LOGINTalli’s gaze went first to the dog then to the man. Her eyes were drawn back to the dog. For a long moment, they stared at one another.Then the dog broke contact and looked up at Callen.“Is this the person you wanted my Rugar for?” he asked Barshan. He held the dog’s collar in his hand but not too tightly.“Yes, this is Talli Janick. Talli, this is my friend Callen and his dog Rugar.”Talli nodded at Callen then looked at the dog again. “He’s beautiful. Will he accept me?”“Let’s find out,” Callen said as he let go of the collar and made a motion to the dog.Rug
“I’m not a fool,” Talli told Barshan. “I do appreciate the care you and the others are offering. My parents taught me to be independent from a very early age. They also taught me to accept help when it’s offered if I think it’s warranted. My mother was a wreck after my father was murdered, so I didn’t have much choice about it. It took her years but she was finally able to stand on her two feet again. I held everything together for a long time. I’ll do what I have to do to stay safe and let you guys do your thing.” Turning her head, she glared at him. “I don’t know what you hope to gain from this. My father’s will cannot be compromised. You’ll never get what Russell promised you. You’ll never get ownership of my father’s shop.”Barshan glared right back at her. “I think this goes beyond ownership of your store. That’s what drew us in but this is something else entirely. This could bring chaos and blood to
Barshan glared at her. “He’s dangerous and I will not see him hurt you.” He shook her briefly. “I don’t know what he’s after but he isn’t going to get it.”Talli swallowed her fear. “What are you going to do?”“I’m going to keep you safe while the others get more information on this guy.” He walked her over and placed her into his car and took off. He kept watch on the traffic behind and around him. Several times, he took wrong turns to elude anyone following him. Finally, he pulled into a quiet cul-de-sac. Then he hit a remote and a garage door half way down the street opened. He pulled the vehicle inside and closed the door quickly.Talli closed her eyes and let out a sigh then she asked, “What is this place?”“It’s a safe house. My safe house, no one else knows about this place.” He got out of the car. “It’s fully monitored both here and through Yuri’s security, so we shouldn’t have any surprises. Besides, our neighbors all work for Yuri, so we should be safe here.” He motioned for
Outside the jewelry store…Over the phone, Yuri was quiet for a moment then growled, “He scattered her mother’s ashes? He deserves what is coming for him.”“I agree,” Barshan stated. “I’m getting her a watch dog for when we can’t be with her. I don’t want her to be alone until this man gets caught.”“I agree.”“Now, I just have to get her to agree with it.” Barshan sighed.Yuri laughed out loud. “Yeah, good luck with that. She’s a very stubborn woman.”“Tell me about it,” Barshan grumbled. He thought of how he liked this about her. She was so petite, so small, yet he’d witnessed her courage and strength already. He had to admit he admired her very much. She had stood her ground against two of the most powerful organizations in the city without blinking an eye. After a moment he asked, “Do you really think this Dexter person could be related to the royals that are still alive? If so, what the hell business did they do with a man like Christophe? I mean why go to a merchant rather than
Talli knew her father always told her to remain independent and not to answer to anyone but herself. Now, she had no choice in the matter and she didn’t like it, didn’t like it at all.So for now, she would play the game their way. She also had a feeling she knew what Russell was really after and if it was what she thought, she knew she had to keep that secret hidden from the men in this room. In the back of her mind, she had a feeling that was the reason her father died and if it was, then she would get the revenge she needed, not them but her.After a few minutes, they left and went down through the elevator to the parking area.On the way to the shop, Talli asked, “Can we stop by my mother’s house? I want to collect her ashes.”Barshan nodded but didn’t say anything. A few minutes later, they pulled up in front of her mother’s house.Talli made no move toward the door for a long moment, then she reached for the door handle and pushed it open. With Barshan following, she let herself
Talli shrugged. “He didn’t tell me his name but the man returned just before my father died. I came back to the store from lunch one day and they were in the office yelling again. I couldn’t tell what they were saying but it was loud and not good. Days later my father was dead.”Reaching for a stack of papers in front of him, Yuri searched for something then looking at her he asked, “Do the names George Windguard or Dexter Pavel mean anything to you?”Talli sat back in her chair and all the color drained from her face. “I know the name Dexter Pavel. Why? Who are they?”“They are aliases Russell Jerome has used in the past,” Yuri informed her.Talli raked her fingers through her hair. “One of those names might not be an alias.” She paused and stared at them all. “You might know one of them too.”Demi glanced at Yuri then turned to Talli and asked, “Which one?”“Dexter Pavel.”“Who is he?” Yuri asked.“He claims to be a distant cousin to Rizvan Dreususs,” Talli informed them. “I don’t t
Raven went on with the terrible story, “Your real mother died giving birth to you. Andria stole you when you were hours old. Your father has been looking for you this whole time.”Nicky went back to the sofa
Yuri followed her and gasped her shoulders to turn her around to face him. “Why can’t you tell me?”“Because I don’t want to, ok?” she shouted. “I really need to talk to him bef
“The questions we are asking are for a purpose,” Nikoli told Raven. “A long time ago, an evil woman betrayed me in the worst way humanly possible. She took the life of the woman I loved and then she stole my son. My people have been searching unde
Raven had gotten out of the office by going through an air vent. Being small did have some advantages. Being limber helped too. She could get and move through small spaces, although it worked much better when she was younger. Carlos had taught her well in the few y







