Page 67 of Hate to Love You
As I turn onto the highway, visions from the hospital come back to me.
Igor’s body. Polina in hysterics. The entire family on edge.
“His phone,” I say quietly. “I did find it odd how much she wanted his phone. But I just reasoned that perhaps she just wanted access to things.”
“...Or didn’t want us having access to things,” Ana says quietly, thumbing the pages on the file.
“What are you saying?”
“I’m not sure,” she says, sighing and leaning back against the seat. “But she didn’t want us going through his phone, even when I told her that it could potentially give us some clue about what happened to him.”
“You think she’s hiding something,” I say.
“Maybe? I mean, maybe I’m just being crazy, or paranoid,” Ana shrugs. “But I just feel like we aren’t getting the whole story.”
“Well, we never really get that with Pol,” I say, tilting my head. “She’s never been very forthcoming with anything.”
“Which is why I requested her text records,” Ana says softly.
“What?”
“You heard me just fine,” she practically whispers.
This makes me chuckle.
“You know, for someone who claims to trust her mafia family with her life, it’s a bit amusing to hear you be this suspicious of your only sister.”
“Hey! I’m just looking out for you, Roman,” Ana says defensively, pressing her hand to her chest. “And yeah, maybe I’m paranoid, but let’s not forget that because I’m her sister, I know better than most how conniving and evil Polina can be.”
“Fair enough,” I say, raising my hand, sensing her mounting frustration. “I’m not putting you on trial here.”
“Feels like it,” she says, sulking back against the seat. “I’m just trying to have your back. Which is exactly what you pay me for, and why you wake me up in the middle of the night or interrupt my plans. So, how about you just say, “thank you Ana, I appreciate you.”
“You know I do.”
“Yeah, well saying it once in a while wouldn’t kill you, you know,” Ana says a bit bitterly. “And neither would listening to me instead of just running off to play mafia don with Lev and Nikolai.”
“Are you still upset about that?” I snort, as the traffic around us begins to thicken, having passed back into the city. “No one got hurt that night.”
“Um, Stetson did,” Ana says, waving her palm at me. “And that was just a technicality. You went to their turf and—”
“The Chelsea Pier isn’t their turf, Ana, that’s specifically why I chose it,” I say. “It’s shipping space, which means it’s neutral ground.”
“Maybe it was, but not anymore!” She scolds. “Forgive me, but I really don’t think that Cillian is going to be honoring any part of the truce you had. Not after all of this. Which means that you can’t rely on any safe spaces. Which brings me to my second point, and that is that you should be doubling our patrols at our secure warehouses at Chelsea Pier. Because If I was Cillian I would—”
“Careful, sister,” I caution, raising my finger in the air as we stop in front of her building. “You know I value your opinion, maybe the most out of everyone, which is why I allow you to speak freely with me. But I won’t have you disrespecting me, or telling me how to do my job.”
“Oh get off it, Roman,” she says, rolling her eyes. “We both know I’m not disrespecting you. I’m warning you. About Cillian, and about Polina. You need to treat them both like they are powder kegs that could blow at any moment. And…”
She goes to continue but then stops when she sees Kane, her six-foot five bodyguard walking out of the building and toward the car.
“You texted him?” she says, looking back at me.
“Of course, I did,” I smile at her, leaning across the seat and giving her a peck on the cheek. “Because I’m always looking out for you too.”
“More like babysitting me,” she groans, rolling her eyes.
“Then Kane here is the most expensive sitter in the world.”