Page 129 of Kingmakers, Year Four

“Rafe wrote to me about you,” Freya says.

Her large, dark eyes are similar in color to Sloane’s—a deep amber color with rings of forest green. Their character is entirely different, however: there’s nothing sharp in Freya’s gaze. Rather, she’s looking at me with a level of sympathy that pains me.

“I didn’t know you existed,” I say, trying to hide my hurt, and failing miserably.

We’re speeding through the dark streets of Dubrovnik. Time seems to collapse and extend like a spring. Each moment is painful and jarring to me, and yet it all streams by too fast, because I don’t want to arrive wherever we’re going. Too soon we pull up to a private airfield outside the city. I can see a jet waiting on the tarmac—one similar in size to my father’s.

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” I ask Rafe.

“Almaty,” he says.

That means nothing to me.

“In Kazakhstan,” he clarifies, while explaining nothing at all.

“What’s in Kazakhstan?” I say, blankly.

“My father,” Rafe replies. “And by the way,yourfather is traveling in the opposite direction, from there to here. So whatever reckoning is coming to him, he should be safe at least for tonight.”

That shouldn’t comfort me—the Petrovs obviously intend to kill my dad as soon as they get the chance.

But I am relieved to hear that we won’t be seeing him now.

A hundred things could happen between tonight and tomorrow.

31

Rafe

We fly to Almaty, where we meet eight of my father’s men, including Timo Sidorov, hisAvtoritetsince Efrem died.

Timo embraces my mother, clasping her on both shoulders.

“It’s good to have you back,gertsoginya,” Timo says.

“By morning, we’ll all be back where we belong,” my mother says.

“God willing,” Timo agrees.

“God doesn’t get the credit for this one,” Adrik says, disembarking from the plane. “Not after we did all the fucking work.”

“Careful,” Timo says, with a paranoid glance skyward. “You might need his help still.”

My phone pings in my pocket. I check the screen.

“Marko just landed in Dubrovnik,” I say. “Miles has eyes on him.”

“Good,” my mother nods. And then to Timo, “Let me see what you brought.”

Timo throws open the trunk of his military Jeep, displaying an impressive array of firearms.

“You brought the C4?” my mother asks.

“Of course,” Timo nods.

“Good. Let’s get going, then.”

We already briefed Leo, Anna, Hedeon, Dean, and Sabrina on the plane. Our plan is simple: we’re going to attack the mine at two points. Half of us will drive in through the tunnels, while the other half will attempt to traverse the underground waterways used to remove waste from the mines.

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