The program passes in a blur, and soon we’re outside in the procession. Asher grips my hand and holds me so close thatthere’s hardly any space between us. We walk behind Harrington and Catherine, but Declan, Sterling, and all of Asher’s extended family are cut off from us since the two of us have been surrounded by our security—five officers I’ve never seen before.
Asher’s eyes scan the buildings, clearly looking for snipers, as we walk the two-block procession. The road has been closed, and there are hundreds of people walking behind the Langfords. Distributed among the crowd are more security officers I don’t recognize. God, everyone here is in danger, and most of them have no idea.
We’ve barely begun to walk when a cold voice speaks from behind us, sending chills up my spine.
“You have been busy, Mr. Langford,” the voice says. The voice is male, deep, and has a heavy Russian accent. “But our games are done, and your time is up.”
43
ASHER
“Eyes forward, Ms. Hale,” Volkov says. “Remember, there are television cameras pointed at you, watching your every move. And there are . . . other things pointed at you as well, so do behave.”
Bastard. It takes every ounce of my self-control not to turn around and kill him. But I can’t risk Ella.
Declan and Sterling are right outside our ring of fake security, and without looking, I know their gazes are turned on us. I know they’ve realized who is walking behind Ella and me. Who threatens us quietly, using the public nature of the memorial to keep us from reacting as his men keep guns trained on us. I shift my attention to Sterling out of the corner of my eye. He gives a subtle shake of his head. Dammit.
“I must confess, I am displeased by your actions toward TDC, Langford. My cousin Sergei and I worked tirelessly to build our oil empire.”
“I am not the one who started this war, Volkov. You and Sergei did. I am merely intent on winning it.”
Volkov laughs. “I like you, Langford. Your spirit and fire are commendable. It is a shame we are enemies. We could havebeen great allies. Alas, that can never be, not when we want such different things.
“I tried to get what I wanted without much bloodshed, but you decided to be difficult. At first, I thought about killing you to take a powerful enemy out of my way, but then I did a little research on you. If you die, it won’t help my cause. Your shares in Langford Holdings will go to your brothers, who always agree with your desires, and now they’ll also go to Ms. Hale, who would no doubt go along with whatever your brothers say. So, instead of killing you, I tried to speak to you in Singapore. But you got the upper hand. I’m here to rectify that and to help you understand that I intend to get what I want. I may not be able to kill you yet, but I can kill Ms. Hale. I have my terms for you, and if you do not agree and cooperate, I will signal for one of my men to put a bullet through your pretty girlfriend’s head.”
Ella flinches, and her hand trembles in mine. I give it a squeeze. Nothing and no one will hurt her. I won’t fucking allow it.
“Here are my terms, Langford. First, you will call off your dogs and stop the destruction of our refineries and digging sights. Second, you will sign over fifty percent of your Langford Holdings shares to me. This will put you far below the mark of the highest shareholder in Langford Holdings and should help me recoup the losses you’ve caused. You will agree to sell Greenspan to me for pennies of what it’s worth. And last, you will stop the clean energy legislation you’re pushing.”
Fury lights inside me, but I don’t react.
“We have all the paperwork drawn up. I even have a notary and lawyer on standby. As soon as this little memorial service is over, you will sign, and then you and Ms. Hale can walk away intact.”
The procession ends as we arrive at the statue of my grandfather, which is still covered by a large gray canvas cloth. Oncethe crowd is settled, my father and Uncle Conrad grab the cloth and pull it off, revealing the statue. More applause surrounds me. I remember to clap.
My father steps up to a podium on a small, erected stage to the side of the statue. I don’t hear his speech. But my father’s eyes meet mine several times, communicating to me that he sees Yegor behind me.
I continue to check in with Sterling.
Too soon, it’s my turn. My speech. I try to pull Ella with me, but Volkov grabs onto her elbow.
“I don’t think so, Langford. She will stay here where I can keep a close watch on her.”
Again, I fight every instinct inside me and step away from her. Her life depends on me doing so. I climb the stage.
“How bad is it?” my father whispers as we give a quick hug while exchanging places.
“Bad. But as long as I cooperate, we should make it through.”
I step to the podium, and it takes me a few seconds to compose myself. To the outside world, hopefully it looks like I’m simply overcome with emotion due to this being a celebration of my grandfather’s legacy on the anniversary of his death. Under normal circumstances, it would be. But my mind hardly registers the words as I speak, addressing the crowd. All my thoughts are on keeping Ella safe.
Volkov watches me with satisfaction. He stands too close behind Ella, and she’s ringed in by five fake security guards. All I can think about is how I’ll kill Volkov for this. Slowly.
As I’m nearing the end of my speech, Sterling catches my eye, subtly nodding at me.
“Snipers down.” Sterling’s voice comes from my earpiece. Fucking finally.
“We’re not here celebrating my grandfather because of his business pursuits and successes, but because of what he gaveback to the world,” I say, my voice gaining a little strength with the relief that the snipers have been taken care of. “We celebrate how his views changed the fabric of the Langford family, and what our legacy is to be. In observance of my grandfather’s legacy, I am honored to announce that from this year forward, twenty-five percent of my annual income will be donated to organizations whose goals are to improve the lives of everyday Americans.” The crowd erupts in shocked applause.
