My jaw tightens and I shake my head. “He’s taunting me.”
“How’s that?”
“He knows I got married. He’s killing the girls as a message.”
Lucy’s eyebrows arch. “Sounds like a stretch.”
“I know him. I know how he works.”
“Or maybe you’re a little too wrapped up in your new wife to think clearly.” I stare at her for a long moment. Lucy sighs. “Okay, fine. Regardless of the message, he’s escalating. Turkey was just the start.”
She’s right. It bothers me deeply. Medved’s been pushing at the fringes of my operation, but hitting positions directly in the heart of Europe is disturbing.
He’s always been strong in Asia. Medved’s deeply embedded in China and most of Russia. My people in Europe have been safe from him for a long time, at least until now. That means his reach is getting longer and he’s beginning to flex his muscles.
“How does he even know about these places?” I say softly, glaring at the wall, trying to think. My head feels like sludge. All I’ve done since coming back to the Fortress is put out fires. I’ve barely spent any time with Allie and Rosie.
I crave my wife’s touch. I want to hold my baby daughter, at least for a few minutes.
Instead, I’m here in my office, trying to keep the sky from falling.
It’s tumbling down anyway.
“That’s what I’ve been asking myself.” Lucy taps at her phone, chewing on her lip. “The brothels, those aren’t hard to findout about. But the warehouse was tightly guarded, and the safe house was a straight-up secret.”
She stares at me and I stare right back. I’ve known her for a long time now, and she doesn’t have to say it out loud. I sigh, leaning back. “You think we have a leak.”
“There are only so many ways Medved could’ve possibly found that safe house location. I’m having trouble coming up with anything remotely plausible.”
“No. That’s not possible.”
“I know you believe your organization is ironclad?—”
“They care about me.” I meet her gaze and hold it, daring her to deny what I’m saying. She only looks back. “Each and every person in the Fortress owes me their lives. I’ve saved families, fixed problems, given them everything. That’s why they’re here.”
“Sometimes it isn’t enough. New problems come up. You know that.”
“It isn’t like that here.” I don’t know why I’m being so adamant about this. I know Lucy’s most likely correct.
But this is how I rose to power. I surround myself with people who owe me something. Not like debt or money, but something deeper. I treat them like my own family, and they do the same for me in return. I’m not warm and fuzzy, but I pull strings for the people in my orbit. I go out of my way to ensure they’re taken care of. I give them everything I possibly can, and all I expect in return is their loyalty.
It works. Because I believe in it. This isn’t some bullshit act.
I care about these people. On a fundamental level, they matter to me.
The thought of one of them betraying me hurts more than I want to admit.
“We’ve been lucky for a long time,” Lucy says quietly. She’s more subdued and thoughtful now. I think the idea of a traitor bothers her as much as it bothers me, but she’s better at hiding it. “I always knew this could happen. We treat the people here well, but there’s always more. There are always pressure points to push against, and Medved’s good at finding them. All it takes is one little seam, and he can split this place wide open.”
I blow out a long breath. “The dead boy from the other day. Do you think he was involved?”
“I have a strong hunch that he was.”
I hesitate, frowning. Lucy’s avoiding my stare now. “What did you do?”
“I didn’t want you to know. I thought I had it handled.”
“Lucy. Tell me.”
