“I’ll be out of here soon. I just want to poke around a little more. I couldn’t sleep right now anyway – been drinking coffee all night, remember?”
“Yeah, yeah, likely story. I’ll be in around seven if we’re not called up sooner. I’ll bring you something to eat and maybe some coffee that won’t eat through your stomach,” she said.
“I like the coffee.”
“Suit yourself,” Williams said, as she stepped into the elevator.
Matthew stood up and grabbed the files on Williams’ desk. He’d done his job. The rest would fall to the bureau and the justice department. Regardless, the puzzle wasn’t solved, and he couldn’t stop putting it together. Olivia deserved to know the truth.
Three hours later, Matthew had a list of events and possibilities. He’d learned a lot of things about the major players in the case, but had just as many new questions as he did answers:
1960 AKRAAN Arms Co. Est. in Russia - Vladek's Father?
1961 Vladek Rostrovich, born - youngest child of 3
1963 Muhammad Rafiq, born - eldest son (younger sister?)
1980-1982 Vladek, UofOregon (no major)
Meets Elizabeth Cole (could have been student? Next of Kin?)
Father and siblings die in car accident (Dec of '82 - Vladek heir)
Aug 3, 1983: James Cole, born. Why not list Vladek on birth certificate?
1983-1988: Vladek and Rafiq - arms dealing, trafficking
Diamonds? 1987 (something happens between here and 1989)
Mar 14, 1989: James Cole, kidnapped from home. (No suspects)
Kidnapped by Rafiq? Why?
Look into Rafiq mother/sister death (revenge motive)
1992-1994: Rafiq, Desert Storm
Stash kid instead of kill? Ransom? Collateral? What the fuck am I missing?
James Cole kept in brothel (Narweh - deceased) Check years 1989-?
Narweh (no known last), death cert? Pakistan? Review Olivia statement for other possible countries.
1997 James Cole (Caleb) 'rescued' by Rafiq
Olivia statement: Caleb seeking revenge for 12 years.
Why would Rafiq come back for boy? "Caleb" age 14
2002 Balk Diamond's goes public
Why the delay 1987-2002? Vladek Rostrovich: reinventing or hiding?
Knows about son? No current offspring. James Cole sole heir?
2009 Olivia Ruiz kidnapped
James Cole "Caleb" deceased?
Balk suddenly interested in slave trade? Motive?
Balk - location unknown. ????????????????
Chapter Twenty-Two
Caleb swirled his scotch in his glass, but didn’t take a drink. His thoughts were with Livvie. Felipe had gone upstairs, despite Caleb’s best efforts to stall him and get there first. Fifteen minutes had passed and he hadn’t heard a gunshot, or any screams. Good news, but his worries were far from dispelled. He wanted his wits about him if things suddenly took a turn for the worse. In many ways, they already had.
Caleb’s mind felt ravaged over how to deal with Rafiq. Their relationship had always been complicated, but it remained the closest Caleb had to family or friendship. Rafiq had been Caleb’s salvation and so many other things over the years…and now he contemplated killing him.
Caleb knew he couldn’t run away with Livvie. Rafiq would hunt them down to the ends of the earth and while Caleb could take care of himself, it was no life for Livvie. She deserved better. He had considered separating himself from her, but he knew if Rafiq couldn’t find Caleb, he would find Livvie again and use her to get to him.
Rafiq deserved his revenge. Livvie deserved to live her life. That left Caleb thinking about what he deserved: nothing. He’d fought so hard to live, to survive, and he didn’t relish the idea of ending it all, but he would…for Livvie, he would. He’d lived a meaningless life that would culminate in him destroying every meaningful relationship he’d ever had. At the very least, he thought, he could have meaning in his death.
“What has you so troubled, Khoya?” Rafiq asked in Arabic, now they were alone. He had sent Jair away once he’d regained consciousness, and Felipe had used the opportunity to excuse himself from the room. Nancy remained, but she seemed unaware of her surroundings as she huddled on the floor and supported Rafiq’s legs on her back.
Caleb gestured toward her with his drink, “Is that really necessary?”
Rafiq smiled, “No, but she’s here, so why not make use of her? Answer my question, what has you so troubled?”
Caleb’s heartbeat accelerated and heat traveled down his spine, but he attempted nonchalance, “Things are moving quickly now. I keep going over things in my mind.”
“Yes, it’s been a long battle. I don’t know which of us has sacrificed more to see Vladek suffer. The auction is only the first step. It will be up to you to earn his trust, but it will be worth it when everything he has belongs to us, even his very life,” Rafiq said. He took another drink of scotch and Caleb noted it was his third.
“Yes,” Caleb replied, but his tone hinted at his unease.
“You’ve been strange these last few months, Caleb. I would have thought you’d be happier to have your vengeance so close at hand,” Rafiq said. He sounded irritated.
“Why can’t I just kill him, Rafiq? I would do it. Gladly and in front of everyone, I would kill him. We’re wealthy men. We don’t need his company, or his money,” Caleb said and instantly regretted it.
“It’s not about the money, Caleb! It never has been. I want it because it’s the only thing he loves as far as I can tell. If you knew of the things he’s sacrificed for his precious billions, it would be all you could do not to find him now. Tonight! He has no wife, no children. He trusts no one! And he has taken everything from me. Death is not enough. Torture is not enough. I thought you of all people would understand!”
Hadn’t Caleb said something similar to Livvie? It seemed like ages ago, the night he’d rescued her from the bikers and informed her of her fate. She’d asked him why?
“I have obligations, Kitten.” He swallowed deeply. “There’s a man who needs to die. I needed you…need—” He paused. “If I don’t do this now then I’ll never be free. I can’t walk away until it’s done. Until he pays for what he did to Rafiq’s mother, to his sister, until he pays for what he did to me.” Caleb stood abruptly, his chest heaving. He ran angry fingers through his hair and fisted his hands at his nape. “Until everything he loves is gone, until he – feels it. Then I can let it go. I’ll have repaid my debt. Then, perhaps…maybe.”
“I do, Rafiq. I do understand. For twelve years, my life has been nothing but our quest for revenge. I’m just tired, Rafiq. I’m tired and I want it to be done. I want him dead and I can’t wait for him to die slowly, but I’m ready to move on,” Caleb said. It was the truth. He was ready to move on with his life and he wanted it to be with Livvie. He wanted what could never be.
Caleb stared at Rafiq, the man wasn’t well. His hair seemed grayer, his face harder, and his eyes lacked the slightest glimmer of compassion. In the entire time Caleb had known him, he had never taken a slave for his own, trained them, yes – kept them, no. The fact he’d kept Nancy alive this long and broken her down so thoroughly spoke volumes about his mental state.
Caleb continued, momentarily resigned to his fate, “Have you no thought for me? Brother. All those years I spent as a whore? No one knows better than you, everything I suffered. Did you never think I might want to forget? All those years of being your shadow, learning how to kill, and training whores for the very men who would have used me, did you never think I might want to just walk away from it and be…I don’t know! Something more!” Caleb felt as though a floodgate had been opened in his soul.
“I was finally going to show her she was wrong about me…”
“You are something more, Caleb. I made you something more. I made you a man. I delivered you! I made others quake in fear of you. Who were you before me? Kéleb! That’s who you were! A dog.” Rafiq
slammed his glass on the end table near his chair and kicked Nancy over for good measure. Nancy’s sobs quickly filled the room, but she held her hands over her mouth to stifle them.
Pure, uncut, rage thrummed in Caleb’s veins and he’d never wanted to strike Rafiq so much. Only his thoughts of Livvie staid his hand. Her life was in danger and it remained Caleb’s responsibility to keep her safe. “I know who I am, Rafiq. I know what I am. And I know I owe it all to you. You’ve spoken to me so much about loyalty, but only minutes ago you were willing to maim me to protect Jair, of all people. Where is the loyalty?”
“I told myself you couldn’t help yourself. I told myself something happened to you to make you this way, to make you as fucked up as me but you’re even more fucked up than I am. And in the strangest corners of my mind I thought…”
Caleb remembered Livvie’s fear, her despair. She’d been brutalized by several men, beaten and bloodied. She had thought Caleb was her savior. Caleb was no one’s savior. He looked at Rafiq and saw the worst parts of himself reflected in the other man.
“That you could fix me? What’s more, that I could fix you? Well, sorry, Pet, I don’t want to be fixed.”
Rafiq leaned forward, the devil in his eyes, “We’ve known one another for a long time, Caleb. You understand how important this is to me. I won’t tolerate anyone interfering with our plans – not even you.”
“You ran. I went to collect my property. End of story. In two years, maybe less, I’ll have what I want – revenge.”
For Rafiq and Caleb, it had always been about revenge. It had been the only thing that had ever mattered. Not friendship. Not loyalty. Not justice. It seemed so trivial now, so small when weighted against the price: Livvie. “I want to kill Vladek and I want it to be the end,” Caleb whispered.
Rafiq let out a derisive snort and sat back, “This is about the girl, isn’t it?”
Fear quickened Caleb’s pulse, “No! This is about us. It’s about our partnership and how much it has always been weighted in your favor.”
“We proceed with the plan, Caleb,” Rafiq said resolutely. “You’ve overstepped your boundaries and taken advantage of the love I have for you for the last time. You’re tired and not yourself, and so, I will try to forget the things you’ve said tonight, but I will not tolerate your disrespect again. Consider yourself warned.”
Caleb took a moment to regain his calm. He was tired and tonight could very well be the last time he and Rafiq talked as friends. Sadness crept in around the edges of his anger. “I’m sorry, Rafiq. I haven’t been fair. For twelve years you’ve looked after me when you didn’t have to and I don’t want to sound ungrateful. I was an angry and willful boy and it couldn’t have been easy to take me in. I would be dead if not for you…or worse. Forgive me.”
Rafiq seemed to soften. He sat back in his chair and thoughtfully eyed Caleb. “You’re forgiven, Khoya. Perhaps I wasn’t always kind or considerate of you, either. You’ve earned your keep and my respect.” Rafiq stood and poured himself another drink and tilted it toward Caleb, “Drink with me, to loyalty.”
Caleb raised his glass with some effort, “To loyalty.” The liquid burned his throat and sat heavy in his stomach where it met with his shame and conspired to make him retch.
“We leave the day after tomorrow. I’ve arranged for a pilot and a private plane to fly us home. It will be a longer journey, avoiding customs, but I don’t trust the girl. I’m not taking any chances. I’ll resume her training in the morning. I want to be sure she’s ready,” Rafiq said. He seemed in higher spirits.
Caleb’s heart sank, “Wouldn’t it make more sense for me to maintain control of her training until we land in Pakistan? She’s frightened of you and it might prompt her to behave rashly.”
Rafiq’s brows furrowed, “You’ve coddled her enough, Khoya. It’s time she understood her place.”
“Have you thought about what might happen to her after we’re done with her?” Caleb asked while trying to remain respectful.
Rafiq smiled, “Ah! You do want her then?”
“No, Rafiq. Not after Vladek has had his way with her. I’m only curious if you have any plans for the future.”
“I’ll leave it to you, Khoya. Consider her your reward for a job well done. When it’s done of course,” he said with a smile.
Caleb offered a smile of his own, though all he felt was anger and despair. Caleb stood slowly and embraced Rafiq as he said goodnight. In his heart, he knew it was also a farewell.
“Will you miss me Caleb?” Livvie put her arms around Caleb. He held her in place.
“Yes,” he said simply.
On his way back to his room, he ran into Felipe in the foyer.
“My, don’t you look serious tonight,” Felipe’s accented words brought Caleb to a halt. Felipe walked over to him and led him toward one of the temporary bars he had set up for the party the following evening. “I believe you could use a drink, my friend.”
Felipe walked behind the bar and poured them both a short glass of bourbon. He handed Caleb a glass, and then lifted his, saying, “To a long life filled with love.” He drank, and then set his glass down on the bar when Caleb didn’t reciprocate.
“I realize I owe you my gratitude, but I’m short on gratitude at the moment,” Caleb said.
Felipe smiled, “Yes, that was close.”
“Why would you help me?” Caleb asked, suspiciously.
Felipe shrugged, “I’m romantic. Also, I have no interest in having blood spilled in my home. Too messy.” Felipe’s expression turned quizzical, “What will you do, Caleb?”
Caleb didn’t trust Felipe. “Rafiq insists on taking over Kitten’s training. We leave the day after tomorrow. That should make you happy.”
“Hmm,” Felipe said and poured himself another glass of bourbon. “Rafiq insists on a lot of things, doesn’t he? He’s expecting a virgin.”
Caleb bristled, “What exactly is your relationship with Rafiq?”
“He says we’re friends, but I’m not sure I would put it quite that way. We’re in business together. I’m surprised you didn’t know, or at least asked me sooner.”
“What sort of business?” Caleb asked. His curiosity was piqued.
“This and that, it doesn’t really matter, Caleb. I was only surprised you never asked the question. I suspect Rafiq never cared for questions. Are you truly going to give him the girl?” Felipe lifted an inquiring brow.
Caleb narrowed his eyes, “I don’t have much a choice, do I?”
“There’s always a choice, Caleb.”
“What do you want, Felipe? You say you’re in business with Rafiq, why are you so interested in me and what I’m doing?”
“Can I trust you?” Felipe asked with a smile.
“I’m trusting you, to keep quiet about everything you’ve seen on your nasty little cameras. The most trustworthy relationships involve collateral.”
Felipe chuckled, “Well, I have enjoyed watching you. Why not take the girl and run?”
“What do you want?!”
“I want Rafiq out of my business,” he swallowed his bourbon, “permanently.”
“I could kill you for saying that,” said Caleb.
“You could. Then you’d never know the truth,” Felipe countered. He sighed, and waited for Caleb to reply, when he didn’t, Felipe said, “I’ve waited a long time for you to come forward to me with your past. I’d hoped we could be friends.”
Caleb stared across the bar at Felipe, stunned, “You know my past? Wait…no. You heard me on the camera.” He glared at Felipe with murderous intent.
“I know you were in Tehran. You never said that, on camera,” Felipe said.
Caleb’s vision was blurry and his heart was racing, “Rafiq could have told you. You could have overheard our conversations.”
Felipe became gravely serious, “Collateral, Caleb. Tell me a secret. One
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