He had to get her alone, he thought as he strolled over to Maks and Anton. Grigori was still there.
“Tell him,” Maks said to Grigori.
“Ms. Urusski was approached by a man who fell out of a pub with two others. He locked onto her despite the children and began following her. I did not wait for him to touch her before I introduced his face to some bricks. There were witnesses, and she was shaken. I recommended she avoid that neighborhood from now on.”
Alek looked to the doors Sacha had disappeared through with the too-handsome father of one of her charges who Alek had thought had come to spend time with his beautiful girl until the guy had picked up his daughter. All Alek could think was the guy had to be one of Maks’s enamored fathers.
“Did you notice any video being taken? Photos?”
“No. There was not enough time.”
“Did you hurt the guy?” Disrespectful fucking idiot to have targeted a woman pushing a stroller.
“Yes.”
Alek put out his hand and vowed Sacha wouldn’t be on her own again. Not even if she was walking through the produce section at the grocery store. “Well done,” he praised, and after a firm shake, Grigori went off to join Lucas at the door. Some definite advantages to having the boys around.
“We off?” Maks asked.
“No. Just taking a break. Let’s circle the block and get the truck out of sight.”
They climbed in with Micha and Anton.
“You’re on that thing more than ever,” Alek commented, indicating the phone Maks was pulling out of his pocket because it was vibrating.
“Got some information. Finally.”
“What is it?”
“Nothing we’re supposed to be aware of.”
With his and Vasily’s conversation from last night ringing in his ears, Alek kicked Maks’s Di Bianco and was rewarded with a glare.
“Don’t scuff my shit, brother. You know I hate that.”
Maks was more of a clothes horse as Alek. They annoyed the hell out of Gabriel and Vincente. “I’ll take a Sharpie to the ugly things if you don’t start talking.”
“Better than those girlie Louboutins in your closet.”
“I only wear them with my tux. Which I’ll be doing tonight, it seems.”
Maks’s brow went up, and he nodded once as he dialed a number that rang over the Bluetooth.
“If you ask me what I’m wearing, I’ll hang up on you,” Sydney said on answering. Her Australian accent was as pretty as she was.
Maks chuckled. “Tell Samnang he’s on duty tonight. I need a date, and you’re it.”
“Wow. Have I told you lately how that romantic streak of yours makes me tingle? No? That’s because I haven’t experienced it yet. Where are we going?”
Maks smirked at his woman’s attitude. “Black-tie event.”
“You’re oh-for-two, Russia. Will I know anyone? Or will I just be there to make you look good?”
“You’ll be there to make me look good. But as an added incentive, you’ll get to meet, or at least see, Sacha.”
“For real? I’ll be able to come home and tell the girls she really does exist? Vincente said she’s classy like Grace Kelly but with Beyoncé’s body.”
“Quiet now. You’re making Alek blush.”
“Oops. Hey, Alek. You’re taking your elusive lady out tonight?”
“No. But with any luck I’ll be bringing her home,” he muttered.
After Maks had hung up, Alek got them back on topic.
“Tell me about this information.”
“I’m not supposed to know about it.”
Yeah. It had to do with the mole. “Then why do you?”
“Because my services are in demand.” Said with so much arrogance it almost clouded the interior of the Hummer.
“Pull over here, Micha,” Alek said when they were once more a half a block away from Sacha’s building. He looked at Maks and waited.
“Our rat is making calls from Brighton Beach and Nassau County.”
Alek refrained from nodding. “How do you know that?”
“Whether Vasily went to him or he took it upon himself to get involved, Lucian’s IT wizard called a more talented wizard who not that long ago developed a program to trace heavily re-routed calls.” He sprawled out and threw his arm across the back of the seat. “Just call me Oz.”
Alek grinned. “That’s fucked up.”
“Yeah. So is this cocksucker who’s moving in on us. Did your uncle tell you why he won’t let me at it?”
“He’s afraid you’ll do to our mole what you did to Morales. This guy needs to suffer even more than the Mexican should have.”