Page 39 of Claiming Veronica
“It sounds like a productive appointment, and I’m glad you’re in touch with someone while you’re there in case things change,” Maxim said. I could tell by the heaviness in his voice that he wanted to say more but held back, which I appreciated. “I’m guessing you didn’t call me to discuss your appointment.”
“You guessed right.” Thank goodness he was moving on to the topic I was calling about, not that it was much better. I still had a knot in my stomach about withholding information from him. “I’ve dug up some details on Spato to send you. I wasn’t sure what you were looking for exactly.” I chewed the pad of my thumb and chanced another glance at my sister, who had given up on her work and was avidly listening now.
“What did you find?” he asked, not giving up anything. Maxim was excellent at cards for this reason — best poker face ever.
“He’s a broker on the dark web for all kinds of shady shit, but I didn’t find anything linking him to trafficking. He’s got his hands in drugs, weapons, and underground fights, including death matches. He’ll also arrange a contract onanyone if the price is right. Women and children included.” Natasha perked up on this point. I’d not mentioned it to her, which might be a hard line for my cousin, but we’d never discussed things like this.
“The contracts,” Maxim started. “What else did you find on those? Anything?”
“He’s the broker. He is the go-between on the dark web for the job, but he will post the hit. I’ve found traces back for multiple postings and contracts for years because he’s shit at coverings his tracks. I can send you the list of the people he’s hooked up. The person behind each hit and the victim.”
“That’d be great, Ronnie, if you can do that without too much risk. I want you to be careful.”
“It’s no sweat. I’ll send you the rest of the information — homes, accounts, who he sleeps with. All that jazz. It might be too much, but you never know.” I winked over at Natasha. “Never know what a pakhan might need.”
“That’s great and the list.”
“You got it, cousin. I’ll have it tonight.”
“Be safe, Ronnie. I love you.” It always warmed me to hear him say the words. He was the only man who had ever said them to me and the onlyman who had ever protected me without being paid, of course.
“I love you too, Max.”
“And call your mother,” he added.
“Sure.” I didn’t mean it, but I’d say it for him. I should, though, I supposed. He chuckled as he disconnected. Turning to Natasha as I set the phone down, I said, “Well, that was interesting, right?”
“It was pretty obvious what he was looking for. The whole fighting scene isn’t an issue, but we still need to tell him about Spato potentially being here in Phoenix.” I agreed, but I wanted to chat with Eli first.
“I will after a little more research today.” She gave me a firm look. “I’ll call back today.”
She nodded, satisfied. “Get something to eat before you go downstairs, will you.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I mumbled but smiled back at her and hustled into the kitchen to hunt for some snacks to take back to my lair. It was always good to not forget that my people loved me. I didn’t take that lightly.
I dialed my mother, huffing a little and pushing a corn puff into my mouth. She picked up on the first ring.
“Ronnie! Baby!” I cringed at how dramatic she sounded and shoved another corn puff in my mouth.
“Hi, Mom. Max said you needed me to call and verify that I was alive.”
“That was nice of him,” her voice cooled immediately, and she went to that cautious place that she lived in around the Bratva. “You shouldn’t call him Max. It’s disrespectful.” I laughed, nearly inhaling corn puff dust and setting myself coughing.
“Oh, please.” My mother and her Bratva etiquette were ridiculous. “Max doesn’t care. He’d have a heart attack if I started calling him pakhan, for fuck sake.” I could hear her clucking her tongue over the phone.
“I’m just saying you should be more respectful,” she said.
My mother called himpakhan. Actually, called him that, never by his given name. Honestly, only Natty and I called him Max. My cousin Dimitri called him Maxim, and now, here in Arizona, a handful of people called him by his given name, but before that, there had never been anyone who had. That was a big reason he liked to come here, because who wouldn’t want to have some human connection?
“What are you up to, Mom? Anything new? Got a new bridge partner or anything?” I was fishing but might as well go for broke since I’d dialed.
“Still playing with the same group. Tell me about your appointment. I want to hear all about it.”
Sighing, I explained what Dr. Bennett had told me and what I was doing about it. I added the date for my oncology appointment check-in so she could write it down.
“I’m following all the advice, Mom. I’m being careful, I promise.”
“I just love you. You know that.” Her words trailed off, and suddenly, I felt sorry for her. I knew my mom loved me. She tried so hard, and I told myself to make more allowances for her.