Page 82 of Call Sign: King
“Naw… I’ve got the clean-up. I pay a lot of money to the right people. Time to put my investment to the test.”
Nodding, Ryder stuck out his hand for a shake.
“Take care of yourself,” he said.
“You too. Maybe after the dust settles, we can get together,” Alexi replied.
Ryder wasn’t planning on stepping foot back into the country of Russia ever again.
“Maybe, but only if I do the driving. You really are a shitty driver.”
The lightness of the moment was surreal. Just hours ago, Ryder wasn’t sure he’d ever be happy again.
Letting Torch’s urgency spur him on, Ryder pulled Khloe into motion. “You feel okay to walk or need me to carry you?” he asked.
“I’m fine to walk. Hell, I feel like I could run a marathon now that you’re here,” she said much more carefree than he ever thought possible after all she’d been through.
What an amazing woman.
“We aren’t out of the woods yet. Stick close to me and keep your head down. I don’t know what’s happening on the other side of this door.”
Chapter Twenty-six
RYDER
Ryder let Torch take the lead as they cautiously left the conclave. They didn’t know how many men Vladimir had recruited to his personal vendetta squad, so until they were away from Purgatory, they had to be vigilant.
Thankfully, once they were out of the basement, they were once again able to communicate with the rest of the BSO team.
“Ice, you there?” Torch said, as both men inserted their earpiece into their ears so they could listen into the team chatter.
“Roger that. Glad to hear your voice. We were getting worried out there.”
“No worries. All going as planned. Queen safe. Bogies down. Ready for evac.”
“Roger that. Be there in two,” Ice answered, the sound of him gunning the vehicle he was driving already in the background.
Those two minutes gave Ryder time to find the closet Irena had mentioned. She hadn’t been kidding. There were many coats to choose from, but as it was a hot summer day, he pulled a powder blue raincoat from its hanger.
“Let’s get you covered up, baby,” he said, holding the coat for her to slide into.
“They’re coming!” Torch said, standing lookout at the front door.
Pulling Khloe back into motion, Ryder arrived at the door just as the black SUV Ice was driving screeched to a halt at the bottom of the grand staircase entrance to the mansion.
Two of Ice’s team spilled out of the back seat, taking defensive watch on either side of the vehicle as Torch held open the door.
“You get the Queen in first. I’ll give you cover from here.”
Ryder wasn’t going to argue. Lifting his own weapon, prepared to shoot anyone who might decide they didn’t want them to leave, Ryder pulled Khloe into motion, moving to the getaway car as fast as possible.
Diving into the backseat right behind his wife, he moved to pull her into his lap. Seconds later Torch, Romeo, and Magic piled in behind them and Ice sped them back down the tree-lined driveway.
The last time Ryder had made this drive, he’d had to gun it to crash through the fortified gates with enough velocity to get himself and Chip Marshall’s family to safety. Today, he sighed with relief as the wide gate started to swing open as they approached.
Relief that Alexi clearly had a better handle on the Volkov soldiers’ loyalty than Ryder had given him credit for made the moment almost anti-climactic. He’d been prepared for Vlad’s men to put up at least a small skirmish, but after four years of life without the brutal brothers, the soldiers appeared unwilling to go back to the way things had been.
“Queen’s court on the move,” Torch reported just as they pulled behind another black SUV that had been waiting just outside the grounds. Ryder knew Steel was behind the wheel of the lead vehicle, leading them back to the airstrip. “Evac ETA fifteen minutes. Get the birds fired up,” Torch ordered from the front passenger seat.
