“But they didn’t get in?”

“No.”

“But why kill him to get to his computer? Why not just break in and try to access it when he wasn’t there?”

“Kevin had security at his home. Cameras as well. Whoever got to him would have had to be exceptionally skilled with extensive resources to get past them.”

“And the recordings?”

“Weren’t captured. We found him stabbed in his bed with no sign of struggle.”

“So, whoever it was, Kevin was expecting them.”

“Exactly.”

She thought on that for a moment. “Just because they tried to access his computer doesn’t mean his death has anything to do with you or Sergei. Or Alfonsi for that matter. I mean, did he only work for you? If he did any side work for other people, they could have been looking for information for someone else. Or it could have been another client who didn’t want Kevin sharing embarrassing information he’d learned.”

“Except that the killer left a printed web article you wrote about Alfonsi with a candid picture of Sergei at the top.”

Cold reality settled behind her gaze. “One of mine?”

He nodded, hating what he had to share next. “I thought it only coincidence before, but with the email you received this morning, I cannot be sure. What I do know is, it’s a message. They know who brought Alfonsi down, and they want someone to pay.”

For long moments, she held his stare, a vulnerability etched on her face that left him feeling inadequate and powerless. “Did you call the police?”

It was the last question he’d expected. And yet, it highlighted the most significant hurdle they’d face together. The one that had been the downfall for his mother and father. “Nyet. This is family business and will be dealt with as such.”

Her stare shot to the carpet. To her clenched hands in her lap. To the suitcases beside her on the bed. A frantic visual leapfrog that no doubt mimicked the internal debate going on inside her head.

With a frustrated huff, she stood and paced to the window. “So, how am I supposed to navigate all of this at work? With the men following me around, I mean.”

The knot in his gut unwound, and his lungs surged on the first decent breath he’d taken since he’d pulled away from the curb in front of her house. Logistics he could deal with. Emotions and blending his unconventional life with a woman who’d been raised ultra-conventional were an entirely different proposition. “The men are accustomed to maintaining a low or shadow profile when necessary. They will remain at a distance when you’re with people from work unless you’re approached by someone suspicious.”

Staring at the beautifully landscaped backyard and pool below, she seemed to consider what he’d shared, her profile pinched with thought as though inwardly imagining what such a scenario would look like. She spun a moment later, a fresh level of panic in her voice. “What about Aunt Frieda? And my family? If whoever this is has been listening, they’d know about them, too. Do you think whoever it is would do something to hurt them?”