He belongs to a society, sort of like a secret club or lodge, that admits only those born in Russia. I don’t even know what it’s called, but you could probably find it through the Russian Orthodox church on Jersey Street.”
“Did he go to that church?” Gavin asked.
“No, he wasn’t remotely religious. But the church has close ties to the lodge.”
She went on to name the two friends Peter hung out with at work—young intellectuals with a radical bent. “They talked about Russian literature and politics. They’re young men, early twenties, I think, and they idolized Peter. He liked to hang out with people he could control.”
“Is that why he married you?” Rex asked.
It was an honest question, but it made Nadia uncomfortable to admit that, yes, for a while he was able to control her. “He dazzled me, especially at first. I admired his intelligence and his fierce ideals, even though they were different from mine. But he chose me because I had access to technology he wanted. It was that simple. Once I realized that, he had no power over me. But by then it was too late. I had told him more than I should have about my work, and that made me vulnerable.”
She hesitated, then added, “This isn’t the first time he’s tried to get secrets out of me. I should have turned him in when I found out what he wanted. But then there were the threats and the violence…he promised to stay out of my life if I kept my mouth shut.”
Nadia had just revealed far more than she’d meant to. She was supposed to be relating Peter’s friends and interests, not justifying her stupidity.
But she saw no condemnation in the bounty hunters’ faces as they listened to her story with rapt attention. She thought she even saw understanding in Rex’s eyes.
She felt lighter, having admitted her past mistakes. She hadn’t realized how deep-seated her guilt was until now.
“If I had turned Peter in,” she finished, “I would not be here now.”
“You couldn’t have known that,” Lori said. “You made the best decision you could at the time. We just have to move forward now, not look back.”
“Let’s focus, people,” Rex said again. “This isn’t Oprah. Nadia, what else is on your list?”
“He loves guns,” Nadia continued, moving quickly past Rex’s rebuke. He was right, of course. They did need to stay focused on the here and now. “He is a very good marksman, and he even took some trophies at a few tournaments.”
“Did he belong to the Payton Gun Club?” Ace asked.
“Yes. It’s on my list. I even went there a few times myself, for target practice.”
“So you can handle a gun,” Lori said with renewed respect.
“Yes, I know firearms,” Nadia said modestly. “My grandmother was a…a collector. She taught me to shoot. I got rid of all my guns when Lily was born, though. I couldn’t stand the thought that someday she might…well, I’m sure you’ve heard the statistics.”
“We know,” Gavin said. “Beau and I both have young children.”
That surprised her. The idea that these tough guys had wives, families, seemed incongruous. Her gaze flickered toward Rex, trying to picture him as a dad, playing softball with his kids, enjoying a backyard barbecue. The picture wouldn’t come.
“Peter had friends at this club?”
“Yes. Another Russian, Vlad. I don’t remember his last name. After I lost interest in shooting, Peter hung out at the club even more. He started participating in the hunts, where they would release an animal onto the grounds and the hunters would compete to see who could track it and kill it first.”
Lori made a face. “That’s really sick.”
“I thought so, too,” Nadia agreed. “But they were very popular events. Peter said there was no greater high than the thrill of the chase.” Though these details about Peter seemed off the subject to Nadia, the bounty hunters were all taking notes or at least listening carefully.
“Do you have any other names from the club?” Rex pressed.
“There was a woman….” She paused. Could that be it? Could that be where she’d seen the rat-faced woman? She’d gone to a wine-and-cheese function shortly before she’d dropped out.
“Nadia, what is it?” Rex asked.
“That might be where I saw the rat-faced woman. I vaguely remember a woman, a Russian accent. She was flirting with Peter, but I was so used to that happening that I just tuned it out. But she had dark hair, not blond.”
“People can change their hair color,” Rex pointed out. “At any rate, this Payton Gun Club sounds like it’s worth checking out.”
“I have a membership,” Ace said, which didn’t surprise anyone. “I know the owner. Rex, I’ll get you a guest pass.”
REX DIDN’T WASTE ANY TIME. He culled the most promising leads from Nadia’s list, and parceled out the assignments. He sent Lori to check out the former co-workers, since they were young and male and kind of nerdy, in Nadia’s opinion. They would respond to a pretty blonde.
Ace volunteered to go to the Orthodox church and see what he could find out about the Russian lodge. “I speak a little Russian,” he said, though he was vague about how he had acquired the skill.
Beau was assigned the fancy smoke shop where Peter got his illegal Cuban cigars. The guy who ran the store was one of Peter’s friends. Gavin offered to check out Peter’s last known address and canvass the neighbors.
“That leaves the gun club for you and me,” Rex said to Nadia. “We’ll go first thing in the morning.”
“I’m going with you?”
“I can’t leave you alone, unprotected,” Rex said. “Peter already tried to kidnap you once. He might have decided blackmailing you using Lily is too risky, since you’re not playing by the rules. Rescuing one hostage is difficult enough. I don’t aim to have to rescue two.”
Though Rex’s protectiveness was strictly practical in nature, it warmed her nonetheless. It had been a very long time since anyone had shown concern for her welfare. And though she knew she was buying all this concern, she liked it. It made her feel secure in a way she hadn’t experienced since Nana Tania’s death.
“Tonight,” he continued, “you’ll stay in a hotel. I can be sure no one follows you there.”
“That’s not really necessary,” she argued. “My house is very sec—” She stopped when she saw the uncompromising look in Rex’s eyes. “Right. A hotel.”
“HOW DID YOU SLEEP?” Rex asked as Nadia climbed into his black Blazer the next morning. She’d managed to acquire some fresh clothes, he noticed. Same jeans, but now she wore a Southeast Texas State University sweatshirt under her windbreaker, probably acquired from the hotel gift shop.
She plugged her cell phone into his cigarette lighter to recharge. “I managed a couple of hours.”
“I take it you didn’t hear from Peter?”
“Not a peep.” She looked at him anxiously. “What if we did the wrong thing? What if he’s broken off communications for good?”
“How bad does he want this…thing you have?”
“Bad.”
“He’ll call. He’s just licking his wounds.”
“But what about Lily? Twenty-four hours have passed now.”
Rex knew the statistics as well as anyone. But he didn’t think they applied here. Peter Danilov was a blackmailer, not a sex fiend. He had a stake in keeping Lily alive. “He’ll call.”
He