We left the bedroom and took our seats as the plane descended. Then the jet touched down with a soft thud, the tires skidding briefly before stabilizing. We taxied toward an isolated hangar at the far end of the property.
We got out of our seats and Andrei stood beside me as the engines whined lower. “Stay close,” he cautioned.
“You don’t have to tell me that.”
“I know.” His fingers brushed my knuckles. “I’m saying it anyway.”
The door hissed open. Cool Moldovan air rushed in, nipping at my skin that had been bathed in desert heat a few hours ago. The ramp lowered, and Andrei descended first, me half a step behind.
Four men were waiting for us. They wore armored vests strapped over civilian jackets, heavy boots that didn’t match each other, and mismatched tactical gear that looked pilfered from a dozen different sources. One had a shaved head, another was scruffy with a wild, barely managed beard. A third wore tinted glasses that looked like they had been taped together. The fourth, the tallest, was smiling a little too widely, almost like he’d been practicing it in a mirror.
I didn’t like the look of them and by the look on Andrei’s face, he didn’t like them either.
CHAPTER 19
Moldova, one week ago…
Andrei
I really should have listened to my gut the moment the plane touched down.
Not because of the location. Not because of the runway. Hell, not even because of the eerie quiet that settled over the airfield like it was waiting for something to happen.
It was because of the men waiting for us.
They didn’t look like freedom fighters. Revenant had painted this group as ‘independent operators seeking technological leverage.’ That was the sanitized version. The real version stood in front of us now. They wore mismatched tactical gear designed to look casual, but their movements were too synchronized, their eyes too bright, their expressions too eager for men who claimed political goals.
“Dragunov,” the tallest one said, stepping forward with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. It looked stretched, almost forced, like the muscles in his jaw were holding tension instead of expression. “We are honored to finally meet you.”
I gave him the polite nod I reserved for people I didn’t trust. “Revenant said you’d be expecting us.”
“We’ve been preparing for you,” he said, and the way he spoke the words sent a cold little warning shooting through my spine.
He turned to Katya next. His smile widened and I didn’t like the look of it. “And they sent her?”
Katya didn’t blink. She stood straighter, chin lifting with that quiet confidence I’d come to expect from her. “I go where I’m needed.”
“And where you’re wanted,” he said, eyes glinting with an unpleasant spark.
I wanted to punch him square in the face.
Her fingers twitched near the knife under her jacket. I brushed my hand along her lower back, not to stop her, but to keep myself from pulling her behind me. The last thing we needed was to escalate an already fragile situation.
“Let’s get to it,” I said. “We’re here for business.”
“Yes,” the tall man replied. “This way.”
They escorted us across the runway and into the compound. It wasn’t an escort the way a professional group would perform it. They walked too close, almost like they were used to corralling people, not welcoming them.
Honestly, it was really fucking weird.
The main building was a rectangular block of steel and reinforced glass. Inside, the lights were bright and cold. The walls were lined with maps, but not normal maps. They didn’t have any borders or any political lines. Just grids overlaying topography, each marked with colored clusters.
Katya came to an abrupt stop beside me. Her jaw tightened. “These aren’t military targets, are they?”
“No,” the tall man said, practically preening with pride. “Our first demonstration needs to be unforgettable.”
He led us to the largest map. Three clusters were highlighted in bright red. “These zones,” he said, “will show everyone what we are capable of.”
