by I. T. Lucas
Carol should get back from visiting Ella and Vivian soon, and Lokan was conflicted whether he wanted her to be there during the questioning or not. On the one hand, Kian was more reserved around her, but on the other hand, when she was there, Lokan had to put on a polite act as well.
Maybe it was better talking to Kian man to man without bothering to hide their inner aggression or their dislike of each other.
Lokan had a healthy respect for his cousin, but that didn’t mean he liked the guy or would have enjoyed spending time with him if their circumstances were different. He had little patience for the holier-than-thou types, the do-gooders, the martyrs. They were all sanctimonious pricks who thought they were better than everyone else.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” he asked, not bothering to hide the sarcasm from his expression or his tone.
Kian sat on one of the armchairs and motioned for the lie detector to take the other. The guy was about to join the bodyguards at the dining table, and he cast an apologetic glance at them before doing as Kian commanded.
“Carol came to see me this morning and reminded me of the dirt you have on Gorchenco. You promised to share it with me.”
So, going to visit her transitioning friend had been an excuse to see Kian without telling him. They’d agreed that Lokan would be the one outlining the plan for Kian. What had prompted her to jump the gun?
Perhaps Carol had acted on impulse. She was eager to tell Kian her plan, and the truth was that time was running out.
“I assume Carol told you her idea of using the Russian to get her to the island?”
“She did, and I have to admit that it’s not a bad one. I’ll discuss it with Turner and see how we can tweak it.”
Lokan’s gut twisted. He hadn’t expected Kian to agree so readily, and now that it seemed likely that Carol was going, he wanted to stop her. “Faking her own death might be impossible, and I doubt she can fake a disability that would disqualify her from working in the brothel. Unless these two conditions are met, she can’t go.”
Kian nodded. “She is going to talk to our clan doctor. We will know soon enough if either can be done.”
“There is another problem. How is she going to get into the harem without my help?”
Kian raised a brow. “I thought you two had discussed it. She said you can call the person in charge of assigning people to the harem and ask him for a favor.”
“That’s news to me. Originally, I planned on doing it in person. I didn’t consider a phone call.”
Kian looked surprised. “I guess Carol filled in the blanks on her own. But can you do it over the phone?”
“What reason could I possibly give the guy without arousing suspicion?”
“You’re doing a favor for Gorchenco. After all, you worked with him in the past and he is an important client as well as the Brotherhood’s arms supplier. You want to keep him happy and feel that he owes you a favor. The story can be that he felt guilty about abandoning his lover on the island and asked you to find her a cushy job where she wasn’t going to be bothered by other men.”
“Not bad. This could work. How are we going to get her out, though?”
Kian shook his head. “I thought you were the mastermind behind this plan, but I see it was indeed Carol. Her idea was to have Gorchenco come back for her the same day she fakes her death. When he asks for her and is told that she died, he demands to take her body back home for a proper burial.”
The woman was brilliant. How come he hadn’t thought of that? Maybe because subconsciously he didn’t want her to go.
“So, it all depends on the doctor now.”
Kian nodded. “And on what you have on Gorchenco. With the amount of cooperation we expect to get from him, the dirt you have on him needs to be the size of a mountain.”
Lokan chuckled. “Almost. But as we’ve discussed, I expect something in return for this information.”
“Isn’t the safety of your mate enough?”
Lokan pinned Kian with a level stare. “The safest thing for my mate is not to go on this mission, and if unavoidable, to have me accompany her. Gorchenco is an awkward workaround. I understand why you don’t trust me, but you are endangering Carol by choosing a roundabout route.”
Kian grimaced. “I know that. But there is no way I’m letting you go.”
“Why? I don’t know any more now than I knew before. I don’t know where you’re hiding. You are not risking anything or anyone other than Carol, and we are both agreed that having me go with her is much safer than using Gorchenco.”
“You know our faces, and that’s plenty.”
There was no reasoning with the guy, and the truth was that there was something to his claim. Lokan had seen the goddess. He knew what she looked like. But then Navuh had met her in person. It had been thousands of years ago, but the goddess probably still looked the same now as she did then.
“You’re making a mistake, but since I can’t convince you, here is what I want in exchange for the information on Gorchenco. I understand that you have a gym and a swimming pool down here. I want to be allowed to use them and any other recreational facilities you have here, with Guardian supervision of course.”
Kian nodded. “I can do that. But I’ll leave it up to Arwel which recreational facilities he feels comfortable taking you to.”
It wasn’t much, but that was all he could ask for. Getting out of the fucking cell would be a big improvement for sure. Besides, he might get the opportunity to steal a tool to somehow open the cuffs.
“That’s acceptable.”
“So what do you have on the Russian that’s so big?”
“A nuclear submarine. He stole one, and if Putin ever finds out, Gorchenco is a dead man despite how chummy those two are.”
The redhead Guardian whistled. “That’s huge.”
“How did he steal a submarine?” Kian asked. “And why?”
“I don’t have the details, but it was done in cahoots with the crew. A fake accident of some sort. And the why is quite obvious. He wants to sell it for a shitload of money. That’s how I know about it. Unfortunately, the Brotherhood is strapped for cash at the moment, and we couldn’t afford it. It’s a great weapon to have. I’m sure many would want to lay their hands on it, but only a handful can afford it. Also, there is the problem of operating it. Whoever buys it will have to hire the Russian crew as well.”
“Do you know where it is?”
Lokan smirked. “I do. He took me to see it using a smaller submarine.”
“What if he’s moved it since?”
“Not likely. There aren’t many places you can hide a submarine and also bring buyers to inspect it.”
“What if he’s sold it?”
“Then we are screwed, but I doubt that he did. The asking price is one hundred thirty billion dollars.”
Kian’s eyes widened. “Billion? Not million?”
“Billion. If the Iranians and Saudis turn him down, as a last resort he might offer it to the Chinese, but he is reluctant to approach them. They will reverse engineer it and build a fleet of them, and that’s dangerous.”
Kian snorted. “As if selling the sub to the Iranians or Saudis is not. Besides, the Chinese already have nuclear submarines.”
“Not like this one.”
40
Syssi
Syssi’s plan to get the pregnancy tests on her way back home wasn’t going to work. By lunchtime, she could wait no longer. Surviving five more hours seemed impossible.
Dropping her phone in her purse, she walked into Amanda’s office. “I’m going to Macy’s. I should be back in an hour or so.”
Amanda waved a dismissive hand. “Take as long as you want. We had two cancelations for today. Although I don’t understand the rush. It’s not like you’re going to find anything exciting at freaking Macy’s.”
“I’m not looking for anything fancy. I need a few T-shirts and leggings for hanging around the house, but if I wait for after work, all t
he good stuff is going to get snatched up. It’s a huge sale. Half off on all previously discounted items.”
Mentioning the sale served two purposes. For starters, it guaranteed that Amanda would not offer to join her, and secondly, it would explain the anxious scent Syssi was no doubt emitting. Her sister-in-law would assume that it was about those items about to get snatched up by other shoppers.
Amanda’s smile covered a thinly veiled disgust. “Have fun.”
“I will.”
Not likely.
Syssi was so nervous that she almost bumped into another car while pulling out. Casting the driver an apologetic glance, she left the university’s parking lot at the most reasonable speed she could muster.
There was a pharmacy less than a five-minute drive away, but she opted to stop at the one near the mall. Fewer chances of anyone she knew seeing her checking out the contraband.
Armed with ten kits and two magazines to cover the stash, she stood in line and nervously waited her turn.
Scanning the items, the cashier smiled at her with an empathetic expression on her kind face. “Good luck.”
“Thank you.”
“Would you like a bag for your items?”
“Yes, please.”
In her car, Syssi took out one of the kits and put it in her purse. Doing the test in Macy’s ladies room was gross, but she just couldn’t wait a moment longer.
The ten minutes it had taken her to drive to the mall, park the car, and walk into the department store’s restrooms were the longest she’d ever experienced.
Thankfully, the family room was vacant, and she snuck into it, quickly closing the door behind her before anyone noticed that she didn’t have a child with her.
Her hands shook as she tore the wrapping off, and as she sat on the toilet, nothing happened. She was too nervous to pee.
Taking a deep breath, Syssi imagined sitting on a sandy beach and watching the incoming tide lapping gently at the shore.
A few moments later she finally managed to pee on the stick, then held it in front of her and waited. This was supposed to be the best kit on the market, with the most accurate and fastest results. The only negatives she’d read were women complaining about false positives, but the vast majority of reviewers were happy with its accuracy and speed.
When the faint pink line appeared next to the solid pink marker, Syssi got lightheaded, praying she wasn’t one of the few who’d gotten a false positive.
Just to make sure, she pulled out another stick and forced a few more drops of urine out, then she waited again.
Another faint pink line appeared.
Oh, my God. I’m pregnant.
41
Kian
“I’m calling Turner,” Kian said as he and the brothers boarded the Lexus. “He’s not going to believe it. In fact, I won’t believe it until I have proof, and I mean photos of the fucking submarine.”
“Why would he invent a story like that?” Anandur asked. “He knows we are going to verify it.”
“That’s why I need to call Turner. He can send someone to do it for us.” He dialed the number.
“What’s up, Kian?”
“A nuclear submarine.”
“That would be down, not up.”
Kian chuckled. “When you’re right you’re right. Anyway, that’s the dirt Lokan has on Gorchenco. The guy stole a nuclear sub and is trying to sell it for the most impressive amount of one hundred and thirty billion dollars. I wondered why he would risk Putin’s wrath, but for that amount he can buy a country. Isn’t Venezuela for sale?”
“It’s bankrupt, but I don’t think a hundred and thirty billion would be enough to bail it.”
“Joking aside, I need that verified. Lokan claims that Gorchenco approached him about it, but it was too pricey for the Brotherhood, so he had to turn the offer down.”
“What makes him think that the sub is still where he saw it last? Gorchenco might have moved it or sold it.”
“I said the same thing, but Lokan is betting that it’s still there, and he gave me the location. I need you to arrange for someone to take pictures of it, or better yet make a video, preferably showing an identifiable location marker. Naturally, it’s submerged.”
“How deep?”
“Lokan said that he was taken to see it in a smaller sub, so it must be too deep for divers. Can you get your hands on a private sub?”
“I know someone who has one. It’s the newest toy of the super-rich. But it’s not a quick in and out. It will take time to transport it to the location.”
“That’s a problem because we are running out of time.”
“Time for what?”
“Carol came up with a plan that might actually work if Bridget finds a way for her to fake her own death. Her idea is for Gorchenco to take her to the island as his escort. After a day or two, they stage a fight, and he leaves her there. She fakes a disability that makes her unattractive for the brothel. Lokan makes a phone call to the guy in charge of supplying servants to the harem, asking him to get her assigned there. His excuse is that Gorchenco asked him to find her a job where she won’t be hit on by other guys. Once in the harem, she investigates and communicates her findings with Lokan via dream-sharing. With that done, she fakes her own death, and when they take her out in a casket, Gorchenco comes back to collect her. When he is told that she is dead, he demands to take her body back home for burial.”
“Carol came up with this on her own?”
“Surprising, I know. But since Lokan was missing half of the details, it couldn’t have been him. It’s all hers.”
“Impressive, but it needs work.”
“And it depends on us verifying that Gorchenco has the submarine, obtaining proof of it, finding a way to get in touch with him, and then getting him to cooperate.”
“You mentioned a time constraint. How long do we have?”
“Lokan is due for his mandatory conference with Navuh in twenty days. After that, he won’t be able to make calls and ask for things because he will be presumed dead, or a defector. Incorporating even a modest margin for error, that doesn’t leave us much time at all.”
“What else is new? I’ll start working on it tonight. In a day or two, I should know if it’s at all feasible. I’ll also run it by Bridget and see if she has any ideas about the fake disability and death. There is no point in wasting time and resources on this until we know that it is all doable.”
“Regardless of Carol’s plan, we need proof of the submarine’s existence to get Gorchenco off Ella’s back.”
“How can we prove that Gorchenco was the one who stole it? Even if we have physical proof of it, he can claim that he is not involved and that someone else did it.”
“Good point. Maybe we can track the smaller submarine to him. You said that it’s a rich boys’ toy. Gorchenco either bought or borrowed it or maybe even rented it. There will be a record of that and where he took it. I think that, together with physical proof of the big sub, will be enough to tie him to its theft. It’s not like we need to prove it in a court of law. Plausible suspicion will do.”
“I’ll get on it.” Turner chuckled. “I can’t believe the balls on that guy. And I also can’t believe that I’m going to have to cooperate with the man who violated my daughter-in-law. I should kill him once this is done. Ella’s gut feeling to spare his life was probably about him helping us infiltrate the island, and there is no need for him to keep on breathing after that.”
“Unless that’s not it at all. My wife keeps telling me that premonitions are tricky and can’t be trusted because you can never know the when and where, and sometimes not even the what.”
“Unfortunately, she is right. I’ll go with my own gut feeling. If after this is done I still want to end Gorchenco, I will.”
42
Syssi
Too excited to go back to work, nervous, elated, and a thousand other emotions coursing through her, Syssi called Amanda.
“How are things in the l
ab?”
“It’s a slow day. Why? Are you finding good deals?”
Amanda must have detected the excitement in her voice.
“I’m done, but I want to go home and try on the stuff I bought.” Hopefully, her sister-in-law would assume that this was what she was excited about. “Besides, I’m not in the mood to get back to the lab. If that’s okay with you, I would like to take the afternoon off.”
“You don’t have to ask.” Amanda chuckled. “Your hubby finances my lab. So, it’s not like I’m your boss. It’s more like the other way around.”
“The clan finances your research, not Kian, and last I checked I wasn’t a council member.”
“Semantics. Anyway, enjoy your afternoon off.”
“Thanks.”
Syssi felt bad about lying to Amanda, but the first one to hear the news had to be Kian.
Except, what if the tests were false positives?
The prudent thing to do before running to Kian with the news would have been having Bridget do a proper test, but then he would not have been the first one to know.
As it was, Syssi felt guilty about not sharing her suspicions with him and not having him present when she did the test. It had been such a struggle between wanting to share everything with her mate and sparing him unnecessary anguish.
Kian was always so stressed out, and Syssi didn’t want to be the source of more pressure. She was supposed to be the island of calm where he escaped the storm.
When she got home, Okidu rushed out of his room and bowed. “Good afternoon, mistress.” He reached for her shopping bags. “You are home early today.”
“Yes. I went shopping.” She'd grabbed a few items without even trying them on, just so her shopping excuse wouldn't be a complete lie.
“Splendid. Let me put those away in the closet.”
“Thank you.”
Luckily, Okidu’s programming wasn’t sensitive enough to pick up on her excited mood.
A moment later he returned and bowed again. “May I serve you an early dinner, mistress?”