Page 39 of Unbreakable Connection (Connections Duet)

“So, he thought taking my woman was the better alternative? He just signed his death warrant because there is no saving him now.” I said as I looked over to the front door to see Oleg Volkov walk inside, and he wasn’t alone. Valentin Vasiliev was with him. Before I could take a step further, he was already standing before me with his proffered hand for me to shake.

“Edric George, we meet again, and on difficult circumstances which I am truly sorry for. So, where is he?” he asked, ending the pleasantries. Patch stepped before me, greeted the two powerful figures, and then pointed down the hall to the closed door. “I’ll take it from here,” he said, walking toward the library with Oleg following closely behind. I lifted my chin, and Patch and I did the same.

Gio was still seated behind his desk, and the moment he saw Valentin enter, he sat up straighter, getting ready to greet and show him the proper respect. Instead, Valentin raised a hand to stop him and ordered him to remain seated and silent.

“Mr. Constanza, it appears we have quite the conundrum here, and that troubles me because you assured me I would never have to deal with one from you. Isn’t that what you promised?” he appeared unsure. Valentin looked bored and said, “You may speak, or do you have difficulty understanding how much trouble you’re in?”

“Yes, sir, I promised you.”

“So, why am I here then?”

“Sir, I didn’t know how deep his hatred was, and by the time I discovered his involvement, it was too late to contain him. He’s gone rogue and didn’t need our blessing because we never brought him into our family. It was Anthony who was our brother, not Paolo.”

“Yes, but it was your responsibility to watch over the next of kin of your fallen brother. A lesson you haven’t learned from your previous charge,” I observed Gio, who looked as if he was about to throw up, probably hating to be reminded of Lucas and Sabina.

He stood and faced Valentin, but Oleg blocked his way to his boss. I saw something shift in Valentin’s eyes, maybe a modicum of respect for Gio holding his own. Valentin walked around Oleg and allowed Gio to speak.

“Sir, I think I know where Paolo might have taken her,” he said, and in a matter of a second, I was there grabbing him by his neck and shoving Gio back to the wall, cutting off his air supply.

“This is not the time to suck up thinking it will save your life. Tell me what you know before I fucking end you right where you stand.”

“Edric,” I heard Valentin say behind me as I continued to choke the life out of Gio. “Release him. Now. I will not ask again.” I shoved him, and he fell to the floor, gasping for air. Valentin nodded at Oleg, who stepped forward and dragged him to his feet. He was still catching his breath, and I guess I was, too, since I was worried about Ellen. My irrational reaction was tripping me up, and I was handling all of this wrong.

“Edric, a word, please,” I followed him out to the hall, leaving Patch and Oleg with Gio.

“Look, Valentin,” I began to say, but he cut me off.

“Shut up and listen; it may save your woman’s life. I’ve been where you are, and so has your friend, Bourne. I know what you are feeling, but those feelings will get her killed if you are not as level-headed as I believe you to be. What you do next will be the very thing that helps you find Ellen.”

“And? What’s that? Because I’m dying knowing she’s out there with that deranged asshole.”

“You take a breath and listen. Gio is not the enemy here; Paolo Sabato is, and to remove the threat, you need his help to do it. First, you will get your anger under control and use your head, or I will remove you from this situation, and Oleg will take over. Do you understand me?”

I had no choice but to comply if I wanted to get Ellen back. “Valentin, I don’t know how to do this when it’s me not in charge. I’m usually leading the mission with my team following and never giving up until we succeed at our job.”

“I understand more than you know, and I respect you. I know you have to be the one who rescues Ellen because she’s your woman. You feel responsible for her getting taken, and now you have to right that wrong. We all want to be the hero, and we accomplish that feat most days, but today it’s not that day. What matters is Ellen and getting her back safely. So, if you’ve calmed down, let’s go back in there and find out what Gio knows.”

“Thank you for being here. No one was more surprised than I was when you walked through the door. It’s usually Bourne talking me down from the edge.”

“Who do you think got me here?”

“Bourne?” I questioned.

“Yes, it pained him a great deal when he heard about Ellen, but with Sabina’s delicate condition, he couldn’t leave her, so I made the trip. Let’s finish this because, like Bourne, I don’t enjoy leaving my wife or children and would like to return to New York as soon as possible.”

When we walked back into the library, Gio and Patch had their heads together with maps spread over his desk. He said, “Anthony kept a home here; it was secluded and far away from wandering eyes. It’s a couple of hours away, quicker by chopper.” He looked back to the map and then said, “Here’s the complicated part. The road ends here,” he pointed to the marker on the map and you hike the rest of the way on foot.”

“Okay, it’s not like I haven’t done this before, but it’s going to be dark soon, and I’ll need the proper gear.”

Patch looked up and said, “All taken care of, and the truck is loaded. We are ready when you are.”

I nodded and turned to face the other lethal weapon in the room. “Oleg, is your team ready?”

“Yes, they await my instructions.”

“Okay, give them the coordinates and be ready to pull out in five. I have the helicopter standing by. Gio, if the team comes in through this pass, can they land safely, and is there a chance they will be seen or heard?”

“No, not from that point. The field is pretty open, and a garage houses all-terrain vehicles; the keys should be with them. You can take them up to where the road ends and be able to reach the cabin.”

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