by Beth Abbott
“Erm, everything?” JT shrugged. “Did the plane arrive on time, were they met at the airport, have they set off yet? That kind of thing.”
Hannah chuckled.
“Yes, the plane arrived on time. Yes, they were met at the airport, and yes, they’re already on the road.” She grinned. “Anything else?”
“How about you tell us everything else that’s happened in the last twelve hours before we call it a day?” David suggested, obviously trying to demonstrate that he did indeed possess a small supply of patience.
Danny grabbed a couple of bottles of water from the refrigerator and handed her one.
“Ok, well, in addition to the aforementioned arrival, all of the guys have messaged in to say they’re Ok.” She pulled out her phone. “Kellen’s message reads; “HRH, arrived at summer camp. All the kids playing nicely so far, but still early days. Hope the return flight was good. K.”
“HRH?” JT frowned.
“Her Royal Highness, the Queen of Badass. That’s what the guys have started calling me.” Hannah grinned. “It’s kinda my new nickname.”
“Fitting.” Danny nodded, smiling broadly.
“Hollywood’s message was; “HRH, thanks for reminding me to pack the sunscreen. It’s effing hot here.” Hannah laughed.
David snorted a laugh.
“I guess most of us were so focussed on the operation, we didn’t give much thought to the basics, like sunburn.” He admitted.
“Yeah, well, obviously some of us thought about shit like that.” Hannah smiled. “Yuri, Kris and Logan just sent standard ‘wish you were here’ type messages, but Evan’s was good; “Don’t like it here. Too hot, no sheep and the food tastes like shit. Can I come home, please?”
“Is there some cryptic message in there?” JT frowned again.
“Yeah.” Hannah nodded. “He’s saying that it’s slightly warm, and either there’s no sheep to remind him of home, or nobody around to have sex with. I’m not sure, and it could be either, knowing Evan’s sense of humour. Oh, and he’s not enjoying the food. Highly cryptic, obviously.”
“Ok, Evan’s sheep-shagging jokes aside, is there anything else to report, or are we done for the day?” David smiled.
“Well, I’ve had two separate messages today from my contacts.” Hannah confirmed. “The first is from the official contact. Nikita, maybe? Anyway, she’s confirming that our guys have arrived and that they’re suitable.”
“What do they mean by ‘suitable’?” Danny asked.
“I’m guessing that as they’re supposed to be acting as security, the fact that they’re all big and look like they can handle themselves in a bad situation is probably the only qualification they need.”
“And the other contact? Who’s that from?” JT asked.
“The other one is from our informant, letting me know of the team’s arrival.” Hannah confirmed. “Although, they make it sound as though the news isn’t so good, as they think the guys are going to be a problem and will hinder any attempt to rescue the women.”
“Your informant doesn’t know that Hollywood and the team are the good guys yet?” David asked.
“I don’t want that information getting out until the last minute.” Hannah confirmed. “As we don’t know who the informant is, it would be very risky. We don’t know how stable or trustworthy they are. They could even be setting a trap.”
“So, they don’t know that our guys are the good guys, and we don’t know who of Ilya’s entourage is helping us?” Danny checked. “Shit, this could turn into a clusterfuck of epic proportions.”
“It could, but it won’t.” Hannah insisted. “I have every intention of insisting that they come clean about their identity before I let them know about the guys. If they genuinely want our help, they’ll have to tell us who they are.”
“And when is that likely to be?” David asked. “Do we have any idea when we’re going to make our move?”
“That’s the bit that’s up in the air at the moment.” Hannah explained. “There are quite a few routes they could take, or combinations of routes, and at the moment we don’t know which ones Ilya will pick. I’ve got contacts in Interpol on standby, as once we know which route they’re taking, we’ll have to plan out which of our allies can offer the most appropriate support.”
“We’re not anticipating anything happening quickly?” JT queried.
“We have a few optimum sites, but even the closest of them won’t come into play until later in the week. However, if Ilya picks a brand-new route, then it will be back to the drawing board.” Hannah shrugged. “It’s what Danny calls ‘playing it by ear’.”
“Then I suggest we head home and catch up on some sleep.” Danny grabbed Hannah’s hand as he stood up. “Nothing’s going to be achieved by hanging around here after closing time.”
“I guess not.” Hannah allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. “I’ve got all the communications equipment set up at home, so if they need to, they can contact me at any time. The guys in the IT hub are also monitoring things, so if there’s anything going on, they’ll get in touch.”
JT and David stood up as well, looking like they were ready to call it a night.
“Hannah?” JT stopped her before she left his office. “Thanks for all your hard work putting this together. It really is appreciated.”
Hannah could feel a lump forming in her throat.
She nodded her acknowledgement and grabbed Danny’s hand as they walked out into the corridor.
She’d wait until the operation was successful before accepting a pat on the back. And right now, they were a long way from home and dry.
Chapter 31 – Hollywood
It hadn’t taken long at all to get back into driving the truck, and once he’d got his bearings and familiarised himself with the slightly different layout of switches and dials, Hollywood felt comfortable at the controls of the huge vehicle.
Since he’d done the driving course in the UK, he’d been assigned to half a dozen different bases across the world, and he’d taken every opportunity he could to get behind the wheel. Even so, it had been a while, and he kept it steady until they were on the freeway and moving away from the city lights still visible in his mirrors.
Every now and then he’d hear the murmur of voices from the sleeping quarters behind him, and the sweet sound of Roman’s giggles would come through the drawn curtain.
After one such fit of laughter, he glanced over to see Kellen staring at the closed curtain.
“She’s not what we were expecting, is she.” Kellen said quietly, just audible over the sound of the engine.
Hollywood stared at the road ahead.
“Not in the least.” He admitted. “How can you be such a devoted and loving mom, and yet be sitting not twenty feet from a couple of dozen women who are scared to death, and fearing for their very lives? Especially knowing that you have the power to do something about it?”
“Does she, though?” Kellen muttered. “Can she do anything to save those women? With that psychopathic brother of hers watching every move she makes, exactly what is it you think she can do?”
Hollywood struggled to find the words.
“She can do… well, something.” He whispered. “Maybe release one or two women when nobody is looking? I don’t know, but anything has to be better than letting them suffer like that.”
“As much as it would be great if she did, how long do you think it would be before she got caught?” Kellen asked quietly, obviously trying to keep his attention on Roman’s giggles as proof that the subject of their conversation was still occupied entertaining her son. “You saw how closely she was monitored by Ilya and that Drago character. They barely let her out of their sight. Do you think her brother would let her off with a slapped wrist if he caught her releasing the women? He’d probably throw her in with them if she tried it. Then what would happen to her kid?”
“What about the boyfriend? That Drago guy? Do you think he’d stand up for her?” Hollywood
wondered. “He’s supposed to have the brother’s ear.”
“Did you see the look in Ilya’s eyes when he was yelling?” Kellen shook his head. “He was high, man. His eyeballs were popping out and he was as agitated as fuck. Either he’d just taken something, or he was just starting to come down, but either way, he didn’t look like the sort of guy you’d want to fuck with. And that Drago dude looked like he was smart enough to know not to get on the wrong side of his boss. I’m guessing that Niko knows exactly what her brother is capable of, which is why she does what she’s told.”
Hollywood shook his head, sickened by the whole mess.
“What a fucked-up way to live.” He muttered. “What an even more fucked-up way to raise a kid.”
Kellen could only nod in agreement.
How did you live any sort of normal life with your child when you were the sister of a psychopath?
He tilted his head slightly, realising that there were no more giggling sounds coming from the back.
He glanced at Kellen and touched a finger to his lips to warn him to say no more.
“Did anyone say what time we would be stopping for food?” Kellen asked, seeming happy to change the subject completely. “My stomach thinks my throat’s been cut.”
“We’ve only been driving a couple of hours.” Hollywood grinned. “Didn’t Ilya say something about a four or five-hour journey?”
“Shit!” Kellen groaned. “Didn’t you explain to them that I was a growing boy? I need regular feeding.”
“That’s why you have a kit-bag full of snacks.” Hollywood laughed at the expression of surprise on Kellen’s face. “What? Did you think I didn’t know that? Fuck me! Everyone knows you leave half your clothes behind, so you can fill your pack with chocolate and candy bars.”
They sat in silence for all of five minutes, during which time Kellen grew increasingly twitchy, signalling to Hollywood that the guy needed a sugar fix.
Eventually, Kellen glanced at the drawn curtain.
“Do you think she’d mind if I just grabbed a few things?” He looked sheepish.
“If Roman’s asleep, why don’t you offer to trade places with her, and then you can gorge all you like.” Hollywood suggested quietly. “Just leave the curtain open so she can see you. I wouldn’t want her to get nervous about leaving her kid alone with one of us. She already thinks we’re as sick and twisted as her brother.”
“Good point, well made, my friend.” Kellen turned in his seat and saluted Hollywood formally. “Wish me luck. I’m going in.”
“Asshole!” Hollywood grinned at Kellen as he climbed over the seat.
If there was one person who was going to make this whole trip bearable, it was his long-time Texan friend.
Chapter 32 – Niko
Niko lay back on the mattress in the sleeping area and watched Roman’s eyes flicker, as he yawned widely for the last time. Tucked up comfortably in the makeshift bed Drago had set up, he looked cosy and warm, his arms tightly wrapped around the body of his teddy bear.
She had to give Roman credit for staying awake as long as he had. He’d missed his usual nap, and it was almost his normal bedtime, and there had been way more excitement than the little guy was used to.
His last few sentences before he drifted to sleep had been reduced to mumbled gibberish, but they were something to do with his newest pals, H and Ken. He obviously liked them a lot.
Niko stared at the curtain between the sleeping quarters and the driver’s seat and tried to make out what they were saying. It was almost impossible, as the loud humming of the engine drowned out all but the occasional word, leaving Niko none the wiser as to what they were talking about.
Occasionally she thought she heard them mention Ilya or Drago by name, but really, she didn’t care to hear their opinion on her brother and his side-kick. Niko was under no illusions concerning what people thought about Ilya, even ones who’d never met him before. After today’s performance by her brother, she doubted that the new guys had formed any positive opinions.
Ilya was not a nice man. It was as simple as that.
Would he have turned out any different if their parents hadn’t been killed? Probably not. Niko had long since concluded that Ilya’s illegal business activities had already been well-established long before their family had been killed. All that their deaths had done was relieved him of the burden of trying to hide it from their papa.
The tapping on the partition wall made her jump.
She sat forward and pulled the curtain back, to find Kellen crouching on the other side.
“Hi, umm, I was wondering if you wanted to trade places for a while?” He smiled sheepishly. “I can keep an eye on Roman for you. Or if you’d be more comfortable, we can both sit up front. I just need to get something out of my pack first.”
Niko looked at the guy strangely, surprised that he was acting so oddly.
“Comfortable?” She queried.
“Yeah, if you don’t want me sitting back there with Roman.” Kellen blushed. “I mean, I totally get that, since you don’t know us from Adam, and you certainly have no reason to trust us around him. I just need to get something out of my pack and then I’ll be out of your way.”
Niko looked at Hollywood and noticed he was grinning.
“Show him some mercy, would you?” He glanced back at Niko. “The asshole thinks he’s dying of starvation, when he’s really just looking for a sugar fix, and the nearest candy is in his pack.”
Niko looked at Kellen’s pleading face and took pity on him.
“It’s Ok, you can come back here.” She smiled. “There’s even a TV back here and an old DVD player. I brought a bunch of discs with me, but they’re all kids cartoons, I’m afraid. There are some other discs on the shelf, but they’re likely to be either in Russian, which probably won’t interest you, or porn films, which I’d rather you didn’t watch in front of my son, even if he is asleep.”
“I’ll save the porn for when I get a quiet night in with a few beers.” Kellen grinned. “Can I offer you some chocolate for giving up your space?”
Niko shook her head as she climbed into the passenger seat.
“Thanks, but I’ll pass.” She smiled. “I don’t have much of a tolerance for sugar.”
Kellen stared at her as if she was some kind of freak before he headed into the back. Sure enough, she watched him dip his hand into a pocket of his pack and pull out several chocolate bars. When he’d retrieved his phone and some earphones, he settled back where she could clearly see him, opening wrappers and munching away.
“Does he really have that much of a sweet tooth?” She asked, looking over at Hollywood.
Hollywood chuckled and shook his head.
“He does always carry a stack of candy with him wherever he goes.” He admitted. “But what I think he suffers from, is a very low boredom threshold. So, whenever he gets bored, he thinks he needs to eat something.”
“Then he must have a super-fast metabolism to be able to eat so much crap.” Niko shook her head. “He’s just eaten more than a thousand calories in less than two minutes, and he’s still got more in his hand.”
“We’ve always had very physical jobs.” Hollywood shrugged. “You burn off more than you can take in most of the time.”
“That was before you left the military, right?” Niko turned sideways so she could watch him carefully. “How long ago was that?”
At first, she thought he was going to clam up, but after a few seconds, he shrugged as though telling her wasn’t going to make a difference.
“We got out last year. I guess we’d both lost the appetite for putting our lives on the line, for causes we either didn’t understand or agree with.” He admitted. “We were offered jobs working for an independent crew, and the money was too good to turn down.”
“The people who are arranging the auction for my brother?” Niko clarified. “They’re the crew you work for?”
“Indirectly, yes.” Hollywood nodded. “They contract
us out for the right price.”
“And how much did they tell you about what the job entails?” She asked, wondering exactly how much these men knew about Ilya’s business.
“You’re asking me whether I know what’s in the back of the truck, right?” He glanced across, waiting for her to nod her head in confirmation.
“We know what the cargo is.” He confirmed, and Niko could see the muscles in his cheek tighten as he said it.
Hollywood didn’t approve. Niko’s heart leapt at the thought.
“And that doesn’t bother you?” She tested her theory.
She watched him shrug, as if it was of no importance to him.
“It’s not really something I give much thought to.” He responded. “If I don’t do this job, someone else will do it. So, I might as well earn the cash as the next guy.”
You are one lying son-of-a-bitch! Niko just about kept the words in her head, despite every temptation to spit them at the American.
Not for one minute did she believe he was unaffected by what was in the back of the truck, but he obviously didn’t think it would be a good idea for him to openly admit to it.
For all he knew, she fully supported her brother’s business activities, and would go running back to Ilya if he said anything against what they were doing.
“What do your friends think?” She asked. “You’re not all from the same backgrounds, so I wouldn’t have thought you’d have the same mind-set.”
“Honey, we’re all of one mind when it comes to doing our job.” Hollywood glanced sideways at her. “We’re here to do what we’re told, get back home, and spend our wages. We don’t make waves, and we don’t ask too many questions.”
Niko didn’t believe him for one second but decided to let the subject drop. She couldn’t really keep pushing him on it without revealing her own distaste for her brother’s activities.
“So, where exactly is it you’re from?” She asked out of curiosity. “With that Southern drawl, I’m guessing you’re not going to say Chicago.”