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CHAPTER11
Valentin
“What the hell was that? Why wasn’t there additional security like I asked?” I snapped, losing my temper again, which was never in my best interest. I paced the floor of the jet, loathing the way the sun hit me in the eyes. The goddamn explosions had been far too close. The fact I’d lost the decoy didn’t bother me as much as the way the entire airstrip had been basically demolished.
Quentin Booker was in charge of airport security, a man who’d spent years as a Navy Seal. He knew his aircraft as well as how to handle threats of every kind. He’d failed me completely, the expensive satellite system I’d had installed failing to provide more than a few seconds of warning before the Humvees had crashed through the fence. How the fuck did that happen?
“I’m sorry, sir. There was nothing on the radar. Then they appeared,” Quentin assured me.
“That’s not good enough. I need a full breakdown. How extensive is the damage?”
“They didn’t hit the hangars with the other planes, just those with other machinery, including the satellite system. The equipment they had was definitely military grade, but the weapons used weren’t made on US soil.”
“Then by whom?” The fucking satellite system. Very few people knew of the existence, those who did men I’d trusted, who my father had hired years before. My brother had been right. We had a leak the size of the damn Grand Canyon.
“Top grade Russian. Some of the best shit I’ve ever seen.”
I laughed softly. “I take it that means there were casualties.”
“Yes, sir, although I wish I could say we’d gotten all the bastards. A grenade took out one of the Humvees, but there was enough of the carcass left to see how they’d handled the retrofits. Pretty genius shit. They could easily go into any war. The assault rifles were the same way, although two of the models I’ve never seen before. Four men per Humvee Spetsnaz. All four perished. No ID.”
ID wouldn’t mean shit at this point. Russian soldiers. Perfect. I closed my eyes, attempting to control my rage. He knew exactly what I was going to ask. “Keep the destroyed vehicle in lockup. When I return, I want a full inspection.”
“You got it, sir.”
I ended the call, rubbing my jaw. If I had to guess, the men had been highly trained Russian military. Since when did the Poles become friendly with the Russians?
I’d wait to handle Alexei and the Kozlovs until after we’d landed. I hadn’t slept in two days and the exhaustion was starting to take a toll.
I headed toward the bar, pouring myself a hefty amount of scotch, tossing in ice aimlessly, allowing my mind to wander.
Demons.
They’d plagued me for years, the ugliness of the single time in my life I’d allowed my guard to fall never far from my mind. The creatures had wrapped my psyche in chains, pulling the cold steel tighter every time a single moment of joy filled my soul.
I’d long since clawed away my heart, refusing to feel anything but pain and anger.
The fact I’d broken through the thick strands with Cassidy remained heavy on my mind. In turn for capturing a moment of pure light, I’d sacrificed her trust, destroyed the innocence I’d been drawn to.
Although I couldn’t be as accepting of her virtue as before.
My thoughts drifted to someone who could provide answers as to the origin of the equipment, a hired gun I’d used on several occasions; a recently retired assassin who knew his way around communications equipment and almost every satellite system. I made a mental note to track him down if necessary.
I remained silent, tension flowing through my veins like an electrified jolt of adrenaline. I watched the quiet rise and fall of her chest as she slept, grateful she’d been able to finally close her eyes. Fuck. The shitshow had been worse than I’d expected. I wasn’t in the mood to hear her pleading for me to return her to a life she could never have again. I’d destroyed that chance the minute I’d saved her life the first go around.
Why did I continue to have a feeling that the hit had been more about her? The nagging had settled in the back of my mind, but my instincts were usually correct.
As I took a swig of my drink, I thought about everything that had occurred, hissing under my breath. I jerked out of my seat and headed to the bar for a third time. I would need to find out exactly what I was dealing with in her regard, but regardless of who was after her, the complication now became my issue to deal with.
That didn’t bode well for the future of my business endeavor, possibly the rest of the family either. After adding two ice cubes, I held the glass to my head, appreciating the coolness against my skin. The smokescreen at the club had been nothing more than the required action to entice me to leave the city. Or perhaps in order to take her without my interference. Why the grandstanding? What the hell did the asshole responsible hope to accomplish other than destroying the family’s airport? To attempt to keep us in the city? I laughed given our other methods of travel we had available.
The act was something I could see the Bratva do, not the Poles. Maybe that was the entire point, to pit us against what we’d considered our number one enemy for years. Granted, our association with the Bratva didn’t bode well for anyone. I rolled the glass across my forehead for a second time.
What I didn’t need to second guess was a mole existing in my organization. It happened from time to time, but never in such an egregious way or by anyone in the upper ranks. I might be forced to return to the US in order to hunt the bastard down.
I would handle some distribution issues while taking the time to sort it out. Laughing softly to myself, I shifted my gaze in her direction. I’d also be able to spend quality time with my sweet angel. I’d already ruined her, just as I’d warned her less than forty-eight hours before.
The late afternoon light was bright, the clouds outside the window as close to heaven as I’d get given the choices I’d made in my life. I’d long ago made peace with the fact I’d be dragged to hell, forced to burn in the flames. What I couldn’t stand was the thought of pulling anyone that I cared about down with me.
