“Perhaps I am. But all I can think about is how I almost lost you.” His voice chokes. “Here, you’re less likely to become leverage for these anarchists. My sweet and lovely Lanita, you may never forgive me, and I will have to live with that, but at least you won’t be dead.”
Chapter 25
Dash
As I jog toward the idling SUV, Sebastian stares at my shell-shocked face. “What’d you do now, Montclair?”
Sliding my arse in the back seat, I try to assuage my guilty conscience. “I simply hired a bodyguard and insisted she stay put.” I neglect to mention the chain and handcuffs.
He whistles through his teeth. “Man, if I did that to Sam, her inner-mobster would cut off my balls, and make me eat my deep-fried hush-puppies.”
The warning worries me. Landy will no doubt do the same or worse, but it’s too late to change my mind. “I can’t focus while she’s in danger, mate.”
Ignoring traffic signals like a native, Slate jets through the Roman traffic. In between sharp turns and pumping the brakes, Caleb hands out the comm units.
After we put them on, Suds pokes my arm. “You can’t tame a filly with a whip. A woman needs a partner, dude.”
The private eye’s soddin’ observation sets me off. “Why do I have to make all the compromises? Why can’t she? Don’t you Yanks ever reign in your women?”
“You, my dumb cowboy, need more training before you join that rodeo.” His snickering is cut off by Slate’s voice in the comms.
“We’re close. Sound off.”
Quibbling over, we turn our attention out the window to the winding road, where squatty fruit tree branches scratch the vehicle’s sides.
“Smith here.”
“Trencher, over.”
“Slate.”
“Despairado.”
The resident male hacker speaks up last. “Your drone spotted five heat signatures: two outside, three in.”
“Copy that.” Opening my iPad, I confirm his orange blobs, and double check my knife, pistols, and Taser.
The MI6 agent, swivels in the front seat to face me. “The goal is to capture him alive, but I promise you, Egonov’s life will be no picnic.”
“Sure, until the US trades him for a kidnapped basketball player.” Based on my experience, unless we kill him, the murdering bastard will eventually go free.
“Not your problem, mate. Consider the millions of quid you’re about to receive for exposing the Cyber Vonya kingpin. What’re you going to do with your share?”
“Doesn’t matter.” I shrug. “No doubt, I’ll donate it to one of my dad’s many charities for kids.”
“Righteous.” Oliver nods his approval and turns to face the dirt road narrowing to one lane, surrounded on both sides by a six-foot wall, decorated in curls of barbed wire.
Despairado reports in. “The drone is now jamming all phones as well as the internet.”
“You’ve been holding out on us?” Mr. British Intelligence raises a brow at the now chuckling G-man.
“What? You can’t expect me to give away all of our secrets.”While they joke,Slate pulls to the brush by the road, and I grab the wire cutters.
“Give me a boost.” Outside the vehicle, we’re all business and I slap the tallest of the crew, Slate, on the back.
After a boost up,Icut a man-sized hole in the razor-sharp wire on the top of the Roman wall. Dropping the tools, I climb down, and as the others join me inside the perimeter, I point out the multiple cameras.
“What about those?”
