Shock flares through me as I notice a white vapor pouring into the room through the vents. I drop to my hands and knees to keep below the vapor, but within seconds, my head swims and I’m coughing and retching so hard that I crumple to the floor. I hear Robert yelling in his coms for backup.
And everything turns black.
I wakewith a cry of shock as freezing water spills over my face. I gasp and splutter, choking as it runs into my mouth and up my nose. I try to sit up, but bands that cross my chest keep me bound to the bed, on my back.
What’s going on? Where am I?
I blink, my eyes burning as I glance around, recognizing my hotel room. It’s dark, only the dim lights of the city outsideprovide any light. And then it all comes rushing back. My gut sinks.
Where is Robert? Is he okay?
“Good evening, Mr. Langford,” a male voice with a thick Russian accent says near me.
He steps up to the bed, and with the dimness of the room, it’s hard to see him clearly as he hovers like a shadow over me. “I hope you’ll forgive my intrusion. You are a very difficult man to access. Your security team is quite good at their jobs, so I had to find a way around their protocols.”
Tendrils of fear begin to spread through me, but I batter them down before they can overtake me. One mistake could mean the difference between life and death. And I refuse to die.
I open my mouth to respond, but I only manage a hoarse cough. My throat burns from the chemicals I inhaled along with the water I choked on. As my mind clears more from the fog it was under, I remember my own protocols, and shift against my bonds, bringing my left wrist to touch my leg. I push the crown of my watch against my thigh and hold it down for five seconds. I hide my sigh of relief when the light buzz of vibration lets me know it’s activated.
The man bends slightly, smiling down at me. “I think you know why I am here, but just in case there is any confusion, let me speak plainly. My cousin Sergei tells me you are still being stubborn. His offer to your board was shot down because of you . . . yet again.”
“Sergei and his offer can fuck right off,” I croak out.
The man, who I can only assume is Yegor Volkov in the fucking flesh, laughs.
“I have heard you have a fiery spirit. I’m glad to see it doesn’t evade you even when your life is threatened. But let me be very clear, Mr. Langford, I am growing tired. Your grandfather tried to make things difficult for Sergei almost thirty years ago. Andnow, you’re proving to be difficult as well. When Sergei’s business suffers, my business suffers. And I do not like it when my business suffers.
“Your green energy business has been a threat to Sergei and me for many years now. But it was a threat we could keep small by poking at it from time to time. A little damage here and there was all that was needed to keep it from growing into a real problem. But those days are over. Your green energy business is no longer a little threat. It is a major threat, and I am done playing quietly.”
My breaths quicken as the cold steel of his Glock presses into my forehead.
“We tried the diplomatic route. We tried to buy the company from you legally, through all the correct channels. Wasn’t that nice of us? We even offered you a fair deal. And you couldn’t be persuaded. So now, we’re done being nice. I have the paperwork ready to go. You sign Greenspan over to Sergei and me, at a fraction of the price we initially offered, or I put a bullet through your skull.”
He lifts a packet of papers for me to see in the dim light and waves them, a smirk of triumph tugging at his lips.
With asnap, the band holding my wrists to the bed retracts. Yegor removes the bite of his Glock, but keeps it pointed at me as he steps back to flick on the bedside lamp. I wince at the sudden brightness, and my head thrums in pain. I take a deep breath. And another, as I push the pain of my head and body down and focus on the man standing over me. He’s non-descript in every way. His height and build are average. His face is neither handsome nor ugly. His light brown hair is graying at the temples, and there’s more gray spotted throughout his short beard. His eyes are a bland hazel. He’s the type of man you would pass on the street without a second thought, a second glance. No wonder he’s been so hard to track down all these years. Not only is he amaster at keeping his businesses’ finances hidden in various illegal accounts scattered throughout the world, but he’s also used his appearance to blend in. His suit is clearly well-made, but it’s a classic cut—nothing flashy or ostentatious. Nothing about this man speaks of a powerful mobster at first glance.
But now that I’ve seen his face, I’ll never forget it.
And I’ll make sure he pays for this in blood.
Yegor sets the paperwork in front of me, holding it upright, then he places a pen in my right hand.
“Sign, and I’ll let you live.”
I press the crown of my watch into my thigh again, this time in a specific patterned rhythm, until it buzzes twice in confirmation. I lift my hands, holding the paperwork in my left hand, and pressing the pen to the signature line with my right. But before I scrawl my signature over the page, I drop the pen, unclasp my watch, and toss it at Yegor’s feet.
Then I roll as far onto my right side as I can and close my eyes.
“What the fuck?” Yegor growls right before a lowboomrumbles through the room.
I hiss and cry out as small slices tear across my back. Yegor screams and lands heavily a few feet away. Debris clatters like confetti down on top of me, but I take the small reprieve of time to yank off the bonds tying me to the bed.
“You son of a bitch!” Yegor yells, his voice ringing with agony.
Serves him fucking right.
I scramble off the bed and search for the gun, but just as I make it to my feet, Yegor gingerly stands as well. We face one another, both injured, but he’s much worse for wear. Cuts crisscross his hands, arms, and legs. Blood oozes from his abdomen and from his temple, and the right half of his face is shredded. I rush at him and slam my fist into his jaw, and he crumples tothe floor again. The door slams open, and half a dozen of Yegor’s men flood into the room.
