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Archer rolled his eyes at our back-and-forth. “You’ll be receiving hourly intelligence briefings on Kadyrovic’s movements in Chechnya. I need you ready to move the moment he arrives.”
“That’s bitch-ass work,” I said.
“Firemen do the same thing,” Jordy said, grinning. “Are you saying firemen are bitch-ass?”
“Yes. Firemen are extremely bitch-ass compared to what we do.”
“Damn, dude. Pour one out for our first responders,” Jordy said.
I turned to him. “House fires don’t shoot back.”
“Those are the rough outlines of the mission, and the plan,” Archer said loudly. He met my gaze, then Jordy’s, imparting the importance of his next words. “This is it, gents. The last contract on this road trip of mercenary work. We succeed here in Baku, and we can relax all next year and figure out what we want to do in the future. This contract will determine the rest of our careers, and our lives. If you have any questions, I would kindly ask you to piss off. And then, once you’ve pissed off real good, come ask me whatever you need to know. Jordy, you and I leave tomorrow morning at seven, so be ready. And put a smile on. You’re working the front desk at the tour office.”
He did flash a smile. “I don’t mind. I like people.” His smile faded. “People who aren’t Russian psychopaths.”
We ordered room service for dinner. My steak was overcooked, but I ate methodically and swallowed every bite. As far as I was concerned, it was fuel. Tasting good was just a bonus. Kaylee ordered an ice cream buffet for dessert, and squealed happily when we told her she could pour as much chocolate syrup on her sundae as she wanted.
I would kill for that girl,I thought as I watched her.Whether someone else, or myself. I would do it and never think twice.
The next morning, Jordy and Archer got up early and left for the airfield where they would be giving their tours of the city. I got up too because I didn’t know what else to do with myself. Trish kissed them goodbye. As she did, I found myself unable to look away. The three of them were building something, against all odds. I didn’t know what it was, or how deep it went, but it wassomething.
And it made me feel left out. It made me feel like I wasn’t one of them.
I didn’t get to kiss Trish, because I wasn’t leaving. That made me feel excluded, too. It was a stupid instinct, and I hated myself for feeling that way. But it didn’t stop me from feeling it strongly.
She’s a hot piece of ass, I told myself.Nothing more. Any guy would want to get some action with her.
Yet as the guys left, and we settled in to relax at the penthouse all day, I wondered if there was more to it.
27
Harrison
I spent most of the first day sitting around the hotel penthouse. I refreshed my email approximately thirty times per minute. I took a shower, ate breakfast, then took another shower because I didn’t know what else to do with myself.
I didn’t like not having anything to do. It made me feel like I wasn’t in control. Of the mission, or of my life. Whatever a psychologist would say. Mostly, I was bored. I hated being bored.
Trish and Kaylee were sitting at the dining room table, playing Minecraft together. I knew it was my daughter’s favorite game, and I had watched her play it before, but I had never taken part. Today, with nothing else to do, I pulled up a chair and watched her play for a while.
“This is a special chest,” she explained. “It’s where we store all our gold ore. And diamond.”
“Is diamond special?” I asked.
“Daddy! Of course it is. It’sdiamond. It’s the rarest in the game.”
“Oh, wow,” I said.
Trish removed her headphones and glanced at me. “What role do you play in the… mission?” she asked. She had started to sayassassination, but had stopped herself.
“Sitting. Waiting,” I said over Kaylee’s head. “I don’t know when I’ll have something to do.”
“I’m surprised you’re not enjoying the stocked bar,” she said. “There’s a lot of good whiskey there. They have a Yamazaki fifty year. I don’t know a lot about whiskey, but I Googled it. It’s like a thousand dollars a shot!”
“Cool.”
“Archer said everything is complimentary. So you could have some, if you wanted.”
I cocked my head at the woman. “Why would I want some?”
