“Any chance you know a place with a big blue door?” Decklan asked.
“Ah, as a matter of fact I do,” the taxi driver responded, to Decklan’s surprise.
Decklan couldn’t believe that actually worked. What were the chances the one taxi he got in had a driver who spoke English and knew exactly where he needed to go?
“That’s great. That is where I need to go, please,” Decklan said.
“Yes sir, we are about fifteen kilometers away,” he replied.
Although Decklan was fully American, which meant he was used to the empirical system, he understood the metric system well enough. Something he could attribute to his military days, like most other things in his life. So he knew they were about ten miles away, which could still take them an hour or more with the way traffic was moving…or not moving.
Just like he guessed, it was an hour later before they arrived.
“Here you go, Mr. Vacation,” the taxi driver said, laughing. “The blue door is up those stairs.”
Decklan laughed as well.
“Thank you,” he replied, handing the taxi driver a nice tip, grabbing his bag, and getting out of the car. He shut the door behind him, and the taxi driver drove back into traffic.
Decklan found himself standing in front of two large buildings with a narrow staired alley splitting the middle. He slung his bag over his right shoulder and headed up the stairs. After walking up about thirty steps, he finally saw the blue door.
“Holy shit, Parker wasn’t kidding,” Decklan said out loud, even though no one was around.
He was looking at a door so blue it looked like it was cut from the sky.
Not exactly inconspicuous. No wonder the taxi driver knew what I was talking about.
He stepped up to the door and knocked just like his brother had instructed.
Knock, knock…one…two…Knock, knock…one…two…Knock, knock…one…two…
Nobody answered. Decklan didn’t know what to do now. Parker hadn’t told him what to do if the guy didn’t answer the first time. So he assumed just to do it again.
Knock, knock…one…two…Knock, knock…one…two…Knock, knock…one…two…
He heard something inside. Footsteps moving across the floor. They moved carefully, like someone who wasn’t expecting a guest.
“Name?” a deep, raspy voice asked from the other side.
“Decklan.”
“Last name?” the voice asked again.
“Jennings,” Decklan answered.
“Why the hell are you at my door?”
“You know my brother, Parker Jennings. You were in the academy together.”
The door slowly opened and the raspy voice replied, “Inside, quickly!”
Decklan stepped inside as instructed, and heard the door shut and lock behind him. He turned around to see who this man was. He was looking at a middle-aged man with a greying beard and hair to match. He stood about six foot even and looked to weigh around two twenty-five to two-thirty. He had broad shoulders and a rugged face to match his voice. Decklan reached out his hand to properly introduce himself. “Nice to meet you, and thank you for the help.”
The man extended the courtesy in return. “Nice to meet you as well. The name’s Theodore Scott, but most people just call me Teddy.”
Decklan felt the rough calloused hands of Teddy, which didn’t surprise him, seeing that he seemed like one tough son of a bitch.
“I don’t usually ask these things, and quite honestly, I don’t usually give a shit, but it seems you’ve traveled a long way for something. What brings you all the way to this part of the world?” Teddy asked.
At this point, Decklan didn’t see much point in trying to lie or hide why he was here. After all, Teddy was going to be the only person he could trust while he was in Moscow. The least he could do was fill the guy in.
“Parker didn’t tell you anything?” Decklan asked, trying to see if he already knew.
“Not a word. Just said his big brother needed some gear and a place to stay,” Teddy said.
“Long story short, I’m here to kill the man who is responsible for killing my entire family as well as one of my friends.”
Teddy slowly nodded his head, not showing any facial expressions. Most people would be blown away by something like this, but this guy was clearly battle worn.
“I see. And what makes you think this guy is the one responsible?” Teddy asked.
“I know he killed my friend because it happened right in front of me in my own house, and as far as my family goes, let’s just say I figured it out.”
Decklan didn’t feel like going into details about having held the exact gun that he saw on the tape or about the tattoo on Vladimir’s wrist. He figured it would be easier to leave it vague.
“Got it. I know it’s none of my business, but I have seen a lot of men trying to seek some kind of revenge over the years, and it almost always turns out badly,” Teddy said.
“Doesn’t matter to me,” Decklan replied. “I don’t have anyone to go home to and I’m well aware of the risk I am taking.”
“Understood.” Teddy said in agreement. “So what equipment do you need?”
“I guess that all depends on what you have,” Decklan replied.
Teddy smirked, “Follow me. I think you’re going to like this.”
Decklan followed him down a back hallway, through a door, and down some stairs that led into some kind of basement, even though it looked more like a damn bunker for the apocalypse. Teddy walked over to a brick wall, or so it appeared to be. He pushed one of the bricks and the wall began to open, turning like a revolving door leading into a fancy hotel. Once it stopped, they both walked in. Decklan looked around and couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“Jesus, Teddy! You’ve got enough firepower down here to supply a small army,” Decklan said. “What exactly are you preparing for?”
Teddy laughed. “Just some toys I’ve collected over the years. What can I say? I like guns.”
Decklan looked over at him and repeated himself. “What are you preparing for?”
“Nothing, really. But I have lived here long enough to know it’s better to be over-prepared, because the opposite can result in death. There are a lot of powerful and dangerous people here, Decklan. But I’m sure you already know that, considering you’re here to hunt one of them down,” Teddy said.
“Good point. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last month it’s that shit can hit the fan any second…and it usually does,” Decklan said.
He continued looking around and taking in the spectacle that was Teddy’s armory. It looked like something straight out of a James Bond movie. He had handguns, rifles, shotguns, grenades, and even a freaking rocket launcher.
“What the hell do you need this for?” Decklan asked, pointing to the RPG.
“Ah, that’s my baby right there. You can’t tell from the condition it’s in, but that beauty has helped me get out of a few sticky situations over the years. Just send a couple of those through a door and anyone inside doesn’t stand a chance,” Teddy said.
Decklan was quickly starting to realize that this guy might have a couple of screws loose. He lived in the middle of Russia by himself and had enough guns and explosives to kill a hundred men if he needed to. Hell, who knew, maybe he already had. All Decklan knew was that this guy was his best chance of finding and killing Vladimir.
“I have a question for you, Teddy,” Decklan said.
“Sure thing, kid. Shoot!” Teddy replied.
Decklan thought it was interesting Teddy referred to him as kid even though they were probably less than fifteen years apart in age. However, this guy seemed to have lived five lifetimes already.
“You have lived here for several years, so I was wondering if the name Vladimir Ivanov means anything to you?”
Teddy shot Decklan a concerned glare. “Of course, I know the name. Everyone in Moscow knows the nam
e.”
“Any idea where I could find him?”
“As a matter of fact, yes. But please don’t tell me he’s the guy you came all this way to kill?” Teddy said, already knowing the answer.
“I think you know the answer to that question, Teddy.”
“You are out of your fucking mind, kid! Going after him is going to get you killed. Guaranteed! I don’t care how much training you’ve had or how skilled you think you might be. Vladimir has killed a hundred men just like you,” Teddy said.
“I understand that, and I’m very aware of how dangerous he is. I have already killed several of his men and infiltrated his drug cartel back in the States, but unfortunately this is personal and I can’t let it go. I need to find him and put an end to this shit once and for all,” Decklan said firmly to make sure his point was made.
They just stood there in silence, both waiting on the other one to speak again, but it seemed that neither one of them knew what to say next. Teddy turned around, walked out of the gun room and back upstairs. Decklan wasn’t sure if he should follow him or let him cool off for a bit. Finally, he walked back upstairs to find Teddy and get the plan rolling. He walked back down the same hall and found him standing in the kitchen, holding a dark-colored drink.
Teddy looked at Decklan and raised his glass of bourbon. “Cheers.”
Decklan was a little confused. He wasn’t sure what there was to celebrate, especially after their conversation downstairs.
“What exactly are we cheering to?” Decklan asked.
“To our suicide mission, of course,” Teddy responded.
“Our mission?” Decklan said, confused.
“You heard me. We may not know each other well, but I’ll be damned if I let someone who served our great country of the United States of America walk into something like this alone. You’re going to need all the help you can get,” Teddy said.
“I can’t ask you to do that,” Decklan said. “I’m sure Parker told you, but all I need is weapons and a place to sleep.”
“No sir, you didn’t ask, and you are welcome to all the weapons and sleep you need. But like I said the first time, I am helping you whether you like it or not,” Teddy replied, while taking another sip of his bourbon. “Like you, I don’t have anyone to come home to. Everyone I have ever loved is gone from this life. The only thing I have left is helping out the good guys.”
Decklan knew there was no point in arguing so he just nodded his head in agreement. “Thank you, Teddy.”
Suddenly, Teddy’s phone rang. He took it out of his pocket, looked at the caller ID and answered. “Hey Parker, Decklan is here safe. Nothing to worry about.”
Decklan pulled his phone out to see if he had any missed calls or texts from his brother, but there was nothing. He thought it was strange that he chose to call Teddy instead, but then again, he hadn’t exactly been answering or returning his calls over the past several weeks.
Teddy looked at Decklan. “He’s right here if you want to talk to him.”
Apparently, Parker didn’t need or want to talk to Decklan because Teddy didn’t hand over the phone.
“All right. I will keep you posted,” Teddy said, and then he hung up.
Let me guess, that was Vladimir,” Decklan said sarcastically.
Teddy smirked. “Very funny, smartass. Your brother just wanted to make sure you got here safely. And I already know how your relationship is with Parker so no need telling me.”
Decklan held up his hands, indicating he understood and wouldn’t.
“So how far are we from Vladimir’s place?” Decklan asked.
“That’s kind of a tricky question. Vladimir has several places here in Moscow so he could be at any of them. However, I know for a fact that he likes to spend most of his time at his playhouse.”
“What the hell is a playhouse?” Decklan asked.
“It’s where he likes to go when he wants some company, if you catch my drift,” Teddy said, winking.
“He doesn’t have a wife or family?” Decklan asked.
“Not anymore. He lost his only child several years back in some kind of drug war,” Teddy said. “And I heard he killed his wife for cheating on him.”
Decklan’s eyebrows raised and his eyes widened. “That seems like an overreaction but doesn’t surprise me with what I’ve come to know about him.”
One thing did seem to catch Decklan’s attention, however. It seemed that everyone who had been swept up in this seemingly endless storm of chaos and death all shared something similar. They had all experienced loss in the greatest ways. He lost his entire family in one day, Langley lost his wife and son less than a year apart, and even Vladimir knew the feeling of losing a child, which was the worst and most unimaginable pain to exist, but Decklan had no sympathy.
Even Teddy was alone, although he wasn’t sure how he lost his family, and he didn’t think it was appropriate to ask. Life has a funny way of bringing people together that would have otherwise never met.
“I don’t know about you, but I would like to keep the collateral damage to a minimum. Best case scenario is no one dies except Vladimir and his guys,” Decklan said.
“Agreed,” Teddy grunted as he finished off his drink.
“This house that he likes to spend most of his time at—how far away is it?” Decklan asked.
“It’s about twenty miles north of here. I have a car, so we don’t have to take a taxi. Plus, most taxi drivers won’t get within five miles of that place. Like I said before, everyone knows Vladimir and they all fear him,” Teddy said.
“Including you?” Decklan asked, already knowing what the answer was probably going to be.
“Including me what? Scared of him? Not a fucking chance,” Teddy said with confidence. “But I respect what he is capable of and you’d be smart to do the same.”
Decklan grinned. “I like you, Teddy. You’re one of a few left of a dying breed.”
“And what breed is that?” Teddy asked.
“Tough as hell and willing to do anything to make sure the bad guys don’t win. Too many people nowadays are scared to stand up for what they believe in or stand up to the big bad bully. It’s nice to know that I’m not alone. My buddy Langley was the same way. I think you two would have got along,” Decklan said.
“If he was anything like us, then he would fit right in.” Teddy said.
Decklan knew Langley would be right here with him if he were still alive, but he was ready to see his family and he could never fault him for that.
“Just curious—do you think Vladimir would expect you to follow him here?” Teddy asked.
Decklan hadn’t thought about this, but it was a good question.
“To be honest, I’m not sure. He did leave town as soon as the fight at my house was over but that was because he would have had too much heat on him from the police if he stayed,” Decklan said. “But at the same time, he knows what he did, and he knows that I’ve been trying to take him out for weeks now. Why do you ask?”
“Because if he thinks he’s safe back here in Russia and doesn’t have to keep looking over his shoulder then his security won’t be as heavy. However, if he suspects you would follow him here then he is undoubtedly going to ramp up his security, which will make it that much harder to get to him,” Teddy said.
“Makes sense,” Decklan said. “I guess that is something we are going to have to find out the hard way.”
They exchanged looks, indicating they were both aware of this. They wouldn’t know the full force of what they were up against until they actually went looking for Vladimir. Regardless, it was going to be hard as hell, heavy security or not. It seemed Vladimir had a way of surviving, even when the odds were stacked against him, but right now, he had all the power.
Decklan looked outside and noticed it was starting to snow. Back home in South Carolina, it was starting to get chilly, but they never had to worry about snow. Moscow, however, was a completely di
fferent story. The temperatures got well into single digits and snow was inevitable during the winter months. Just one more thing to make this shit harder than it already was. Decklan wasn’t used to having to navigate through the snow or frigid temperatures, although the mountain ranges of the Middle East were known to get pretty damn cold when the sun wasn’t out to sweat you into a heatstroke.
“I assume you can work well in the snow?” Decklan asked Teddy.
“I’ve been here long enough to know how to move in it. But shit isn’t fun. The cold here is a lot different than back home,” Teddy said. “But don’t worry, I got clothes for you so you don’t freeze to death before we get started.”
Decklan laughed and was relieved Teddy wasn’t going to send him out into the frigid air in jeans and a light jacket. It never dawned on him to pack warmer clothes when he was rushing to catch the first flight out, but it didn’t matter since he didn’t own anything warm enough to make a difference.
“Why don’t you try to get some rest and we can game plan when you wake up?” Teddy said. “You look like hell.”
Decklan knew he needed rest, but probably wasn’t going to get any, even if he tried. “I’m okay. I’ll sleep when the job is done,” Decklan said, against his better judgment.
“Have it your way, kid,” Teddy replied.
They left the kitchen and went back down the same hallway—the only hallway, actually—and into a room in the back. Teddy went to the closet and started pulling out some clothes.
“Here, try these on,” Teddy said, tossing a heavy jacket and some snow pants toward Decklan.
Decklan caught them, but they had more weight than he expected. “Shit! These are some heavy clothes,” he said.
“The heavier the clothes the warmer you’ll be, but we can’t weigh you down too much or you won’t be able to move, and that means you’ll be a sitting duck and wind up getting us both killed,” Teddy said with a smirk.
BLOOD TIES (Decklan Jennings Thriller Book 1) Page 14