Page 75 of Scarred Ruin

“About Shadow?”

“About Shadow.”

The ride was with my daughter chatting the entire time, including comparing candies that she might receive in her trick or treat bag. At least with her talking a mile a minute, I wasn’t prone to thinking about the anger that had never left.

With my men remaining in the car, I took Mina’s hand and entered the school. She struggled with her Mermaid backpack but refused to allow me to help her. She even kept a tight hold on Shadow’s leash. “Now, don’t forget you’ll need to take him out for a couple walks. You have poop bags in the small compartment for you to use.”

She giggled as if I’d told a fabulous joke. “You said poop, Papa. I know what to do.”

I scanned the area, noticing that other parents and even a couple of teachers backed away. I wasn’t here to make friends, but I suspected they knew to be kind to Mina. I’d heard nothing to the contrary.

We walked in and my daughter led me to her classroom. The school was ancient and while the security was adequate as determined by my men prior to Mina’s enrollment, I made a mental note to strike a check for the president so he could enhance certain features.

“Mr. Aristov.” Sara was shocked to see me, her entire demeanor changing. I’d heard she’d attended Andrey’s funeral. My men had kept watch for any sign of the bald man. There’d been none.

“Sara.”

“I wasn’t expecting you.” The tic in the corner of her mouth was easy to see, but she managed to smile seeing my daughter.

“Miss Sara. Meet Shadow. He’s my motion support dog.” Mina was so happy to introduce her pup. “Shadow. Shake.” She was also ecstatic she’d taught him a trick all by herself.

Shadow was quite the pup, more intelligent than most people I knew. He offered his paw and for a few seconds, Sara’s concerns about my appearance slipped away and she shook Shadow’s paw.

“He’s beautiful. Emotional support?” She glanced in my direction.

“Mina. Why don’t you show your class your new best friend,” I suggested.

“Yes, Papa. Come on, Shadow.”

I waited until she was out of range to hear anything before I walked closer.

“An emotional support animal?” Sara asked. “Did something happen?”

“My daughter endured years of cancer treatment, which deprived her of certain social skills. She’s prone to panic attacks.” Which so far wasn’t true but was a decent enough reason for the designation.

“I didn’t know that. I’m so sorry. Of course we will accommodate it. Shadow seems like a well-trained dog.” She was still very nervous. I could smell it on her.

“He’s getting there. I also wanted to take the opportunity to have a conversation with you about what happened a couple weeks ago. My daughter was almost kidnapped while not a single person from the administration did anything to lift a finger. Now, as you might imagine, as her father, I was livid when I found out what happened.”

Her face flushed. “I left early that day. I’m so sorry. I had a doctor’s appointment myself.”

A new piece of information I’d have checked. “Understandable and luckily, nothing happened.”

“I heard there was a stranger who stepped in.”

Was the woman stupid enough to fish for information? “Yes, there was and for that I will forever be eternally grateful. As you might imagine, I was… deeply concerned that my daughter was left alone even for a few minutes. I was told the school had adequate security and enough personnel to keep watch on every child. If anyone had managed to touch her, I don’t know what I would have done.”

“Absolutely. I can’t imagine how you must have felt. And Mina. I’m just so sorry.”

I crowded her space. While I had no intention of altering how I handled women even in such a difficult situation, that didn’t mean she shouldn’t feel pressure. “My child is the most important person in my world. I will do anything to keep her safe. As you and everyone else in this school has realized, I have enemies who would stop at nothing to try and destroy me. Including using anyone they believe can provide information. Anyone.”

I allowed the implied threat to sink in. She understood, lowering her gaze because she simply couldn’t find it within her to lie to me. I’d been told she’d taken a couple of days off after hearing about Andrey’s death. Perhaps she did care about him. At this point, that no longer mattered.

“My reputation would suggest I’m a ruthless man, and I am. However, I’m also fair and will do what I can to protect those who provide assistance as needed. Doing the right thing will always garner rewards. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

“Yes, Mr. Aristov. I do.”

“Excellent.” I took a step away, pulling out my business card. “Take this, Sara. My personal cellphone number is on the back, my office on the front. If anything happens or you overhear anything, give me a call.”