stop telling her. But my niece nodded for me to go on. “Their teeth were removed post-mortem.”
Her nostrils flared. “Teeth? Oh, how disgusting.”
“Says the girl holding a tarantula.”
“Evgeni is not disgusting,” she sniffed.
“No, he just has eight eyes,” I replied.
Natasha frowned at the joke. She took her bugs very seriously, including all jokes made about them.
But she didn’t defend Evgeni’s honor. Instead, she asked, “Have any of the teeth been found?”
I blinked at her question. “Why do you ask?”
Natasha held up Evgeni, leveling their eyes together. His little [S7]legs rose but didn’t touch her. “Removing teeth is not a mafia thing,” she noted. “But it is a psychopath thing. If you found some teeth, perhaps it would then be a mafia thing.”
“What makes you say that?”
“A serial killer would keep the teeth as trophies. They wouldn’t lose any. The mafia would make a public symbol of them,” Natasha said. “I think you have a serial killer on your hands.”
“As do I. And the other kings of New York.”
Natasha lowered Evgeni, her eyes wandering away in thought. Behind her, I could make out the interior of her bedroom, including the large aquarium which housed her beloved python, Anna Karenina. I had chosen the name for the snake; Natasha had never loved me more.
“Isn’t that what happened to that housekeeper?” Natasha asked.
I scoured my brain for any mention of a toothless housekeeper but came up with nothing. “What do you mean?”
“I...” Her lips pressed together in thought. “It was over a decade ago now...even longer. I remember coming home from school and my nanny was talking to her friend about it on the phone. Some woman’s teeth were removed—I think she died from blood loss. Or pain.”
Nothing about that story rang a bell. But by then I would’ve been building up my small empire on the streets of Moscow, not bothering myself with the gossip of nannies and deaths of unrelated women.
Perhaps I should have.
“Do you remember anything else?”
“No. But I’ll give Nanny Anya a call.” Natasha linked her hands together, allowing Evgeni to cross her fingers like a bridge. His orange and black striped legs stretched out as he traveled. “Maybe I imagined it.”
I doubted it. “That would be very helpful if you did,” I said. “Any hint as to who is doing this would be a welcomed gift.”
Natasha’s eyes darted to me. “You don’t know who is doing this?”
“No. We captured one of the attackers...a man by the name of Edward Ainsworth. He claims his master, Titus, is behind all of the attacks and untouchable.”
“Nobody is untouchable. Especially for my uncle,” she replied. “What has Ainsworth said?”
“Nothing.” I felt my molars grit together but kept my expression smooth. My niece didn’t need to see my blinding anger. “But Danika will get something out of him soon.”
Natasha stroked Evgeni’s back softly. “Auntie Danika can get anything out of anyone,” she said with affection and knowing. “How did you get this Ainsworth? I doubt he just handed himself in.”
Anger stirred low in my gut as I remembered the night. How I had found Mikhail dead and known immediately Elena was in danger. It had been many years since my temper had taken control of me...but that night, I had come pretty close. I wondered what Elena would think of me once she met the beast beneath my skin.
“No. He attacked Roksana and Elena at the ballet,” I said.
“That’s why you shouldn’t go to the ballet.” Her eyes darted to me in interest. “Elena, you say?”
“And Roksana.”
“I know lovely Roksana. The ballerina who cannot dance. But Elena...” Delight flared in her expression. “You have never mentioned an Elena before. Not once. Is she new?”
“She is. She is helping cure Tatiana Gribkov.”
Saying Tatiana’s name immediately made Natasha roll her eyes. “I feel for this Elena already,” she muttered.
“Tatiana is a good woman,” I said.
For whatever reason, Natasha had never taken to Tatiana. But to be fair, my niece was very peculiar about who she chose to like and dislike.
Tatiana had always fallen into the dislike category, while the rest of my men had always been held in high opinion by my niece. Artyom suspected it was because they protected me, served me. Whereas Tatiana’s only true allegiance was to Dmitri.
“Don’t think I don’t know you’re trying to distract me,” Natasha said. “I want to hear more about Elena. What sets her apart from the successful doctors you are no doubt paying handsomely to help...ugh.”
“Tatiana is still unwell despite those doctors—well, she was unwell. She