asking her to look into two names.

Tracking them down was easy; both men were high profile figures within the Asian arms trade. What she started to see, as she dug deeper, gave her chills. There was nothing concrete, nothing as clear as an arrow pointing directly to them. If the rumors she was reading were true, then they would be able to deny a great deal of it, say that these things were happening in their companies without their knowledge, and just hang some people lower in the company structure out to dry. But still...if what she was reading was even half true.

She picked up her phone and dialed Alex’s cell, but the call went to voice mail. She wasn’t sure if she should try the office line. She certainly trusted that he’d answer the phone, but she didn’t know if he’d want that conversation to happen on a company line.

She sent a text.
Call me ASAP.
And then sat back to drum her fingers on her thighs and wait for his call.

He’d called her ‘princess’ in the text. He’d called her that a lot in bed, and in bed, she loved it. In common use, it felt odd, somehow. She’d spent so much time in her teen years and in college rejecting that idea of a beautiful woman made special by her crown. She’d worked so hard to define herself on her own terms, and not in relation to the people in her life, men or women. Everything about the word ‘princess’ defined the person in relation to their country, their heritage, their lives. There was nothing independent about being a princess. Nothing at all.

However when Alex said it, there was a not small part of her that wanted to put on the sparkly tiara and demand to be treated like royalty. It was incredibly disorienting. She would have sworn that she would never really enjoy that feeling. It came as an utter surprise that she did.

Her phone rang after a few minutes. “You found something,” he said, as soon as she said hello.

“Yes.”

“I don’t want to know yet,” he said, and his tone surprised her. She could imagine him in the office, sitting back in his desk chair. “It’s been a hell of a morning. Is it something I need to know right now?”

“I’d say you need to know by the end of the day.” It was a weird question and she hoped her answer was accurate.

“Have you tried out the bathtub yet?” he asked. There was no change of tone in his voice. It was odd to have his CEO voice asking her that.

“No,” she said. “I’ve been working so far.”

“What were you working on?”

“Mostly the research you asked for,” she said. “And then I have some actual work to do.”

“For the
Voice
?”

“Some, I have a couple of quick gossip pieces to write. And then I have some other content stuff to write.”

“Take a bath first,” he said. It wasn’t a question. “Go fill the tub. I’ll call you back in about five minutes.”

She shivered, just a little, at the command in his voice. “Should I be in the tub when you call back?”

She could hear him considering. “No,” he said. “But you should have your tablet propped up somewhere where I’ll get a good view.”

Her body tightened around the thought of him. She was still wet and slick from touching herself while she’d blown him earlier. “Okay,” she said.