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“Better yet. You come with me. I have a helicopter landing soon, and we can all take a little trip. Your neighbors and their dog can stay here.”

Leila nodded. “Can I ask a question?”

“You can ask. That doesn’t mean I’m going to answer it.”

“Why now? Why do you need to put your hands on the nukes now, five months later?”

“I have a buyer who is insistent I provide what my little brother advertised. He has been very persuasive that I get him what he wants.”

Linc tried to assimilate what Vugar was saying. This man practically had a personal army at his beck and call. Why not just tell this buyer to fuck off?

“He’s threatening you,” Leila surmised.

Vugar nodded. “But I’ll soon stop that from happening. It’s just a matter of time.”

“He’s fucking with your deliveries, isn’t he? Probably your procurement, too,” Linc guessed.

“What do you know about that?”

“Who’s your customer?” Leila asked indifferently.

Vugar shrugged his shoulders.

“What country?” Linc asked.

Leila watched Vugar’s expression turn smug.

Fuck, he wasn’t selling to a country; he was selling to an individual or a consortium!

“Your customer, he’s threatening to burn your house down, isn’t he? Wipe out all your tech, all your accounts, turn you into nothing if you don’t give him what he wants,” Leila taunted him.

Vugar turned ashen.

They were all in trouble if individuals now wanted nuclear capabilities.

Come on, Leila, get him to tell you who the buyer is.

“I’m curious. Who’s more powerful than you?” Leila taunted further.

When they heard the whomp-whomp of the helicopter coming, Jase wanted to blast Vugar to hell, but Leila grasped his hand, holding tight. She was reminding him they had to stay the course.

“R.L. Bonner is my customer. But he isn’t more powerful than me.” Vugar said as they got close to the helicopter. “Now I left your friends alive. I expect my return information.” He said with a bite.

Vugar stepped onto the helicopter first. Then one guard grabbed Linc and another grabbed Leila to push them into the helicopter.

Linc easily elbowed his guard in the face, then kicked him in the side of his kneecap and watched him go down in agony. Leila had done an impressive twist and punched her guard in the throat.

Vugar was looking at them both with fury. He held onto one rail as he reached out trying to catch Leila’s arm as the helicopter started to lift off.

It was enough. Linc threw the knife and it went straight through Vugar’s eye. His good eye stayed open for a moment and looked at Linc in amazement, then Linc watched with pleasure as the life drained out of him.

EPILOGUE

When Leila had enlisted the help of the women of Omega Sky, she had no idea just how out-of-control things would become. Lincoln was turning thirty, and Leila wanted to celebrate this day, this year, and this man. She’d heard more stories from Linc over the months they’d lived together. For some reason his biological dad would never allow his mother to celebrate Linc’s birthdays. The one time she’d baked Linc a cake, his father had pushed her face into it before he started to hit her. Connie Hart tried to make up for it after she married George, but times were lean in the beginning, so Linc told her to save the money for the younger kids.

He deserved an exceptional birthday party.

She’d called his mom and told her what she had in mind. And Connie got the Minnesota contingent assembled. The ladies got the SEAL team rounded up, and volunteered Gideon’s house for the party because it was a showplace. Leila said she would take care of catering and decorations.