And I could. That was the problem.
These weren’t just weapons. Whoever controlled these controlled airspace and distance and timing. Revenant had planned to be that controller.
Now, that controller would be us. I tried not to grin, smoothing my face when Liang cleared his throat.
“If everything is in order,” Liang said, “we are prepared to finalize the shipment. Your people in Dubai are expecting delivery at the usual coordination point, yes?”
The ‘usual point’ was Revenant’s designated drop, one of their black warehouse sites in the Emirates.
Not anymore.
“We’re changing the delivery location,” I replied.
Liang’s brows rose. “Oh?”
“Yes. The original arrangement was based on factors that no longer apply. We’ll be routing the shipment to a different facility.”
He hesitated. “Our contract is with your… partner group. We were under the impression they wished to remain consistent.”
“They will receive their goods,” I said smoothly. “But we are handling the logistics now. They won’t be managing the inbound side. We will.”
I let the word ‘we’ carry just enough weight.
Liang considered it. “We were asked not to communicate with our client.”
“You still won’t,” I assured him. “Nothing changes in that regard. You’ll deliver to a warehouse in Dubai under Dragunov control. From there, we’ll distribute as needed.”
He exhaled. “There may be… additional fees for adjusting the logistics.”
I smiled. “Already accounted for.”
He looked at me like he didn’t entirely believe that but wasn’t about to argue with the man representing a Bratva clan whose reputation had reached as far as southern China’s boardrooms.
Truth was I’d already set the groundwork before I even set foot in this country.
I’d had to call in three favors, bribe two middle managers, and indirectly promise whichever god handled irony that I’d pay for this later, but the arrangement was set. The drones would nolonger touch Revenant soil. They’d be delivered instead to a facility I knew damn well belonged to another family.
The Markovs.
A quiet, intimidating little receiving facility on the outskirts of Dubai that Dmitri once pretended I didn’t see when we’d had a joint operation. Extra high security. Extra clean records. The place the Markovs sent the things they really didn’t want customs to see.
They wouldn’t know, but what you don’t know can’t hurt you, right?
“Where shall we send the invoice?” Liang asked.
I gave him a bland smile. “Same as before. Only the delivery coordinates are changing, not the paperwork.”
He made a note on his tablet. “We will prepare the updated delivery manifest.”
“Good.” I looked the drones over one last time. “We were very happy with the initial models. We’re more than happy to receive these as well.”
I was. Just not for the reasons he thought.
He thought these machines would continue to shift power quietly, invisibly, for whatever client paid best.
He didn’t know that client and supplier were now on a collision course.
He didn’t know that the Dragunovs were at war with Revenant.
