“We’re being watched.”
“Who by?”
“I’m not sure. The police. The Russian mafia. But someone...”
Her voice came out as a whispered gasp. “Oh god. What do we do?”
He caressed her cheek, suddenly terrified to let her go. “We need to make a journey first thing in the morning.”
“What? Where to?”
“The Essex Coast.”
“Why?”
“Let’s just go back inside. There’s something I need to tell you about Ivan.”
Chapter Fourteen
Sarah held Dylan’s hand as he led her back into the house. They squeezed past the frivolous party-goers – who’d now spilled out into the hallway – and made their way upstairs to one of the spare bedrooms. It was brighter in here compared to Amy’s room, and it was warm. But maybe that was just because Dylan was in here. He warmed Sarah right through to her core. Always had.
Sarah glanced around the room and allowed herself to feel cozy, despite the bright white ambience. The laminate flooring was shiny, and the double-bed’s comforter was ivory. The white walls gave the place a spacious feel, and the minimalist furniture – which consisted of an ornate Queen Anne chair and a free-standing closet – made it feel uncluttered. It was like mint ice-cream. Refreshing and cool.
Sarah sat down on the double-bed and sank into the squishy comforter. Dylan sat with her and loosened his tie, then dropped it on the bed. “You okay?”
“I guess so. Still a bit shaken. Who is Orlov? What’s his role in the Russian government?”
“Well, as far as I’ve gathered, he started out as the mayor of Moscow a few years ago – the youngest ever mayor in Russian politics – and he quickly got a reputation for being corrupt. That’s how he got the money to buy Fenchurch United soccer club, they say.”
“It’s such a shame,” Sarah said. “My dad loved Fenchurch United – he lived and breathed that team. Never missed a game. He would’ve been devastated to learn what had happened to his beloved club.”
“I know. You always used to get so excited when they won – even when you were so far away from home.”
“Well, maybe they connected me to my home back then. To my dad.”
Dylan squeezed her hand. “It’s a pity the big clubs all seem to be about money – not grassroots anymore. Orlov and his equivalents don’t really care about the game, huh?”
“I get the feeling he only cares about money. So he was forced to leave Russia? Because of the corruption?”
Dylan laughed kindly. “No. The government are supportive of him, sweetheart. You must know what these Russian oligarchs are like, huh?”
She shrugged. “I don’t really know much about politics. I spend all my time trying to run the hotel.”
“Well, let’s just say he was taking backhanders and blackmailing businesses. He was exploiting all manner of loopholes in Russian law to line his own pockets – as well as those of his government.”
“So why were you doing business with him?”
“Good
question. It seemed like a great deal at the time. I guess I wasn’t using my morality head, but my business head.”
“You’ve always been pretty ruthless when it comes to getting what you want.”
“I didn’t know someone would end up murdered as part of this business deal, Sarah. You gotta believe that.”
“I know. So you’ll call it off with Orlov?”
“Definitely. I’ll contact our corporate lawyer in the morning and tell her to stop the proceedings. I can’t allow any of my family to be harmed because of this.”