and outs of it, yet, but I’ve been on his private jet, and let me tell you...it was nice.”
“What the hell does that have to do with anything?”
Despite the fact that she was shaking like a leaf inside, she held it together and gave the man a casual shrug. “A jet like that costs big bucks, right? Big bucks means there’s a slew of money coming in. You do the math, Fuller. A security company with that much income has to have some pretty good connections.”
He slid her a sideways glance. “So?”
“So, more than likely, Mike’s already called his boss to tell him about you. If I were his boss, and I’m sure the guy’s much smarter than I am, I’d report your ass to every airport in the country. Use those contacts to get you on a no-fly list. Which means, you kill me and dump my body in a ditch somewhere, you’re still not getting to those islands you’ve been dreaming about.”
“Good thing Mike’s boss isn’t the only one with a private jet.”
Shit. “Let me guess. Your boss has one, too?”
“Technically it’s my boss’s boss. Pretty sure you’ve been on that one a time or two, as well.”
She had? Juliet thought for a moment before it clicked. “You said my father didn’t hire you.”
Her dad used to have a small jet...before the government seized it and the rest of his assets he hadn’t had time to hide. Apparently, no one bothered sharing that with Fuller.
Because he’s a pawn. They’re using him to do the dirty work, then they’re going to kill him, too.
“He didn’t.” Fuller looked over at her. “Ben Lopez hired me. And Ivan hired him.”
Ivan?
No amount of effort could hide her reaction to that particular surprise. It wasn’t as if she and Ivan had ever been close. Definitely not as close as she and Mikhail had been. Still...
“My brother has a CIA agent and an FBI agent trying to kill me?” Juliet turned her stunned expression onto Fuller. “Why, to protect my father?”
“Fuck no.” The unattractive sound escaped the back of the man’s throat. “Your father’s the next one on my list.”
“He wants us both dead? Why would Ivan—”
“Jesus, you really are dense.” Fuller huffed out a breath. “Why do you think? Ivan wants to be in control. He’s taking over, and your father’s in the way. It’s already in motion, he just needs the both of you gone to seal the deal.”
Juliet’s brain felt like it was going to explode, and her emotions were running on serious overload. Between Mike’s big reveal, and then thinking she was going back into protective custody, only to learn that Fuller had been hired to kill her by her own brother...
If I survive this, I’m going to need a serious vacation. And counseling. Lots and lots of counseling.
With a mental shake of her head, she got herself back on track. “If Ivan’s wanting to take over, then I guess getting Dad out of the way makes sense. But why me? I made it clear a long time ago that I wanted nothing to do with any of it.”
“Fuck me, I guess I do need to spell it out for you.” Fuller sighed. “It all starts with you, sweetheart. Apparently, the high-dollar attorney Daddy hired is the same one representing Ivan. He got your dad a new trial based on a technicality, and since the cases were intertwined, he thinks Ivan will be granted one, too. But if you’re around to testify...”
The final piece of the twisted Volkov family puzzle fell into place. “They’ll both be sent back to prison for good.”
“Now you’re gettin’ it.” He rolled his eyes. “If Ivan gets sent down the river again, he’s screwed. You disappear, your old man kicks the bucket, and Ivan goes free. He’s sittin’ pretty, and so, am I.”
While Fuller started rambling on again about the grand plans he had for the rest of his miserable existence, Juliet’s mind wandered to the insanity of the whole situation.
She’d always known she was born into a messed-up family, but this had to be some kind of record. The blood running through her veins was tainted in ways most people could never even fathom.
Her thoughts turned to Mike, and she began to question his sanity. Why would a guy like him want to give her the time of day, much less try to have an actual relationship with her?
Maybe he was just as crazy as the rest of them. Maybe he was the one