Page 109 of Oathbreaker

Misha nods. “That’s true.”

He’s silent, and Leo doesn’t fill the space. In unison, we take a pull from our cigars. “I’m thankful for your assistance,” Misha says.

Misha watches the smoke dissipate for a moment before adding, “And yet I think you fail to appreciate how much it will cost me to shield you and yours from the fallout of your father’s removal. Ultimately, many lives will be lost until I can gain control.”

I’ve thought about what it would mean to topple my father from his throne, and the reality is that I’ll have to be hypervigilant for the rest of my life. My father works with some of the most dangerous criminals in the world. His influence is massive, and his existence makes a lot of people a lot of fucking money.

So his removal will impact the bottom line for many people, and people tend to get trigger-happy when you start fucking with their money.

Suddenly, I feel very, very tired.

I sigh. “What more do you want, Misha?” I ask with a long exhale. Misha smiles.

“I’m happy to help you with your problem, Hunter. You have, after all, saved my wife’s life. And yet, helping you will mean continued effort on my end. Your assistance was merely opening the door to something you already had lying there.”

I can see his point. Fucker.

“Again, what the hell do you want?” Leo asks with weary delivery.

Misha cuts his eyes toward Leo, taking a long draw from his cigar. “Isla Cara,” he says simply.

“What about it?” I ask. I try to go for an unaffected tone, but I don’t know if I’m successful. I feel a headache generate between my eyebrows.

“There are some things that I need from Isla Cara. I think you know where they are.”

I raise my eyebrow. “Isla Cara is sixty square miles. You’re going to have to be a little more specific.”

Misha’s face is bland for several moments before a slight tick of his jaw breaks the glare.

“You know, I remember you, Hunter Brigham. From your father’s island,” he says.

My jaw clenches.

“I’ve only been there once. The Russian president was there often, if you didn’t know,” he continues.

I tilt my head down a fraction.

“I remember you being there. You were in the shadows. Always on the sidelines. Watching. I have a feeling you saw many things, Hunter.”

He’s right. I saw so much. Too much.

I look at Leo.

Leo stares at Misha. Hard.

“Your father hides all his secrets on Isla Cara. I want to know all of them.” His tone is dangerous, direct. I know if I deny any part of his statement, he’ll likely kill me where I sit.

My brain goes back to my father’s vault and the side of the house that he would never let anyone into.

“Why do you need this?” I bring my glass to my lips and resist downing the entire thing.

“Are you really in a position to ask questions, Hunter?”

A stare-off.

“Fine,” I say to Misha. “I’ll go to Isla Cara. If you’re looking for secrets, I have a good idea where he kept them.”

The sound of the clock ticking is the only noise for several moments.

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