Present Day

Vlad was being pulled in so many directions he had a never-ending headache. He’d had a strange, distant conversation with Coach Barnett, who’d told him he would be in breach of contract if he didn’t show up for training camp. Because explaining the circumstances was complicated, he’d been vague, which only pissed Coach Barnett off further. Coach had told him to have his lawyer contact the team and then he’d hung up. There was a little wiggle room in the contract for not showing up for training camp; the team could fine him, bench him for any number of games, or possibly even release him, but there was a lot of gray area in that department. He’d been the second highest scorer on the team last season, so he wasn’t that easy to replace, but they could make his life hell for as long as they wanted.

Hockey was the one constant in his life and he didn’t want to muck up his career, but tomorrow was Monday and he was still on the other side of the world. He’d beg, grovel, apologize, put in extra practices, maybe some community service at the children’s cancer ward and he figured they’d forgive him. Coach Barnett would come around as soon as he started working on all that. Once he got back on steady ground with the team, Brock would come around, even if he was pissed for a little while. Rachel was the one who was going to be hard to win over and she was truly the only one who counted.

Her last text had cut him to the core, forcing him to acknowledge she was angrier than he’d expected. Maybe deep down he’d known, but he’d told himself it would be okay because he refused to even consider losing her. Telling him they didn’t have a future together hurt more than he wanted to admit because he’d believed she would understand, would want to be there for him, even though he’d handled the cancellation of their wedding badly. He’d trusted she would give him a second chance because she’d told him he could count on her, and now she was throwing that trust back in his face.

He’d been a shit, he was the first to admit it, but what had happened the day of the wedding had scared him. He was used to the occasional nightmare, but this was the first panic attack he’d had since he’d left Russia. She didn’t know that, of course, but how could she if she wouldn’t talk to him?

He’d slept in this morning, temporarily out of ideas on what to do next. It was Monday morning, the first day of training camp, and even though it was still ten hours earlier in Las Vegas, he felt a deep need to be on the ice. Impulsively, he grabbed his phone and looked up Coach Vlacic’s number. He couldn’t be with the Sidewinders today, but he would make sure he kept himself in shape and ready to go the moment he got home. He still had unfinished business here in Russia, though, and he wouldn’t waste the little time he had left. As important as this was, the warnings he’d gotten from everyone had begun to sink in. What good was discovering his past if it cost him his future? There had to be a middle ground, but if he didn’t find it soon, he would go home.

* * *

Getting out on the ice helped. Coach Vlacic’s team was much younger than he was used to, averaging seventeen years old, but they were skilled, talented, and fast. Though Vlad wore a no-contact jersey—his contract stated he couldn’t play contact hockey with anyone outside the NHL—they gave him a run for his money. He was distracted, of course, and had never played with these guys, but it was refreshing to rely on nothing but his instincts instead of a memorized book of plays and the comfort of knowing his teammates.

Practice was long and focused, which provided exactly the distraction he needed, but he was grateful when he finally headed back to the locker room to change. All of his equipment was borrowed, from pads to skates to his stick, and his feet were killing him. When was the last time he’d worn skates that weren’t custom made for his feet? He couldn’t remember, and it was a stark reminder of how good he had it at home.

No matter how badly he wanted to find out his history, today’s practice made him acutely aware of what he was missing back home. A nagging feeling in his gut told him he needed to go sooner rather than later, but he was loath to give up when he was so close. Grisha definitely knew something and Vlad was going to go at him once more. Maybe Natalya would have something he could use for leverage against the man.

He’d promised his temporary young teammates he would be back tomorrow if business didn’t take him away, and he headed out to his car feeling more determined than ever. A physical workout always cleared his head and now he had a better picture of what he needed to do. The first thing would be a shower and food. Then he would call Toli and ask for a favor. Although he didn’t talk about what his father did specifically, it was understood within their inner circle that he’d been KGB for much of his career. Perhaps he would be able to help simply because Toli asked him to. If not, he would talk to Grisha one more time, and if neither of those things were fruitful, he was done. His past had haunted him long enough and it had possibly cost him the love of his life. Starting now, he wasn’t going to let the past control him.

After a shower, some lunch, and a nap, Vlad woke up feeling refreshed even though the sun had set and he was hungry again. He got dressed and headed out. It was a long shot, but perhaps one of the priests at the church affiliated with the orphanage where he’d grown up would remember something. If Father Georgios was still there, he might have some information. If not, Vlad would leave a donation in the box, something he’d been meaning to do for years but hadn’t thought it prudent to send something like that by mail.

His phone vibrated in his pocket and he glanced at the screen, grateful to see Toli’s name.

“Hey.” He reverted to English for some reason, even though he and Toli always spoke Russian off the ice.

“Where the hell are you?”

“Same place I was last time we talked.”

“You’re still in Russia?” Toli sounded shocked.

“I told you I had shit to do.”

“Training camp starts in a few hours!”

“I talked to Coach.”

“I know. He called to chew my ass for not warning him you’d lost your mind.”

“I haven’t lost my mind. I just… Look, I can’t talk about this now. You’re going to have to have faith in me. Tell me about Rachel.”

“You ripped her heart out, but she went back to L.A. and directed an episode of Vampire Legend.”

“She did?” Vlad couldn’t help but smile. “I’m glad she’s keeping busy doing things she likes.”

“If you don’t get home and fix this you’re going to lose her. According to my sources—which means Tessa, who talks to Ashleigh, who’s with Rachel in L.A.—she’s already moved on. She moved out of your condo, boxed up all your shit that was at her house, and gave Brock the engagement ring to give back to you.”

“She’s angry,” Vlad said quietly. “I’m sure she did all of that to work through things initially. Once we have a chance to talk in person, it’ll be okay. She has to trust me, has to believe I wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t important. If she doesn’t trust me, how can we spend the rest of our lives together?”

Toli hesitated. “My friend, I don’t know what you’ve said to her when you’ve talked, but it hasn’t stopped her from erasing you from her life. She deleted every single picture from social media. Every. Picture.”

Vlad winced. They’d had a lot of pictures on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. “Look, I have to go. Just keep an eye on her, please?”

“Of course.” Toli paused. “Vlad, what are you doing? Did you find your mother?”

“I think her name is Irina and she paid for me to play hockey.”

“And what do you get by finding Irina?”

“Answers.”

“You’ve fucked up about a hundred things in your quest for answers. Is it worth it?”

“I won’t know until I get them.”

Toli sighed. “What can I do to help? Obviously, you’re determined to finish what you started and you won’t listen to anything any of us say, so what can I do to help move things along?”

“I’m not sure yet, but I appreciate the offer. Listen, I’m getting on the elevator. I’ll call you soon.”

“Take care of yourself, my friend.” Toli disconnected.

Vlad noticed the man standing just outside the hotel entrance immediately and he paused, unsure why he felt like he knew him. The man looked up and strikingly familiar blue eyes met his.

“Hello, Vlad. I am Anatoly.” The man held out his hand. “Toli’s father.”

Vlad was startled but shook his hand and nodded. “You look like him. It’s good to meet you.”

“Come. Let’s take a walk.”

“A walk?”

“Yes.” Anatoly started to move up the street and Vlad had no choice but to follow.

He fell into step beside the tall man who was an older version of Toli. “Did Toli tell you where to find me? I was just—”

“Grisha called me.”

“Grisha?” Vlad got one of those funny feelings in his stomach. “What, uh, what did he say?”

“He said you’re a pain in the ass who’s going to get yourself in a mess of trouble if you keep poking around.”

“How can finding out who my parents are get me into trouble? I didn’t do anything, I just want to know who they are and why they gave me up.”

“Don’t you think they gave you up for a reason?”

“Definitely, and I want to know what it is.”

Anatoly stopped and lit a cigarette, taking a deep drag before meeting Vlad’s gaze. “You can’t run around Moscow asking questions and threatening people you know nothing about.”

“I didn’t threaten him,” Vlad protested. “I warned him I wouldn’t give up just because he told me to.”

“In Russia, that can be a blurry line.”

Vlad sighed. “So now you’re involved and you’re going to do what? Threaten? Cajole? Drive me to the airport?”

Anatoly shrugged. “I should—you’re going to miss the beginning of training camp.”

Vlad set his jaw. “I’m aware.”

“Vladimir. Toli is very fond of you and as a hockey fan, I enjoy watching you play. According to Toli, you have a good life, an even better woman, and a brilliant career. There is nothing in Russia for you. I sent my sons to the U.S. because I didn’t want them here, and I’m pleading with you to follow their footsteps.”

“I’ll go back to U.S. As soon as I find out what I want to know. I’m going to talk to Father Georgios if he’s still—”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, stay away from the church!” Anatoly started walking again, shaking his head.

“What is everyone so afraid I’ll find out? Was it that woman called Irina? Was she a whore? A mobster’s wife? A gypsy? What could be so horrible? Just tell me!”

Anatoly turned to face him, a scowl crossing his rugged features. “KGB,” he said gruffly. “Your mother was KGB.”

“How do you know?” Vlad’s voice was a choked whisper of surprise.

“Because I knew her.”