Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 144908 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 483(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144908 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 483(@300wpm)
“I don’t know, Master,” Yuri hedged. “Maybe it would be better if you called him out here. I’ve got more crew inside. I’ll call mine out as well. We don’t want any nosy civilians recording on their cell phones.”
Master subsided with a shrug of his shoulders. “Yeah, that might be best.” His hand went to his hair, and he swept his fingers through it.
Ambrielle found herself smiling at the easy, casual way Master had manipulated the other man to do exactly what he wanted him to do. He wanted Yuri to insist that Czar come outside, where Lana and possibly others could have them under the surveillance of their rifles. Yuri clearly thought his assassins were taking care of that threat to them.
Should she have found a way to warn Torpedo Ink that they planned to kill Lana, their sniper? She had no means to communicate the threat to her. She had to believe that if Torpedo Ink had considered that Amanda would betray her by telling her enemies where to find her, then they already had a plan in place, and that would include protecting themselves against assassins attacking their sniper.
“I’ll call him. He won’t come alone, Yuri. He’ll have Savage and Maestro with him.”
There was something about the way Master said the two names that sent a chill down Ambrie’s spine. She’d met both men briefly. Savage had been with the singer, Seychelle, and he’d had a beautiful voice. When she’d heard him sing a duet with his woman, he’d sounded like a man with a beautiful soul. Ambrie had observed him being so solicitous of Seychelle, and yet now, his name seemed to conjure up something else altogether.
Maestro was in the band Crows Flying with Master. She knew he played all kinds of instruments and owned 287 Construction Company with Master, Keys and Player. He’d helped to build the beautiful cabin Reese lived in with Tyra and their daughter. Still, suddenly his name seemed to be uttered as a warning, just as Savage’s had been. She didn’t understand what she was missing.
Master was already on the phone. “Yeah, Czar, they want to talk. He’s calling his men outside so no civilians are in the way. You’re needed for negotiations with his boss.”
Ambrie saw Yuri visibly wince at the word. He didn’t consider Thompson his boss. That was interesting to her. Gleb and Denis and the other two Russians who had worked with them were independent of Thompson’s main security people. They followed Thompson’s orders—to a point. She was aware—where Thompson didn’t seem to be—that the four men could easily turn on him at any time.
Thompson had drawn these men from that same pool. Gleb and Denis weren’t among them. Why? She couldn’t see either man taking orders from Yuri. Gleb was the kind of man to give them. Her heart sank. What if he was the man hunting Torpedo Ink’s sniper? The skin itched along her inner wrist where the blade lay flat against it, as if to say she needed to be in on the action. Part of her wanted to slide right off the patio and go hunting herself. Could she do it?
Very slowly, because movement drew the eye, she turned her head slightly to view the drop-off from the patio to the ground. There were no stairs close to her hiding spot, and she didn’t dare move, especially now that three more of Yuri’s men had come outside.
“Where are Jaska and Karp?” Yuri demanded, sounding impatient, his gaze on the door.
The three newcomers shook their heads. “Looked everywhere for them. We thought you gave them orders to patrol outside.”
Yuri spoke sharply into his radio, switching to Russian. There was no answer. The door opened again and Savage, Maestro and Destroyer emerged. Czar was nowhere in sight. She should have known they would protect their president. Master had known all along Yuri was setting them up.
Master stood up again, this time, his hand moving to his left shoulder, and then he was striking out so fast he was a blur. Ambrielle didn’t take her gaze off him, but she had trouble seeing him move. From his shoulder the right hand continued to move, his fingers jabbing straight into Yuri’s throat, going deep. Yuri gagged, choked, went to his knees, both hands going to his throat, as his eyes seemed to burst.
Master whirled toward Kuzma before Yuri had even dropped to the floor of the patio. His boot swept the gun from Kuzma’s hand and then went straight up to his head and took him to the floor with a sound that sickened Ambrie. Master’s boot had to be steel toed, and he drove that steel right into Kuzma’s temple, straight through the skull. The foot was back on the floor, driving toward Artem.
Master had killed two men in under five seconds. Ambrielle still had her mouth open in shock. She wasn’t even sure if five seconds had passed. It could have been three. He was already on Artem, slamming a palm on the wrist holding the gun, and then somehow taking possession of the weapon. He tossed it away as he whirled the man around, all in one smooth motion, as if the two men were dancing. His knee came up between Artem’s legs hard, doubling the man over. At the same time, he caught Artem’s head in his hands as it came down toward him. Master spun around, taking the head and body with him, so Artem hung over his shoulder. There was an audible crack and Master dropped the body on the patio floor. The moment he did, his gaze lifted straight to her hiding spot. He didn’t look happy.