Chapter Nineteen

 

They went to Sean with their findings the next day, bright and early.

He was reluctant to believe it at first.

“Bates is my best,” he said, sitting next to Shane. His condition was improving, or so the doctor said, but he hadn’t woken up yet. Ivan felt bad for the guy. Being stuck in a coma, that wasn’t any way to go.

“Bates is also a lying fuck,” Kelly spat.

Ivan could sense the anger radiating off of her. He wanted to take her outside and tell her to cool down—anger wasn’t going to help them here. Instead he just laid a hand on her shoulder.

That seemed to calm her down. Kelly glanced at him, but toned down the anger a bit. “The evidence we’ve found is indisputable, Father.”

“I back her up,” Ivan said. “She found that it was Bates but I was already seeing that the trail of clues leading to the other two lieutenants was too obvious. It had to be a false trail, and it had to be planted by someone who knew your organization and how you operate and could have had an opportunity to plant that information.”

“The Murphys have been waiting for an opportunity like this for years,” Kelly said. “Please, give us permission to move against them. Ivan and I can lead the charge if you don’t want to. We’ll take full responsibility.”

“Sir, they’re going to go against you,” Ivan pointed out. “It’s only a matter of time, especially when they realize that their ploy to have you and your lieutenants all turning against each other didn’t work. We have to at least be prepared for them to strike, even if you don’t want to be the one who starts the war.”

“Ivan’s going to head to Moscow to secure his contacts there and get support,” Kelly added. “I can run things on our side.”

Sean looked from one to the other, his blue eyes twinkling. “You two are presenting a real united front, aren’t you?”

Ivan looked at Kelly, who went a bit pink and then looked back at her father. “That reminds me—we’re going to unite the two families, so that Ivan has an excuse to publicly throw his lot in with us.”

Sean sat up a little straighter. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“I’ll get her a proper ring and everything,” Ivan added hastily. “It was kind of last-minute.” He winced. Not what a man wants to hear when he learns his daughter’s engaged.

“It’s the right thing to do,” Kelly said. “It’ll secure both of our families.”

Sean nodded. “I can’t say that I’m… not a little surprised. I wasn’t under the impression that you two got along. But I’m glad to see that you’re working so well together on this. Presenting a united front, and you’re doing it very well.”

Ivan and Kelly looked at one another. She looked about as surprised as Ivan felt. “We’re not—”

“We realized it was necessity,” Ivan said quickly. “That’s all. You have to do what you can to survive, right?”

“I could do a lot worse,” Kelly acknowledged. “And hey, I can always kill him and take over.”

She was joking, but Ivan was grateful for it. It diffused some of the tension that he felt between them, in his own chest, a confused sort of tension that made him want to preen and also flee the room.

It was good that he and Kelly were working together now—finally. He should be pleased about that. Yet he also felt like he should be playing it off, not making it a big deal.

Still, he couldn’t help but feel a bit of warmth inside. He’d won Kelly over, at least partly, and it gave him an immense sense of satisfaction—one that he’d never quite felt before. He knew that he’d had to work to earn even a part of her good favor, and knowing that she was teaming up with him now, going to her father, openly supporting him and agreeing with him… it meant a lot.

“I’ll be leaving in the afternoon,” Ivan added. “So try not to start any wars until I get back.”

“We’ll do our best,” Kelly replied, grinning at him.

He found himself, to his own surprise, grinning back.

“I’m impressed, by both of you,” Sean admitted. He looked at Kelly. “I think, perhaps, I underestimated you.” He nodded at Ivan. “Off you go, then, I suppose. I must say… it’s good to see that you two are working so well together, it bodes well for the future.”

“Father,” Kelly snapped, almost as if she was embarrassed.

Ivan decided he wasn’t going to try opening that can of worms. “I’ll be in touch. We’ll exchange phone numbers, text me if something’s wrong.”

“Ah, the modern day age,” Sean grumbled.

“I suppose you’d prefer carrier pigeon?” Kelly asked.

Ivan left them to bicker about technology. He had to get to Moscow. If he was fast enough… he’d be back before the Murphys struck.