Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 80660 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80660 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
“But we don’t know who’s behind the hit that was put on your head,” Alexei said.
“Actually, we do,” Gabriel interjected. “We heard from Marilyn last night after you went to bed.”
“She also wanted to point out on the call that she’s doubling her rates for this job because it’s become such a shit show.” Justin leaned across the table and pointed at him. “You’re splitting the costs with us.”
Alexei puffed out his bottom lip, giving his best pathetic look. “You would make your favorite nephew pay for this?” Justin knew he was teasing by the answering laughter in his eyes.
“You’re lucky we’re not charging your boyfriend for this job. Bullets and plane tickets aren’t cheap,” Gabriel grumbled.
“What the fuck? We’re not getting paid,” Kairo jumped in.
“You’re getting paid in me owing you a favor. And if you’re super lucky, I might let you beg my sexy boyfriend to help you,” Soren playfully barked.
Justin leaned over to Gabriel, their shoulders brushing. “I can’t believe you didn’t let me shoot him when we arrived.” He might have whispered, but his voice was loud enough for everyone to hear.
Charlie chuckled. “Yep. You’re gonna regret that decision.”
Soren sighed loudly. “Can we get back to what this Marilyn discovered?”
Gabriel nodded. “Marilyn reported that the same person who put the hit out on you is also the person who hired you to steal the hard drive. His name is Reginald Bankhurst, a rival arms dealer based in London who has strong ties with Russia and Africa. We believe he was trying to break into the Middle-Eastern market, but it was unlikely that he was going to get far until Kalman was out of the way.”
“So, what? Bankhurst hires me to kill Gabor while Soren is busy stealing from the guy, and then he double-crosses Soren by hiring me to kill him and take the hard drive from him?”
“Sounds about right,” Justin murmured.
“What a fucking douchebag.”
“If this Bankhurst has ties with Russia, does that mean he’s working for or against the SVR?” Charlie inquired.
“My guess is that he’s in it for himself,” Gabriel commented and looked over at Justin, who nodded in agreement.
“He wants what’s on the hard drive, and there’s no way the Russian government is going to share with him.”
Alexei’s heart skipped a beat and he leaned forward, both hands pressed flat to the table. “You got in, didn’t you? You got into the hard drive.”
The smile that spread across Justin’s lips was slow and so freaking wicked. “Maybe.”
Gabriel snickered. “You’re such an ass.”
“Come on! You’ve got to tell me what I’ve nearly gotten killed over.”
Justin licked his bottom lip as he opened the laptop that was sitting beside him. He tapped a few keys while they all waited. Alexei was pretty sure none of them were breathing. Well, maybe Gabriel. Apparently, Justin had already spilled the beans to his husband.
“Well, to start,” Justin said, drawing out the moment until Alexei was ready to throw his empty coffee mug at his head. “You’ve been nearly killed for an estimated seven-point-eight billion euros, give or take. Those are just the bank accounts that I’ve been able to access and double-check. There are six more on the list, but it looks like they’ve got only a few million in them. Nothing big.”
“Holy shit,” Soren exhaled in a shaky voice. Alexei wasn’t feeling much steadier. That was an insane amount of money. Even when he’d imagined what Kalman was worth, the number hadn’t been that big.
“But that’s not even the most important thing on the hard drive,” Gabriel announced.
“He’s got a complete client list, spreadsheets of all his goods, and a list of supplies.”
“You’re kidding me,” Charlie muttered.
“No. All the details and contact information along with some very useful notes about personality traits, business structure, and weird habits. Mr. Kalman took fantastic notes, which would give him an edge in negotiations and potential blackmail.”
Gabriel folded his hands on the table, his eyes moving from Alexei to Soren. “The question now becomes our next step. You now know what kind of information you’re in possession of. What do you want to do with it?”
Alexei turned to look at Soren beside him, his breath struggling to crawl out of his lungs again. Soren didn’t look much better. With wide eyes, he shoved both hands through his hair and clenched the strands. “Do with it?” he gasped. “Well, I don’t want it to go to this Bankhurst asshole.” He looked to Alexei, eyes softening. “Angel?”
“Soren, this isn’t my call. The hard drive is yours. You’re the cat burglar. You stole it fair and square,” he replied, but he was beyond touched that he’d even thought to consult him.
Soren snorted and shook his head. “You’ve not only saved my life twice, but you’ve also risked your own while we’ve been on this wild ride. You’ve as much say in this as I do.”