KILTED DESIRE 2 - Russian Roulette

by A. B. McKINLEY

  “Latvia is the probably the next closest country, it’s North West, I’d guess aboot three hundred miles.”

  “Aye, I was thinking that. It’s a European Union country, so I know we’d get in okay withoot a visa. Plus Alexei, would nae need one either. I’m just nae sure whether Kyle would need one, having a U.S. Passport.”

  I’m nae sure, Scott”

  “Actually, I dinnae think he will. Aye, Latvia is going tae be our best bet. I doot if they will think we’ll head that way.”

  It was decided that Latvia would be their destination. It was a small country and Scott knew that its capital, Riga, had a decent size international airport. They’d be able to safely get a flight from there.

  Chapter 21

  As they left the streets of Moscow behind them, Scott knew he needed to reach Tiffany and her parents. More than seven long hours had passed, since their money would have disappeared from the account. He knew that she and the others would be frantic. Plus, they would be concerned and confused when the money mysteriously reappeared. With everything that transpired, he just never had a moment or chance to call. Now, that they were on the correct road that would lead them to Latvia, Russia’s M9, Scott finally started to relax a little. He turned to Kyle.

  “I’m going tae call yer family Kyle. I know yer Mom wants tae talk tae yer.”

  “Great, but first, can you tell me what has been going on? Who was that guy in the room and how did he know so many things about me?”

  “Och it’s a long story. Briefly, yer Mom and Dad were worried aboot yer taking a trip tae Russia. So, they contacted me and asked me fer some advice.”

  “Why you?”

  “One of yer Dad’s friends knows me. I recently looked after his daughter in Iraq.”

  “So, that is how you know my family. Who was that guy in the hotel?”

  “That was Tom Schultz. I advised yer parent’s that it would be wise if yer had some form of protection on yer trip as yer were going tae an unstable area.”

  “Yeah, I remember them suggesting that. But, I told them no!”

  “Aye, I know. That’s why we had Tom tail yer tae make sure yer were okay. He is one of the people I have trusted the most and he was the one who set yer up. I’m sorry Kyle, it’s my fault yer were in this mess.”

  “My parent’s lied to me! And then went behind my back.”

  “So, that Tom guy was watching Kyle and me all last week?!” Alexei said, in shock.

  “Aye, he was.”

  “You didn’t say anything to me about that, Scott.”

  “We’ll explain everything properly when we’re oot of here safely. Just concentrate on the road, Alexei.”

  “I can’t believe my parents did that. Why do they always have to interfere?”

  “They’re guid people, Kyle. They were just worried aboot yer. They thought they were doing the reet thing and so did I. Dinnae be too hard on them.”

  “I know. It’s just irritating sometimes. I’m just really glad to be going home. So, why did you send that Tom guy and not do it yourself?”

  “I got badly injured last year. I’m nae in the best physical shape at the moment.”

  “Holy crap! What are you like when you’re in shape? It’s been like watching James Bond over the last few hours.” Alexei said, briefly glancing at Scott and taking his eyes off the road. Chris started to laugh, Kyle smiled too. But, he was still trying to work things out in his mind.

  “So, are you in the military or something?”

  “I’m former British Special Forces, Kyle. Have yer ever heard of the S.A.S.?”

  “Yes, I have heard of it. But, I don’t know too much about it.”

  “Google it when yer get home. Chris is a former military man too, from an elite unit.”

  “I still can’t believe this is happening,” Kyle said, as he looked at Chris.

  “Dinnae worry lad. Yer’ll be haem soon,” Chris reassured him.

  “So, I’m calling yer family Kyle. Are yer ready tae talk tae them?” Scott asked, pulling out his phone and turning it on.

  “Yes, of course.”

  Scott dialed the number. It only rang once before Tiffany answered.

  “Scott, is that you?”

  “Aye Tiff, dinnae worry. We have Kyle, he’s safe and he’s unharmed. Although he does need a shave and he does nae smell very guid.”

  “Kyle’s safe!” Tiffany said, sounding relieved, obviously talking to other people who were gathered around the phone. Scott heard lots of screams and shouts from the other end of the phone before she continued talking.

  “What happened, Scott? I thought you were going to call as soon as you had him. The money disappeared hours ago. We were all freaking out.”

  “I know, I’m sorry. Things did nae exactly go smoothly. But, we’re all okay.”

  “Mom desperately wants to talk to Kyle. She’s going to have a heart attack in a minute. Can you put him on so she can hear his voice?”

  “Aye, here he is,” Scott replied, as he passed the phone over to Kyle. The young man talked to various people for about ten minutes before handing the phone back to Scott.

  “My sister wants to talk to you.”

  Scott took the phone and sat back in his seat.

  “Hey Tiff, are yer all happy now?”

  “Yeah, so what happened? Kyle said there was shooting and you’re driving to Latvia, where’s that?”

  “It’s a long story. I will explain everything properly when we get back. We are heading tae Latvia. We’re going tae try and get a flight from Riga. We’ll call when we get there because we’re probably going tae need yer tae buy tickets.”

  “Okay, why are you going there?”

  “Tiff just trust me. Dinnae say anything tae the others, especially yer Mom, but we’re nae completely oot of the woods yet. There could still be bad guys after us. Tell yer Dad tae go back in tae the account he set up.”

  “Right now?”

  “Aye, it’s important.”

  The phone went quiet for a few seconds.

  “Scott, he is doing it now.”

  “Reet, is all the money back?”

  Again, it was quiet for a few seconds. Scott could hear talking in the background, but he couldn’t make out what was being said.

  “Yes, it’s all back, how on earth did you do that?”

  “I’ll explain everything when I can. Tell yer Dad tae make sure he moves that money oot of there and in tae another account reet away. Then, tell him tae close it doon, and talk tae his friend at the bank. See if he can delete all records of it. Make it like that account did nae ever exist.”

  “Okay, I’ll tell him.”

  “Guid, I have tae go now, the battery life is getting low on the phone. We’ll call yer again in a few hoors.”

  “Okay Scott. Please be careful. I miss you. Bye.”

  “Bye.”

  It remained pretty quiet in the car for the next few hours. It was long straight road and it was a boring drive. Scott and Chris took turns driving to give Alexei a break, and after few hours on the road they started to see signs for the Latvian border.

  “It is a few miles afore we get tae the border. We’re going tae have tae dump these weapons. If they search the car and find them we could have trouble.” Scott announced, breaking the silence.

  It wasn’t an ideal situation; but Scott realized they didn’t really have a choice. When they were a few miles from the border, they pulled over and threw the weapons into the dense vegetation that lined the road. It was a risk, but it was one they needed to take. If the word spread through the Mafia organization about the killings at the farm-house and their escape, they could be in trouble. Especially as they knew that some of Russia’s border control were mob members. As they approached the border they entered a long line of stationary vehicles, mainly big semi-trucks.

  They waited patiently, everyone in the car was a little nervous as they approached the check-point. It took nearly two hours for them to get near the fr
ont of the line. Scott could see it was a fairly small border-post and there appeared to be very few guards working. From what he could see, the guards quickly checked papers and waved the vehicles through. Alexei was again at the wheel, when an armed guard approached. Alexei gave the guard their passports and visas. He looked at the passports briefly and gave them back before he lifted the barrier and waved them through. He wasn’t interested in the visas at all. The two British and one American passport hadn’t aroused any interest.

  “Well, that was much easier than I thought!” Alexei said, as he handed the documents to Scott who was in the front passenger’s seat.

  “Aye, hopefully we’re guid now. We’ve still got tae clear the Latvian side of the border. But, I think we’re okay.” Scott replied.

  There was a sense of relief in the car as they joined another line of traffic that led to Latvian check-point. This line was shorter as the road split into three lanes, there were more buildings and many more guards. As they approached, Scott could see they were in for a more thorough inspection. It was going to prove harder to get into a country than to get out of one, he thought. As they pulled to the front of the line an armed border guard approached. Once again, Alexei handed him the passports. He looked at them for a while, turned the passport pages and carefully looked at the pictures, then peered into the car and looked at all of them.

  “Ah British and American, why you come to Latvia from Russia?” he said, in broken English looking through the car at Scott. He seemed friendly enough.

  “We’re just heading tae Riga tae catch a flight tae London. We’ll only be in yer country fer a few hoors.”

  “Ah London, okay wait here,” he said, and disappeared into the large building with all of their passports.

  “He seemed cheerful enough! Do yer think he understood what yer said?” Chris asked.

  “I’ve nae idea, but he did seem quite friendly. I dinnae think he’s seen many British and American passports afore.”

  “He didn’t say anything to you Alexei. He kind of looked straight through you. What was all that about?” Kyle asked.

  “I don’t think they like Russians too much,” he answered.

  “Up until fairly recently, Latvia was a part of the Soviet Union. It was less than twenty years ago that they gained their independence. There’s people here that dinnae like the Russians,” Scott said, as he turned and looked at Kyle.

  Just after Scott finished talking, he noticed the guard coming back. He came to the passenger’s side of the car and handed the passports to Scott.

  “Have a good journey,” he said, smiling.

  Scott thanked him and Alexei drove slowly through the border and into Latvia. Scott checked the passports; all of them were stamped. It had gone smoother than any of them could have imagined. Riga was about a hundred and fifty miles away. In a few hours, they would be at the airport, and would then be able to get their flights arranged. Scott finally tried to relax, now that they were in a EU country. It was highly unlikely they would experience any further trouble.

  He was physically exhausted. All the excitement over the last few hours coupled with the fact that he hadn’t really slept properly for a week was beginning to take its toll on him. Mentally he was drained too, so many things had happened that were bothering him and he couldn’t get those thoughts out of his head. All he wanted to do was sleep, but he couldn’t, there was still work to do.

  It was early Saturday evening when they arrived in Riga. They quickly located the airport, and left the car in the large parking lot which was about half full. The airport was not particularly busy and soon after they were inside, they found the British Airways desk. The lady at the desk told them they could book a flight to Los Angeles. They needed to stop and change planes in London and the last minute, one-way prices were expensive. The first flight to London left in two hours. Scott called Tiffany.

  “Hey Tiffany, we’re at the airport in Latvia. I’m pretty sure we’re safe now,” he said quietly.

  “That’s great! Everyone here is looking forward to seeing all of you.”

  “We can book flights from here tae get back tae L.A. Can yer give them a credit card number if I pass yer over tae the lady at the desk.”

  “Of course, I will speak with her.”

  Scott passed the phone to the customer service lady who spoke with Tiffany for a while, before she handed the phone back to him.

  “It’s all done sir, I’m just printing your tickets now,” she said, smiling.

  “Thanks, Chris, hang on tae the tickets when she gets them,” Scott said, to his friend. He walked a few steps away from the desk and put the cell phone back to his ear.

  “Thanks Tiff, we’ll be back tomorrow. The flight tae London goes later tonight then we have a few hoors tae wait afore we leave fer L.A. With the time difference we should be with yer tomorrow afternoon.”

  “I’ll be at the airport to meet you. I know Mom and Dad will be too. Thank you so much for this Scott. I don’t know how any of us will ever be able to re-pay you.”

  “It’s fine. Look I’m really tired. I have tae go and find a place tae have a rest. I will see yer tomorrow, we’ll talk then.”

  Scott felt guilty. He was feeling responsible for everything that had happened. It was his misguided trust in Tom that placed everyone in danger. He wasn’t sure how any of the Robinson’s would react, including Tiffany, when they found out all of the details. But, for now there was nothing he could do apart from rest. They were all extremely tired. So, after they received their tickets and made their way to the correct gate to wait for the flight, they all slumped down into their chairs and waited for their flight number to be called.

  Chapter 22

  The flight to London went smoothly, there were no further troubles. Even though he was sure they were safe, and he was exhausted, Scott was still unable to sleep. There wasn’t enough time for them to go to a hotel in London, but they managed to get cleaned up in the bathrooms at Heathrow. They also enjoyed a hot breakfast and rested for a while before they departed and were in the air again, heading for Los Angeles.

  Scott asked Chris if he even wanted to go back to California. He could have made a much shorter trip up to Glasgow. Chris declined, telling him that he wanted to see the job through to the end. Plus, there were a number of his things left at the house in Montecito which he needed to get. He was in no rush to get home. He didn’t really have anything to get back for. When he eventually got back to his IT job, it was going to seem pretty lame after the last few days of intrigue and excitement. He did mention that he needed to be back in Scotland by Friday, since it was his weekend to have his kids.

  As the long flight neared its end, Scott sat and watched movies, none of which he was all that interested in. He tried but could not keep his eyes closed. Chris was seated next to him. Alexei and Kyle sat together directly behind them. Both of them were fast asleep.

  “I’m sorry fer getting yer involved in this, Chris.”

  “Yer kidding, reet? I actually enjoyed it. Well apart from the time where I thought we were in big trouble. I did nae care much fer being a hostage. I’m glad it did nae last long.”

  “I’m going tae pretty much head straight back tae Ohio, after we get Kyle haem. I need tae rest properly, and get back tae work. That is, if I still have a job. I’m sure they’ll ask yer tae stay on in California fer a few days, since yer do nae need tae be haem until Friday. That will be guid fer yer.”

  “I’m sure they’ll want yer tae stay too Scott. Yer just saved their son’s life.”

  “Och, it was me who put him in danger in the first place. I’ll come tae the house and have a final briefing with Jim and yer guys. But, then I’m going tae leave fer haem.”

  “It wasn’t yer fault mate. They are nae going tae blame yer fer trusting a friend.”

  “Aye, we’ll see.”

  The plane landed on time in sunny California, and it didn’t take long before the guys were off the flight and walking through the
airport. As promised there were a few people there to meet them. Jim and Linda ran to Kyle and hugged him. He was pleased to see them too. Katy was there, she hugged Kyle when her parent’s finished with him. Scott walked a few steps behind Kyle. He was welcomed with many kisses and hugs from Tiffany, before she turned her attention to her little brother. The emotional reunion went on for a few minutes before Jim mentioned that he had two large luxury cars outside that were waiting to take them to his house. Within a few minutes they were on the way, being whisked back up the California coast, in comfort.

  Ninety minutes later, the two cars pulled onto the Robinson’s driveway. Kyle especially, was relieved to be home. When they all got inside Scott was formally introduced to Katy and her husband Josh, and to Bill and Sue Parnell. He said a quick hello to Britney too. She seemed pleased to see him. And, Scott got the impression that she wanted to talk to him, he didn’t really want to talk, though. Scott was happy that Kyle was home, but he wasn’t really in the mood for a party.

  Scott asked Jim if they might go somewhere in private so he could go through a few things with him. A few minutes later, Jim sat down in his office with all four of the returned men. For about half an hour, Scott briefed Jim about everything. He explained in detail, everything that happened over the last few days.

  “So, what do you think will happen to Tom?” Jim asked.

  “I have nae idea, Jim. He could be in a Moscow jail, fer all we know. Either that, or he’s going tae be in trouble with the Mafia.”

  “Do you think he’ll come back here, to cause trouble?”

  “Nae, I dinnae think he will.”

  “Very good. So, could anything that happened over there have any repercussions for us?” Jim’s questions continued.

  “Again, I dinnae think so. We covered our tracks quite well. But, it will nae hurt to be extra vigilant fer a while.”

  “Okay, Scott.”

  Scott turned to Alexei. He felt bad he suspected the young man, when he was completely innocent.