Chapter 17 Damage Control
COLLIN'S POV
I stood in my study after the last guest left. I took a drink and thought through my options, i could not let this become a problem. Caitlyn knowing too much about my business could ruin everything I had built. But I also could not just get rid of her because she was pregnant with what everyone thought was my child. Killing her now would raise too many questions.
There was a knock on the door and Dimitri walked in without waiting for me to answer. He poured himself a drink and sat down across from my desk.
"Your wife was listening at the door," he said. It was not a question.
"I am aware," I said.
"How much did she hear?"
"I do not know," I admitted. "She says she just walked up but I am not convinced."
Dimitri looked at me with those cold eyes that had seen too much violence. "This could be a problem, Collin. If she knows too much we will need to handle it."
"She is pregnant," I said firmly. "I am not going to kill my pregnant wife, that would bring too much attention."
"Then you need to make sure she keeps her mouth shut," Dimitri said. "Scare her if you have to. Make her understand that talking about what she heard would be very bad for her health."
I did not like being told what to do but Dimitri was right. Caitlyn needed to understand that there were consequences for getting involved in my business. She needed to be afraid enough to stay quiet but not so afraid that she did something stupid like going to the police.
"I will handle it," I said.
"You better," Dimitri said and stood up. "The Volkov organization has too much invested in this operation to let some naive girl ruin it because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time."
He left and I finished my drink. I needed to talk to Caitlyn again but I had to be careful about how I did it. Too much pressure and she might panic, not enough and she might think she could get away with snooping around.
I went upstairs and knocked on her bedroom door. She did not answer at first so I knocked again harder.
"Caitlyn open the door," I said.
I heard movement and then the lock clicked. She opened the door just a crack and looked at me with scared eyes.
"We need to talk," I said and pushed the door open.
She backed away and I could see she was still wearing the pajamas she had changed into. Her hair was down, and she looked young and vulnerable, which actually worked in my favor. Vulnerable people were easier to control.
"What did you hear tonight?" I asked and kept my voice calm.
"I already told you," she said. "I did not hear anything."
"Caitlyn," I said and walked closer to her. "I am going to ask you one more time. What did you hear outside my study?"
She looked down at her hands and I could see her trying to decide whether to keep lying or tell me the truth. I waited because sometimes silence was more effective than threats.
"I heard you talking about shipments," she finally said quietly. "And money, and paying someone off."
So she had heard more than I thought. That was not good but at least now I knew what I was dealing with.
"Do you understand what you heard?" I asked.
She shook her head. "Not really. I mean, I know it sounded bad, but I do not understand what it all means."
Good. She was confused which meant she probably did not realize the full extent of what she had overheard. I could use that confusion to my advantage.
"Listen to me carefully," I said and sat down on her bed. I patted the spot next to me and waited until she sat down too. "What you heard tonight was part of my work. Sometimes lawyers have to do things that sound bad but are actually completely legal."
That was a lie but she did not need to know that.
"It did not sound legal," she said.
"I know it did not," I agreed. "But that is because you do not understand the law like I do. Everything I do is carefully planned to stay within legal boundaries. You have to trust me on that."
She looked at me and I could see she wanted to believe me. That was good, people always wanted to believe the best about the people they were close to.
"But you were talking about paying off a judge," she said. "How is that legal?"
"It is called a consulting fee," I explained smoothly. "Judges are allowed to accept payment for legal consultation work. It happens all the time."
Another lie but this one sounded believable enough that she might accept it.
"And the shipments?" she asked.
"I have clients who import goods from overseas," I said. "Sometimes those shipments need special handling to get through customs. That is all you heard."
I watched her face and could see her trying to process this information. She wanted to believe me because the alternative was too scary to think about. Nobody wanted to believe they were married to a criminal.
"Okay," she finally said but she still looked uncertain.
"Caitlyn," I said and took her hand. "I need you to understand something. The work I do is complicated and sometimes dangerous. Not because it is illegal but because there are people who want to interfere with my business. That is why I need you to stay away from my study and not ask questions about my work."
"Who is Jason Cross?" she asked suddenly.
I felt my jaw tighten. "Where did you hear that name?"
"You mentioned him tonight," she said. "During the meeting, you said he was asking questions."
I had to be very careful here. If Caitlyn knew about Jason and his connection to my business then things could get very complicated very quickly.
"Jason Cross is a criminal who has been trying to interfere with my clients," I said. "He is dangerous and violent, and if he ever approaches you, I need you to tell me immediately."
"Why would he approach me?" she asked.
"Because criminals like him use wives and families to get to their targets," I explained. "That is why I am so protective of you, Caitlyn. I do not want you getting hurt because of my work."
She nodded slowly and I could see the fear in her eyes. Fear would keep her quiet and obedient.
"I am sorry I was listening at the door," she said. "I was just curious about what you were doing."
"I know," I said and softened my voice. "But curiosity can be dangerous. You need to trust that I am handling my business properly and that I will always protect you and our baby."
Our baby. The lie came out so easily now, I had almost convinced myself that the child really was mine.
"I trust you," she said but I could hear the doubt in her voice.
"Good," I said and stood up. "Now get some rest. You have had a long night and you need to take care of yourself and the baby."
I left her room and went back downstairs to my study. I would need
To watch her more carefully going forward, she was a liability now and liabilities needed to be controlled.