Page 8 of No More Lies

“No, of course not. I like to be thorough.” Volkov’s gaze was intense, making her squirm inside.

“You have a copy of the hearing transcript. That is all you need.” He tilted his head as he continued. “You have a daughter, Megan, correct?”

She tensed, nodding, and sank into her own chair.

“Then you understand what it would be like if you had to go long periods of time without seeing her, or worse, never seeing her again.”

Diane swallowed as a knot of unease formed in her stomach.

“As I’ve mentioned,” Volkov said, “Natasha is... young, immature. She can barely look after herself, let alone a child. I offered for her to join me in Russia, but she declined. I want to take my daughter back to Russia and give her the rich, full life she deserves.”

“I understand. The medical report. Am I correct in saying this was an accident?” She didn’t believe that for one minute.

“Natasha can be a little overzealous. She gets excited. Likes it rough.” he said calmly.

“I was under the impression your relationship with Natasha did not go beyond the one night. That you had a financial agreement and supported her in raising your daughter.”

Volkov smiled. “Indeed. There was no relationship. But Natasha is a very sexual woman. I am a man. When I would visit my daughter, things would happen. What can I say.” He spread his hands. “She couldn't resist me.”

Diane fought to keep her face neutral, tasting bile in her mouth.

“Natasha exaggerates everything,” Volkov added. “As you know, she never brought charges. It’s unfortunate that since I told her I plan to return to Russia she has... fallen apart. Changed her story about what happened. Lies. Then there’s the drinking, drugs. Men. That is not an environment I want my daughter to grow up in. Do whatever it takes. Everybody has a price, Mrs. Williams. All of us.” He smiled. “Even you.”

Diane struggled to stop her hands trembling. Everybody has a price? Sydney Michaels had used those same exact words. The knot in her stomach twisted more.

“Your husband is in the Navy, correct? Currently deployed?”

How the hell did he know that? Did he know about Onyx? No one knew about Onyx. She stayed silent.

“Don’t be surprised. I make it my business to get to know the people that work for me. Sydney mentioned it, and as you know, my company has contracts with the military as well as the private sector. Provides me with a lot of connections.” He stood and picked imaginary fluff off his suit jacket.

Volkov didn’t look at her as he spoke again. “I admire men like your husband. Dedicated to their country. Risking their lives. Even the training can be dangerous, accidents can happen.” He looked up at her, and his gaze chilled her heart. “And those deployments? Leaving you and your daughter here all alone? That must be difficult.”

Diane didn’t respond; she couldn’t. She clasped her hands together on the desk to stop them shaking.

He walked to the door, then turned to face her. “I understand you had some questions regarding my business affairs. My business is not your concern. Please leave that to your boss. I have a reputation to uphold, Mrs. Williams, so I am sure I don't have to remind you about attorney-client privilege. Should any of my personal or business affairs get out...well...that wouldn’t be good for you or this firm. I would be forced to...deal with it.”

Volkov left Diane’s office, followed by his bodyguard.

Rattled but furious, Diane stood, intending to go back to the named partners and demand they listen to her. Who the hell did Volkov think he was? As she got closer to Sydney’s office though, voices and laughter filtered through the open door. She stopped short at a warning alarm going off in her head as she distinguished the voices from one another. The named partners were in deep with Volkov. They wouldn’t be listening to anything she had to say.

Volkov was a bully, obviously used to getting what he wanted. Back in her office, she sighed and sat down. Swinging her chair around, she looked out the window.

Yes, he had rattled her. Especially with his talk about Steve and Megan. Of course, that had been his intention. Anger bubbled in her stomach. Men like him made her sick. He probably enjoyed instilling fear in people, especially women. Fuck that. His intimidation wasn’t going to work with her. If he thought he could frighten her with vague threats, he was wrong. He was just a rich businessman who thought money could buy anything. Well, the law couldn’t be bought. She might not have a choice in representing him, but that didn't mean she had to like him. She would do her duty as a lawyer and present a case in court. With what they had, it was unlikely he would get sole custody anyway, and his money and intimidation would not change that.

The rest of the day went by in a blur as she studied the evidence against Natasha. The cleaning lady had found cocaine in the bedroom. Empty alcohol bottles were found in her trash. A neighbor was also willing to testify she continually heard the child crying. All those things together portrayed a bad mother. Yet no evidence of drugs or alcohol had been found in Natasha’s blood during any of numerous blood tests. The woman had agreed to regular testing, and vehemently denied all allegations. Natasha also still had temporary custody of Anya, subject to regular visits by a social worker, who had raised no concerns.

One might think the allegations had all been fabricated. After her conversation with Vladimir Volkov today, Diane was beginning to think he was more than capable of doing exactly that to discredit Natasha. He paid for the house, and the cleaner and gardener were also in his employ and might say whatever he wanted in order to keep their jobs.

Diane studied the medical report and photos. The black eye, bruising around her neck and wrists. That was not out of passion. No way did she believe that. But Natasha hadn't called the police. At the time she had agreed it was an accident. At arbitration, she had changed her story, saying Volkov became violent when she had refused to go to Russia with him, but she hadn't pressed charges because she was scared for her life.

It was still her word against his, but it had caused enough doubt that the judge had issued a restraining order against Volkov. Her lawyer would focus on that in court. That Natasha had been too scared to tell the truth sooner. However, the facts remained that Natasha had a one-night stand, got pregnant, and then accepted a house, a car, even an allowance. She also, apparently, continued to sleep with Volkov. Without him, she would be back to being a nightclub waitress. Natasha had made some poor decisions, but Diane didn’t see any judge awarding Volkov sole custody based on the facts. However, a judge could modify the joint custody agreement to allow Volkov to take Anya to Russian for set weeks every year. Normally, that might be acceptable, but this was Volkov. He might just take Anya and never return her. She sighed. No one ever told you in law school how bad you would feel when you must represent clients you didn’t believe in.

Hearing her door open, she looked up and froze.

“Hey, Angel, surprise.”

“Steve! You’re back. What are you doing here?”