"Fine." I lifted my chin with a cold smile. "Do one thing for me. If you succeed, I'll give you that chance."
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Kholod
"Raw lazurite?"
I stared at the data on screen, frowning. Noelle wanted ultramarine ground from top-grade lazurite from Afghanistan's Sar-e-Sang mines.
"What?" Nick was stunned. "Boss, you can't go! It's not just the altitude—the whole region's a war zone! Taliban controls most areas, mining's all done by hand on steep cliffs, cave-ins and falls happen constantly..."
"I don't care." I kept scrolling through the files. "She wants it, I'm getting it for her."
"But boss, we could send our people—"
"No." I cut him off. "Has to be me."
"What?" Nick looked shocked. "Boss, have you lost your mind? That place is a war zone!"
"I know." I closed the laptop. "But this has to be personal to mean anything."
"Boss—"
"Nick, set it up." I stood. "Fastest route, local guides, security detail."
"Boss, you're really doing this?" He was still trying to talk me out of it. "The danger level... Dmitri will never approve..."
"Nick, that's an order."
Nick fell silent, then finally nodded. "I'll put together the best team."
Two days later, I boarded a private jet bound for Kabul.
"Boss, this is Abdullah, our local contact." Nick made introductions. "He knows the Badakhshan mining region inside out."
A bearded Afghan man stepped forward and bowed. "Mr. Morozov, honored to serve you."
"Can you find the best veins?"
"Yes, sir. But the mines are dangerous now, frequent firefights..."
"I only care about results."
"We'll need armed escorts, bribes for all factions, professional climbing gear..."
"Money's not an issue."
As the plane took off, I closed my eyes and recalled Noelle's words—the masters used ultramarine that had to be ground from lazurite. That deep blue couldn't be replicated with synthetic pigments.
No matter how dangerous, I'd get it for her.
Kabul airport was chaos.
Armed soldiers everywhere, tension thick in the air.
"Sir, stay close to me."
We got into a battered SUV, part of a three-vehicle convoy, each loaded with armed men.
