Page 44 of Power's Fall

It was afternoon by the time they were done, and Dahlia asked Izolda to join them for lunch. She declined, citing that she had to work, but walked them to the restaurant.

When Izolda told the restaurant host they needed a table for two, Dahlia swallowed the urge to countermand that and say they needed a table for three. Some of the struggle must have shown on her face, given the narrow-eyed glare Vadisk shot her. But in the end, she and Montana sat at a table with a beautiful view of both the pool and, beyond that, the sea, eating several versions of meat-filled pastry, plates of fresh fruit, poached fish, and a sweet nut and honey treat for dessert.

Dahlia filmed their meal, discussing the flavors and textures of each dish as she looked at the camera. She had to ignore the small voice inside her that was desperate to rush through this, run back to the villa, and discuss what they’d just learned.

Lunch took nearly two hours. Once they realized she was filming, the kitchen started to send out things they hadn’t ordered. Eventually, she got Vadisk to sit at the table beside them, under the guise of wanting to film his reaction to the food. Vadisk wasn’t a great on-camera personality, saying too little and frowning too much, but at least that way, she knew her husband got a chance to sit and eat something.

She ended with a quick interview with the chef, then after a round of thank-yous, they finally made it back to the golf cart. Silently they climbed in, no one speaking until they made it back to the villa. Vadisk pressed a finger to his lips once they were inside, then went to grab his equipment, doing another bug sweep. Montana nodded, going for his own gear.

Dahlia went upstairs to the bar and opened a bottle of white wine, pouring herself a glass as she watched them.

When both men were finally satisfied, they joined her in the upstairs living room. Dahlia poured them each a glass, and silently they sat.

Montana was the first one to break the silence. “We’re all thinking the same thing?”

“The head of the Crimean Security Force might be our blackmailer?” Vadisk rubbed his face.

“Yep.” Dahlia slumped. “On a scale of one to really fucking bad, how bad is this?”

Vadisk downed the whole glass of wine. “Really fucking bad.”

ChapterEight

Vadisk looked at Montana and Dahlia’s grim faces and seriously considered pulling the plug on this operation. Right now, the most likely suspect for their blackmailer was the Minister of the Interior and head of the Crimean Security Force.

Nikolett had just sent him information on the Crimean Security Force, which Vadisk had asked her to research after their confrontation with the soldiers.

“Tell us,” Dahlia said. “I assumed that our primary suspect being a government official was a bad thing, but your reaction says I don’t understand exactly how bad.”

“I called my admiral…” Even though there was a chance Nikolett wasn’t his admiral anymore. “After those soldiers came, I called and they got me more information on the Crimean Security Force.”

Montana shook his head. “I looked into it too. There isn’t a ‘Crimean Security Force’.”

“Not recognized by any other country, no, but practically, they’re a militia operating as a national police force. Many of them are volunteers whose primary focus seems to be hunting down non-Russians.”

“Racist vigilante volunteers. That always goes well.” Dahlia sighed. “That somewhat explains those soldiers from the other day though. Why they behaved like…”

“Like amateurs and civilians,” Vadisk agreed. “Anyone with training would have handled that far differently. But Sinaver Abduramanov is also the Crimean Minister of the Interior.”

“So he really is a government official,” Dahlia said.

Montana didn’t look surprised.

“Yes. And more than likely, he oversees immigration and border security.”

There was a beat of silence after Vadisk’s words.

“He would have complete access to the records of anyone who entered Crimea.” Dahlia’s gaze was unfocused as she worked through it. “That would make it really easy to decide who to blackmail. He’d know who had money and…” She trailed off. “That wouldn’t tell him who was in a poly relationship, or who was a member of either the Trinity Masters or the Masters’ Admiralty.”

“But he’d know when three non-Russian visitors entered the country on the same day and could have them watched to see if they looked or behaved like a trinity.”

“Maybe we should redo last night, but Dahlia and I can be on the balcony while V gives directions from inside.” Montana’s eyes tracked down Dahlia.

“I like taking direction more than I thought I would,” she all but purred.

Vadisk had a quick dirty fantasy about the two of them fucking on the balcony while he hid inside, watching them through the glass and whispering orders into a phone that fed into earpieces they both wore.

“He has that look,” Montana said.

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