Page 63 of Call Sign: King
“This is insane,” Alexi growled, fury making his otherwise handsome face contort into an ugly sneer. “Irena had no reason to believe she was being unfaithful.”
“Does this mean you take full responsibility for her betrayal?” the woman asked slyly.
“No one has been unfaithful. You and Vlad have let your thirst for revenge cloud your judgement. Mark my words. It will be the downfall of this family.”
And with that, the man spun and marched toward the exit, letting the heavy door slam closed with a loud thud behind him.
The old woman had to speak louder to be heard over Irena’s screaming. “Secure her next to our guest. They can wait for Vladimir to join them together.”
She had learned so much in the last few minutes. She turned everything over in her head while the guards successfully restrained the woman currently fighting like a wildcat next to her.
Khloe honestly had no idea if her situation had just gotten better or worse.
Chapter Nineteen
RYDER
Ryder was jumping out of his skin by the time the tires of the Condor bounced along the gravel lane in rural Russia. The flight time had felt like an eternity, and yet now that he was back on Russian soil, he was grateful for these last few minutes alone.
Things were about to get real.
The sun had set in the final minutes of the flight, giving them decent enough cover from prying eyes on the ground. While Crash and Burn taxied toward a rather dilapidated looking farm in the distance, Ryder steeled himself for what was to come.
He’d never admit it out loud, but the hours on the plane with Doc had been exactly what he’d needed. Had she tried to sugarcoat the horrors of was happening he would have shut her out, but she’d done exactly what he’d needed her to do — helped him face his fears head on and then embrace the fury those fears stirred instead.
As she’d said, rage was a much more productive emotion than the paralysis of fear.
“It’s go time,” Doc said next to him, unbuckling her seatbelt even before he undid his own.
Gathering up their bags and laptops, Ryder was ready to open the exit door the second the plane came to rest inside the cavernous barn. He wasn’t sure who’d secured this jump-off location two hours outside of Moscow, but whoever it was had done a good job making sure they had cover for the Condor.
Just as his foot touched the dirt floor of the barn, a dark figure stepped out of the shadows under the haymow. Drawing his Glock, Ryder pointed at the figure, taking a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the light.
“Maybe I should have texted you not to shoot me,” Torch’s voice said across the empty space.
“That was a rookie mistake. You’re lucky you aren’t dead.” Holstering his weapon, Ryder admonished the team leader.
Torch closed the final yards between them, moving in to give Ryder a man hug, but he shook him off.
“What the hell are you doing here? You’re as burned in Russia as I am. I was expecting Ice.”
“You think I’m gonna sit this one out? Not on your fucking life,” Amir said. “Once we knew they weren’t staying in North America, I had Thunder point our bird in this direction. I’ve been lighting up my old network, lining up resources we might need.”
Ryder swallowed down the lump in his throat. As strong as Ice was as a team leader, he’d only been stationed in the European corridor for a few months. Not only did he not have the language skills his predecessor, Torch, had but he hadn’t had time to build the kind of allies… and enemies… that Torch had in the region either.
Waving his arm around the barn, Ryder asked, “This one of your hideouts?”
Torch grinned while grabbing the handle of Doc’s suitcase to pull for her. “I might have used this place a time or two, yes. I have fond memories of the farmer’s daughter in that haymow over there,” he said, pointing to the far end of the barn.
The lightness of the moment seemed out of place with Ryder’s dark mood.
Pointing to a large hatch in the floor, Torch added, “Last time I was here, I was delivering a truckload of ammo and other critical supplies and storing them down there. We’ve been paying a ‘storage fee’ for this safe house for the last two years, knowing we might need it one day.”
Doc chimed in. “Today is one day.”
They had let Torch take the lead, following him to a door at the back of the building. As he opened the door, holding it open for Ryder and Doc, Amir agreed. “Yes, today is one day.”
As he entered, if Ryder didn’t know better, he’d swear they had just gotten off the elevator at The Bunker in D.C. While the outside of the windowless room may be the frame of an old barn, the middle of the room was full of computers, monitors, tech gear, and weapons. Over a dozen of his special agents filled the space, milling around in small groups, strategizing with each other.
