Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 75287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
I lean over the table, bracing myself on my arm, and whisper to him, “They’re after you.”
He doesn’t react, but feigns a yawn, leans in closer and whispers back, “Who, baby?”
“I’ll tell you after,” I promise. “But the person in charge ordered you dead, so they’ve got to be after you.”
“Let’s get back to the hotel room.”
“It isn’t safe.”
He frowns. “We need to get to Moscow.”
“We do. Can you have your jet ready to go now?”
“Now?”
“Yes, now. Aren’t you listening to me at all?” I’m feeling desperate. Sirens get louder around us, and emergency vehicles pull up outside the restaurant. I don’t need him to tell me he pulled this on purpose to cause the distraction.
“Let’s go,” he says. “We’ll grab our things and go.”
“I’m telling you, it isn’t safe,” I insist, but he shakes his head, as if he’s some kind of mind reader and knows we’ll be okay. A guy stands beside me and gives me a once over, the jerk, and Stefan gives him such a withering look, the man literally cowers and backs off.
“Whoa. Easy, there, killer,” I mutter. He only growls in response while he makes a call.
“Have the jet ready to go. We aren’t waiting for the morning.”
Chapter 15
Stefan
I call for a car to take us to the airport, and everything passes in a blur. We have a long flight ahead of us.
“Our bags, though…” Taara’s voice trails off.
“There’s nothing of importance in any of them,” I tell her. She looks out the window and doesn’t respond. Everything of importance to her is back at the compound.
We need to talk, but not until we’re in a place where we have total privacy. “Wow,” she whispers. “That quickly you summoned someone to fly us over the ocean… I didn’t really think you’d be able to do it.”
But we don’t have time to talk. I take her by the hand and drag her to the runway, and in minutes we’re secured. Soon, we’re high above it all, heading to Russia. It isn’t until we’re settled back in our seats that I breathe more easily, though I know that even in Russia we may not be safe. I don’t like operating without my brotherhood physically near, prepared to defend. When we get to Moscow, we’ll be that much closer to bringing down the operation, and I’ll have Demyan at my back.
I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure Taara isn’t in danger, but this is the first step.
“Tell me what you heard,” I ask her. We’re both disheveled. Her hair’s wild and crazy, her eyes wide. I reach over and smooth her crazy hair out in the pause before we continue speaking. I don’t want this for her. I want her to be safe and secure.
“It was the woman we saw,” she says. “But she must’ve been wearing a wig at one point. Her hair wasn’t violet anymore.”
“No?”
“And she was the one giving instructions. She said the shipment had been delayed, and she was the one that ordered you killed.”
I blink in surprise. In our line of work, our brotherhoods are run by men, and traditionally those in charge within our circles are men. It’s rare for a woman to have any place of authority in our ranks.
“How odd,” I say. “What else did you find out?”
“Not much,” she says, worrying her lower lip. “But we know she was with Mikhal, we can surmise that she’s somehow joined with San Diego.”
“Yes,” I agree. “And what little I heard tonight also confirms this. So, our next course of action is to find the source in Russia and join with Demyan’s men to bring them down.”
She nods and yawns widely. “Yes.”
“Get some sleep. We have a long flight ahead of us.”
“I will, daddy,” she whispers, before she closes her eyes. I take a blanket and drape it over her shoulder, tucking it in around her, and think about what happened tonight.
She could have been seen. What would have happened if I’d been seen? It’s too dangerous to have her so close to what happens in the brotherhood. I close my eyes and think of Amaliya.
Nicolai has a half-sister. Rafael’s wife, Laina. They shared a mother, and their mother was the only woman I’ve ever loved. Amaliya and I were lovers long before any of the issues between the brotherhoods arose. I was barely out of high school. We split up after she had Nicolai—her choice, not mine—and she fell for Yuri, the former head of the Thieves who died at Rafael’s hands years ago.
It wasn’t until many years later we reunited. After she had Laina and found out what a despicable piece of shit Yuri was. Years later. And we enjoyed the hell out of one another before she was taken from me.
I thought her death accidental until Laina told me otherwise. And now… now I go back to mother Russia, and brush shoulders with the Thieves, the very group responsible for my Amaliya’s death.