Page 54 of No More Lies

Diane nodded. “I trust them, too. What if Volkov doesn’t contact me?” she asked, turning back to face Dex.

“If he doesn't, we will find him another way.” Dex said.

“What about Natasha, the child’s mother. Maybe she knows where he is?”

“We have FBI agents going to talk to her, see what she knows. Do you know if Volkov visits his daughter there?”

Diane shook her head. “No. Since the arbitration hearing, and the accusation of him hitting her, her lawyer requested a temporary restraining order that was granted. Volkov didn’t contest it, only asked if he could still see his daughter. He sees her once a week. A visit that is supervised by a social worker at a specified location.”

“Natasha living in a house he pays for, with his daughter, and he’s not allowed to go there. Bet that pisses him off,” Steve mumbled.

Diane turned her head to look at him. “Having now seen just what type of man he is, I can see it’s all just a power play. He’s doing exactly as he is asked so the hearing will go smoothly. He said something to me that didn’t make sense.” She paused, biting her lip.

“What?” he probed.

“He said all he needed me to do was present the case, and he would take care of the rest.”

“Do you know what he meant by that?” Dex asked.

“No. I don’t understand. I warned him the case we have is not strong. But he didn't seem to care.”

“He’s going to a lot of trouble if he doesn't care about the result,” Steve said.

“Regardless, let’s be safe. We want to keep everything to routine like he said to you.”

“Then, if there’s nothing else, I’m going to go and take a shower, no point going back to bed now.” She smiled weakly.

“Thank you, Diane. We have your back, always.” Dex stood.

“I know you do.” She left them, heading upstairs.

“You, OK?” Dex asked.

Steve looked at him. “Not by a fucking long shot.”

***

AS STEVE WATCHED, DIANE and Megan ate breakfast at the kitchen island. A regular Monday morning. Only it wasn’t. Megan was going to school under the watchful eye of the FBI and Diane would be at work waiting for Volkov to get in touch, with Nyx responsible for her safety. Scottie and Logan would be there under the pretense of emergency repair work of the ventilation system on the fifteenth floor. Steve wasn’t sure how that had been arranged in a matter of hours. He was just glad the guys would be there protecting his wife. Now he needed to explain to Megan what was going to happen today without making it a big deal. Dex and Steve agreed she should be prepared in case they had to get her out of school quickly to somewhere else. He didn't want Megan refusing to go because Agent Adams was a stranger.

“Megan, today is not going to be a regular school day,” Steve said, sliding onto the stool next to her.

“I’m not going to school?” she asked.

“You are, but there is going to be a new lady in your class.”

“Like a new teacher?”

“Yes. Miss Adams is going to help the teacher, but she’s also working with my team.”

“Teachers work with your team?” She frowned at him.

Diane reached over and ran a hand over Megan’s hair. “You know how Daddy sometimes has to do training with his job?”

“Uh huh. To make him better at his job,” she said between mouthfuls.

“And sometimes you practice lockdown at school. That’s training, too.”

“Uh huh.”