Breathless: A Stalwart Security Series Military Romance: (Follow-up to The Alpha Company Women Series)

by Beth Abbott

  Luciana looked at her cousin like he’d gone mad.

  “Why would I do that?” She asked. “This is my chance for freedom. Why would I throw that away?”

  “Oh, my God! You’ve got it all planned!” Sol rubbed his hands together in glee. “I can’t wait to see the look on Jesus’s face when he realises what’s going down!”

  “Well, you’re going to have to pass on that, cousin, because I need you for something more important.” Luciana shook her head. “While Pedro takes care of Jesus, the three of us will be getting my real revenge on my father’s killer, in the biggest, baddest way possible, before we head back to Mexico ready to take over the cartel from Hector, once and for all.”

  “You’re taking a big risk with Pedro.” Sol pointed out. “What if Jesus or one of his men take him out? Can you afford to lose him?”

  Luciana shrugged.

  “He’s been getting a bit fresh lately, thinking he’s more important to me than he actually is.” She explained.” Obviously, I would prefer to keep him as part of the bigger team, but with you two by my side, Pedro won’t be such a key player any more. If he lives, great. If he dies? So be it.”

  “So, are you gonna tell us how you’re gonna take over the world?” Ricky asked with a grin.

  “The same way I always do things.” Luciana smiled. “Up close, and very, very personally!”

  Chapter 37 – Gregor

  Gregor sat in his home office with Kris, Yuri, and Dmitri, going over the plans for the anticipated assault.

  Judging by the way Kris and Yuri were staring at him, his last instruction had been unexpected to say the least.

  “Sorry, I’m sure I didn’t hear you correctly.” Kris laughed, pretending to shake water from his ears. “Because, I thought you just said that you didn’t want any of the security team put at risk.”

  Gregor smiled pleasantly, ignoring the sarcasm in Kris’s tone.

  “You heard me correctly Kris, as you well know.” He replied, picking a piece of cotton from his suit pants, and rolling it between his fingers. “If and when Lucky Vega attacks, I want the whole security team pulled back to the cover of the house. I don’t want anyone left outside.”

  “What the hell is the point of having them all inside?” Yuri threw up his hands. “They’re your protection detail. It’s their job to protect you!”

  “Yes, but I won’t be outside, will I?” Gregor pointed out reasonably. “So why should they be?”

  “They’ll be protecting you and the house. That’s what you pay them very handsomely for.” Kris explained patiently. “If you didn’t want them to do that, why did you hire them?”

  “I hired them to stop people getting too close to me at functions, or from trespassing at the house.” Gregor explained. “Maybe even stop the odd burglar or two.”

  “That’s right.” Yuri nodded. “But they always knew they’d be called upon to protect you from potential assassins. Maybe some lunatic with a gun or a knife, up close. And they signed on for that.”

  “Yes, but that was when the possibility was extremely remote.” Gregor tried to stay patient, as though he was talking to his kids when they were younger. A lot younger!

  “Look…” He sighed. “I never actually thought I’d ever be in danger, not of the sort we’re talking about now, so, I didn’t ever consider the level of danger my security team could be in either. Now I’ve had to re-evaluate, I’m not prepared to have people put their lives on the line to save my life. I’m not worth it.”

  Kris and Yuri stared at him like he was crazy.

  “Of course, you’re worth it.” Yuri insisted. “Why else do you think we’d be here.”

  “Yuri, I’m a business man, for God’s sake!” Gregor ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “I haven’t invented the cure for cancer, nor will I ever! I AM NOT IMPORTANT! I’m certainly no more important than any of my security team.”

  “You run a multi-billion-dollar company, employing tens of thousands of people across the globe, so forgive me if I think you’re slightly important.” Kris scoffed. “Half the people who work for you can’t balance their own checking accounts. What would they do without you at the helm?”

  “Kris, my business would suffer a minor blip if I died today, and then it would go on, almost as though I’d never lived. Each strand has been set up to function without me, with an excellent board of directors who can keep things going until either Sophia or Serge are old enough and willing to step up.” Gregor rubbed his neck. Arguing with his friends was stressful. “Beyond that, I’m just another guy, and whether or not you agree with me, I refuse to let my men die, just so I can be safe. We’ll all be in the house together, and if it comes to a gunfight, I’ll stand shoulder to shoulder with you all. I do know how to shoot, you know.”

  “If we fall back to the house, and we’re under attack, we’ll only stand and fight for so long anyway.” Kris pointed out. “As soon as it appears likely that we’ll be outnumbered, or come under severe threat, we’ll move into the basement, and continue the fight remotely.”

  “Right, and when we do that, I want to make sure all the men are in the basement with us.”

  Kris looked at Yuri and shrugged.

  “I give up.” He sighed. “He’s obviously lost his marbles, and until we can find them all, there’s no talking sense to him.”

  Yuri watched his brother get up and leave the room, and looked back at Gregor, shaking his head.

  “I know what you’re doing.” He smiled sadly. “You don’t want people to think you believed your life more important than the next guy’s. You don’t want people to think badly about you, and you don’t want to have to live with the guilt if someone died so you could live.”

  Gregor sat forward and leaned his arms on his thighs.

  “Yuri, it’s one thing to stand side by side with a man and fight with him. If he dies, and you live, it’s just the luck of the draw.” Gregor explained. “But to have a man stand in front of you and take a bullet? To pay a man to die to save you? That just doesn’t sit right with me. I can’t do it.”

  Yuri sighed.

  “Ok, have it your way.” He headed for the door. “Although, God only knows what the men will think when I give them their new instructions!”

  Gregor smiled with relief as the door clicked shut, and he flopped back into his chair, amazed that the argument hadn’t lasted longer.

  He’d known Kris and Yuri wouldn’t be happy with his decision, but after several days mulling it over, he’d known he had to do something rather than spend another sleepless night worrying about the men on guard duty.

  “Will there be anything else, sir?” He’d almost forgotten Dmitri was there.

  Damn, he should’ve thought of this sooner. He shouldn’t have anybody at the house who wasn’t essential to holding off an attack.

  “Yes, I think it’s time you made yourself scarce.” He smiled at his assistant.

  “Of course, Mr Diminov. Just call if you need me.” Dmitri turned to leave the office, thinking he had simply been dismissed for the moment.

  “No, Dmitri. I meant that I think you should leave the house and go and stay in town somewhere, until all of this is over.” Gregor explained. “You should work out of the main offices or take a few days off until I can get back to normal.”

  Dmitri nodded.

  “Thank you, Mr Diminov, but I’m fine as I am.” He smiled. “I’m quite happy to take a few days off, if that’s what you would prefer, but I’m quite fond of the mattress on my bed, and I prefer to sleep on it rather than go to a hotel and risk problems with my discs and my sciatica.”

  Gregor stared at Dmitri in surprise. Had the man not understood the conversation he’d just heard them having?

  “No, Dmitri, that’s not what I meant…” He began.

  “With respect, Mr Diminov, I know exactly what you meant. And as I said, there are reasons why I would prefer to stay at the house.” Dmitri smiled at him. “Besides, you’re not the
only one trained to use a gun.”

  Before Gregor could splutter out another argument, Dmitri picked up the tea-tray and headed for the door.

  “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be working on accommodating the security team within the confines of the house.”

  With a quiet click, the door shut behind his assistant and Gregor was left sitting in stunned silence.

  His assistant had just refused to follow his command, and in such a way that Gregor still had an urge to thank him!

  The phone ringing had him jumping.

  “Tuck? Everything Ok?”

  “Yes, everything’s fine.” Tuck’s voice was calming. “I’ve got Hannah and JT here with me, and we just wanted to update you, and ask a few questions.”

  “Sure, whatever you need.” Gregor pushed the speaker button, sat back, and set the phone on the table next to him.

  “Hi Gregor.” Hannah’s voice sounded so young. “I’ve been working through some ideas we’ve been throwing around here, and we’ve got our friends the Feds asking all the local security companies to identify any empty properties nearby that Lucky and her men could be hiding in.”

  “That sounds like a good idea.” He nodded. “Unfortunately, I don’t have any close neighbours, and have no idea who lives in the adjoining properties to know if they’re away or not.”

  “Don’t worry about it. That’s what the Feds are for.” Hannah snorted a laugh. “Anyway, I was wondering whether you had any aerial shots of your property. It might help us if we can see the layout of the perimeter walls. We could advise you if we notice any weaknesses.”

  “I think I had some taken for the contractor who lay my running track.” Gregor remembered. “Possibly even before and after shots. Do you want me to email them across to you?”

  “That would be great. Thanks.” Hannah agreed.

  “Do you have the security locked down at your end?” Tuck asked. “It’s been four days, and I was just wondering how you were managing with shift changes.”

  “I’ve got plenty of guys to alternate.” Gregor confirmed. “Although, I’ve probably just pissed most of them off. I’ve issued an instruction that if we do come under attack, I want all my men to fall back to the house and defend from inside.”

  “Is there a reason for that?” Tuck asked, and Gregor could hear the confusion in his voice.

  “Yes. I don’t want anyone getting killed just so I can be safe.” He explained. “We can defend the house together, and hopefully give the police time to get here before they break through our defences. If it gets too dangerous, we can go down into the basement, and still fire on any unfriendlies from relative safety.”

  “You have a remote firing system?” Hannah asked. “Neat!”

  “I think that’s what I have.” Gregor wasn’t entirely sure. “It’s something that Yuri and Kris set up a while ago, and from the explanation they gave me at the time, I think that’s what they were talking about. It almost makes me wish I paid more attention now.”

  “I see.” Tuck obviously didn’t. “Well, as long as your team knows what they’re doing, I’m sure it will be fine.”

  “They do.” Gregor said confidently. “Is everyone there fine?”

  He cringed. They all must know exactly who he was talking about.

  “Everyone here is doing just fine.” Hannah chuckled. “They’re all having an early swim before breakfast.”

  “Sounds like fun.” Gregor knew Hannah was telling him exactly what he wanted to know. “Well, I’ll get that email across to you now, and if you need anything else, just let me know.”

  Gregor disconnected the call.

  He pulled his laptop closer to find the pictures for Hannah.

  How long did a swim and breakfast take? Maybe he’d take a swim of his own and find out.

  Chapter 38 – Tulli

  Tulli sat by the outdoor pool, her cardigan pulled tightly around her to keep out the chilly air.

  She stared at her phone screen and smiled at the picture on the front. Mischa, Lara, and Joel in the water of the indoor pool, all three of them grinning as Charlie splashed them from out of frame.

  Of course, the picture didn’t reflect that this was the only way that Mischa was communicating these days, but then, considering that a little more than a week ago, the only way she communicated was by screaming in terror, Tulli would take her sister’s sweet smile any day of the week.

  She casually tapped the contacts button and Gregor’s picture appeared next to the call button. Tulli let her finger hover over the button while she studied Gregor’s handsome face.

  The picture had been taken from his company website, and he was standing in front of a room full of people, speaking to them about goodness knows what, but they all looked absolutely enthralled by what he was saying.

  Tulli could imagine being in that audience, held captive by his voice, longing for him to catch her eye, maybe grace her with one of his smiles.

  No wonder there had been so many women in the audience, she frowned. They were all trying to get the great man to see them!

  Tulli was studying the screen closer, trying to work out which of the females was likely to be her competition, when it started to vibrate. She was so absorbed in what she was doing that the phone all but flew out of her hands as she jumped, and it was all she could do to carefully gather it to her and hit the answer button.

  “Hey, you.” Gregor sounded tired. “How’s everything going?”

  “It’s all going fine here.” She replied, settling back into her chair. “Everyone seems to be doing something very important, leaving Lara and I with nothing to do except look after Mischa.”

  “That’s not a bad thing, after all you’ve been through, Tulli.” Gregor argued. “You could do with some down time, if only to recharge your batteries.”

  “Trust me, my batteries are fully charged.” Tulli chuckled. “I’m already reading a book a day, and if I have to look at another minute of daytime TV, I’ll scream.”

  “Somehow I can’t imagine you or Lara as big TV watchers.” Gregor laughed.

  “We’re not.” Tulli smiled. “But there’s a TV in the bedroom, and Mischa likes the noise. If Joel isn’t around to keep her happy, that’s the next best thing. I don’t mind the occasional documentary, but unfortunately they don’t have the same sounds as the daytime soaps and quiz shows, so they don’t keep Mischa’s attention as well.”

  “How is she doing today? Any better?” Gregor asked.

  “She’s smiling more, I think.” Tulli closed her eyes. “She seems to be happy now, especially whenever Joel is around. It’s like he’s her superhero or something. He has endless patience with her, tells her jokes and stories constantly, and never seems to mind that their conversations are mostly one-sided. He’s wonderful.”

  “Tuck told me that Charlie’s parents adopted him as a baby, from a neighbour who couldn’t cope with him on top of all her other kids. They’re obviously an amazing couple.” Gregor explained. “Since their dad has been unwell, it’s been a struggle to cope with all of the hospital appointments as well as Joel’s classes and drama club. Charlie’s hoping that now his dad is recovering from his surgery, things will settle down again.”

  “I was talking to Candy earlier, and she said their dad is being discharged from hospital tomorrow morning.” Tulli confirmed. “Charlie is bringing Joel over here for breakfast, so he can be free to go to the hospital to collect his dad and get him settled at the house before coming back for Joel. They know how excited Joel is going to be to have his dad home, so they’re doing it in stages.”

  “Sounds like a sensible idea.” She could imagine Gregor’s smile.

  “Oh, and more good news from the hospital … the other man who was shot by Castille, Drew Dixon? Well he’s been released and is back with the rest of the family at the stables.” Tulli explained. “He won’t be ready to fly home for a while, but at least he’s with his family.”

  “That’s excellent news.” Gregor genuin
ely sounded pleased. “I’ll make sure Sophia knows when I speak to her.

  “How about you?” She ventured. “Have you been busy earning more billions today? Have you finished working now?”

  Gregor’s chuckle made her smile.

  “At least a few more billions.” He replied, and she wasn’t entirely sure he was joking. “Unfortunately, I haven’t quite finished for the day. I still have a video-conference scheduled with our Japanese team. We have to wait for their monthly results to come in, and with the time difference, that means a nine o’clock call.”

  “I would have thought that with all the latest technology, you’d have all your results coming through in real-time.” Tulli frowned. “Monthly sounds so… twentieth century.”

  Gregor burst out laughing.

  “You’re right, we do get most of our financial reports in real time.” He confirmed. “But the Japanese team is an educational establishment of sorts. We have two hundred students going through a doctorate programme in research and development. They’re assessed monthly and we go through the results.”

  “What are you researching and developing?” Tulli asked curiously.

  “Half of the team is working on an engineering project. We’re looking to develop materials which will stand up better to natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis, but are inexpensive to produce, so that your average house can be built with them. More and more of the world seems to be at risk, and yet outside of the major cities, we’re still using building materials that crumble to dust at the first tremor.”

  “Wow!” Tulli was impressed. “That sounds like an amazing project to be working on.”

  “It’s something I’m really excited about.” Gregor enthused. “The same materials could be movable, so they could be used to shore up coastal areas, or inland flood defences even. It would save billions of dollars in insurance claims, but more importantly, it would save the homes and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people when these types of natural disasters occur.”

  Tulli loved hearing how excited he was about the work he was involved in.