Unbearable Passion - Total Abandonment: Billionaire Erotica Romance (Unbearable Passion series Book 4) (9 page)

“I don’t know for sure, Bryce, but we’ll start talking to people on the ground there. From what I can see, he could be headed anywhere. It’s hard to say. He could end up back in Mother Russia, but for some reason, I don’t think he’d be that stupid. I could be wrong, but if he’s hopping on four flights before getting to a location where he’s willing to book a hotel, he knows he’s being watched. I’m sure he’s onto us and he must know someone is watching him closely. We don’t have the luxury of time. The state of Goa is surrounded by water and it’s dangerously close to a number of Muslim countries that aren’t fans of us Americans. If he leaves on a boat we might lose his trail for weeks to come. Since we have no idea when he’ll leave, we should move quickly. Since it’s still very early there, we have time to get some Indian officials on the ground and on boats to corner him before he makes a run for it.”

“All right. I think we have a solid plan of attack. What about the money he has in his foreign accounts? How can we stop him from accessing those funds? Is there a way to potentially retrieve this stolen money to repay Sofia and all the others he’s embezzled?”

“That’s the easiest part. I’m waiting for a few answers, but I got the ball rolling on that one the second I hung up with Misty. When she told me how much money Keller had stashed in those accounts, it was clear this guy was a royal scumbag who had to be stopped. Veronica also made some calls to people who can shut down this guy’s money source and we should have this problem solved within the next couple of hours. The thing about bad guys is they think short-term. Once we cut off his money supply, he’ll be cornered and won’t be able to hop on planes and boats.”

“I had a similar case about six months ago,” Veronica says, “and I was successfully able to cut that idiot’s money supply and we nabbed him stranded in Monaco in France without any money. Since most banking systems are online now, it’s as easy for us to cut their supply as it is for them to embezzle. They never think they’ll get caught. But as you know, I eat bad guys like Keller for breakfast and spit them out. I truly hate scumbags.”

I can see from her straightforward answer why Bryce calls his ex-wife a shark. I wouldn’t want to be going up against her.

“Thanks, Liam. I appreciate this a lot.”

“Don’t mention it, Bryce.”

“Can I ask another question?”

“Of course.”

“Why did you take this on so quickly? I mean, you had already started working on this and making calls before I even arrived and before you met Sofia.”

Bryce’s question silences us all. Liam looks down at his hands before looking at his wife. He clears his throat and looks right at me. “I know you well enough to know if she wasn’t worth it, you’d never be sitting in the same room as Veronica and I.”

The room feels suddenly like a sauna. Bryce clenches his jaw and takes a deep breath before speaking.

“You’re right there, brother. She’s definitely worth it.”

***

The next three days are hair-raising. Events are unfolding so quickly and the more I know about Brad Keller’s real identity, the more nerve-racking this story becomes for me. I can’t believe I picked this wrongdoer as my business partner.

Five days after Bryce’s team took on my case, authorities are able to get in touch with most of the people who were swindled by Vladislav Ershova-Kamenev, aka Brad Keller. This guy is a genius at befriending innocent people and then going for the kill. He doesn’t care about positions or ranks. If he can smell money, he’s there ready to pounce.

“Sofia, you’re up so late. It’s unlike you. Are you sick?” Bryce looks at me with concern when I walk into his kitchen.

I’ve been going to bed so early and waking up late since this whole story broke. It’s taken a serious toll on me emotionally.

“I’m not sick. I’m simply overwhelmed. I’ve been beating myself up for weeks now. I’m still unable to believe this sordid story and I’m shocked at how many hundreds of millions of dollars Brad Keller was able to steal from innocent people. Now this story has become an international manhunt and in many ways I started this. It’s more than I can handle.”

Bryce gets up from the kitchen table and steps towards me. He lifts my chin with one finger and looks deep into my eyes.

“Baby, this is not your fault. No one can blame you for being troubled by this guy’s actions, but the truth is Vladislav Ershova-Kamenev is a piece of shit. He’s a scumbag who has no remorse for anyone he hurts. You were at the wrong place at the wrong time when you met him. He saw an opportunity to take full advantage of you and he did.”

“I hear you, but I’m still riddled with guilt for my poor decisions.”

“Sofia, honey, we all make mistakes. I’ve had my share of idiot partners. Remember Derek? I knew him for years and never saw that side of him. What I found out about one of my closest friends and associates after his death made me doubt my own judgment. Derek had a hidden agenda and he worked really hard at concealing it from the rest of the world.”

“I guess you’re right. I forgot about Derek.”

“Anyone who wants to trick, dupe or con you, will. You don’t think the same way a thief does so you don’t operate your life constantly looking for ways to defraud people.”

His warm smile melts my heart and I can’t resist returning his smile.

“Listen. I have an idea.”

“What?”

“Today’s a big day in the investigation. I heard from Misty that the authorities are closing in. We waited too long a few days ago when we had an opportunity to put an end to this story and we thought we had lost him when he boarded a boat, but luckily Goa is his hideaway and we’re not going to let him escape twice. I’m going to be on the phone and pushing hard all day. Why don’t you go spend the day at a spa?”

“A spa?”

“Yeah. It will take your mind off of this and I don’t know if you want to be here as this unfolds. It could get ugly.”

“I don’t know if I want to be here either. It sounds like today is going to be a heavy and dramatic day.”

“It most likely will be. This guy is not going to surrender of his own free will. We’re going to have to force his hand because he’s not escaping three times. We missed him before he left New York and we didn’t act quickly enough when he landed in Goa, but we’re not letting him get away again.”

“I don’t want to know about all the details. I might go somewhere for the day to get my mind off of things.”

“I really think you should. Let me call a car in let’s say one hour. You’ll have plenty of time to book a spa you like and get yourself ready.”

“One hour should be enough time.”

I turn around to leave, but I can’t move. I turn back on my heels and face him again.

“Thanks for taking this case. I really appreciate all of this. It’s well above and beyond what I could have done on my own.”

“I’m not doing as much as you think,” he says, as he kisses my forehead. “I’m the guy who asks the hard questions, but my team does the hard work. Right now, there’s nothing more important for me than to help you get your life back, salvage your reputation and get back the money this guy stole from you.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Sofia. Now go get ready and get out of here,” he says, as he slaps my ass. “Leave now before I lock both of us in my bedroom for the rest of the day.”

***

I have to say this day at the spa was exactly what I needed. I was a ball of nerves when I got here earlier today, but after five different treatments I feel like a new woman. I’m lying down in a state of complete bliss with my eyes closed when a spa employee taps me on the shoulder.

“Ms. Herrera? There’s a phone call for you from a Mr. Van Der Linden. Please follow me.”

My heart jumps into my throat. It must be very serious for Bryce to call the spa instead of leaving a message on my phone.

“Hello. Bryce?”

“Sofia, how’s the day at the spa?”

“It’s amazing so far,” I say, my heart pounding in my chest. “Did you call me to ask about my day or is there something I need to know?”

“I have some great news. I’ve invited Ciara to have dinner with us tonight.”

“Oh? Why?”

“The case of Brad Keller, aka Vladislav Ershova-Kamenev, is behind us. And since she invested so much money to try to catch him, I figured she’d love to hear the good news.”

I am so overjoyed right now and my emotions are chocking me up to the point where I can’t speak.

“Are you still there?”

“I am, but I’m too shocked to speak.”

“It’s over, baby. We caught him and he’s been arrested. My guess is that he’s most likely sitting on a federal plane between two very unfriendly American soldiers heading in the direction of New York as we speak.”

“Are you serious? This nightmare is finally over?”

“It is, baby. It’s officially over. I have a lot to share and I’m sure your sister will be happy.”

“She will. She invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees, but we didn’t get far because we didn’t know who we were going against.”

“Keller finally met his match. The only way to catch an asshole like that is to gang up on him. I couldn’t have done this on my own either. Liam came through big time and Veronica pulled some strings to get things moving faster so we didn’t let him escape us a third time.”

“I’m so grateful to him and Veronica. I should call him and thank him.”

“You can do that when you get here. I’ve already called him to thank him.”

“How did the conversation go?”

“It went as well as it could have given our past.”

“At least it was civil, right?”

“Of course. Okay, baby, I’ll have a car pick you up at the spa at five-thirty. You still have a full hour of pampering.”

“I can’t wait to see you later, Bryce. Thank you for everything. I love you so much.”

“I did all this because I love you.”

***

I open the door with the key Bryce gave me to his place a few weeks ago.

Ciara is here before I am?

I’m surprised. She usually makes a point to arrive late at social events. In fact, she must have been here for a while because her glass of wine is nearly empty and she has a plate of unfinished appetizers sitting in front of her.

“Hey, sis! How was the day at the spa?”

“It was amazing. How are you? How was your day?”

“I’m doing well and better now with this unbelievable news,” she says as she wraps her arms around me to hug me.

“I couldn’t agree more,” I reply, as I hug her back.

“What? No hugs for me?” Bryce is standing in the kitchen pretending to be hurt.

“You had a busy day by the sound of it,” I say, as I run into his open arms.

“It was a freaking incredible day. We caught the bad guy. I’ll be honest, since this involves a Russian bad guy and a former female Russian spy, I do feel a lot like James Bond right about now,” he says, raising an eyebrow.

I’ve never seen him so casually dressed. Bryce wears custom-tailored suits from the best tailors in London. He even imports his ties and socks. I’ve only seen him well dressed or naked. Seeing him in jeans and a t-shirt is very surprising.

“Which Bond girl do you want to be, Sofia?” my sister chimes in.

“Gosh, I don’t know. There are so many gorgeous women. What about you? Do you know which Bond girl you’d want to be?”

“I’d either be Elektra King in
The World Is Not Enough,
played by Sophie Marceau, or Xenia Onatopp in
GoldenEye,
played by Famke Janssen. I loved how she could suffocate men with her legs.”

We all laugh together.

“Let me go change and I’ll be right back,” I say, as I go change into one of the few casual outfits I have at Bryce’s. He’s made room for me weeks ago in his wardrobe, but I’m still getting used to the idea that we’re at this point in our relationship.

I really don’t need to change, but I do need a bit of room to process everything. Keller has been arrested, this nightmare is finally over, I can have my life back and it seems like my sister and my boyfriend have been entertaining each other for a while without my knowledge.

He loves you. She’s only here to celebrate the big news.

“Have you been here for long, Ciara?” I ask, as I reenter the kitchen.

She glances in Bryce’s direction and he answers on her behalf. “I asked Ciara to come as soon as she could get out of her last appointment. I guess I gave her just enough information to make it enticing enough for her to ditch her last appointment of the day,” he says, looking at her conspiratorially.

“He’s joking. My last appointment cancelled. Since I was done earlier than expected, Bryce suggested I come wait for you here and avoid the crazy New York City rush-hour traffic. I’ve been catching up on emails on my laptop as James Bond here has been making sure that the bad Russian villain makes it to an American jail.”

“The two of you are getting along quite famously.”

They look at each other as if I had stated an epiphany.

“Why don’t I serve you a glass of red and I can share what happened today?” Bryce asks.

“Wine would be wonderful, Bryce,” I say.

“I’ll bring out more appetizers.”

“Have you been cooking or warming up food?” I can’t resist poking fun at him for his awkwardness in the kitchen.

“I didn’t have to do either. Your sister stopped by Byblos and ordered a full meal from appetizers to desserts. She even brought the wine. I won’t lie, it’s much better when someone else takes care of the food, but in this case the timing was right because things were unfolding so fast in Goa I didn’t even have time to focus on anything else,” he shouts from the kitchen.

I look at Ciara and she proudly smiles at me. She’s such a foodie.

“All this talk about international manhunts made me crave Lebanese food. I know you love it as much as I do and Bryce confirmed he also enjoys it.”

He brings us each a glass of wine before joining us at the dining table.

“It was a crazy-insane day. I filled Ciara in on most of the events, but I haven’t told her about how this story ends. I wanted to make sure you were here,” he says, as he reaches out for my hand. “We nailed the bastard in the middle of the night in Goa. He had no idea what hit him. I have so much respect for our military men and women.”