Page 26 of Warlord’s Empire

“By the time you left the prison, your sister had been born, and you had even more reason to fight for money and the safety of your family. From the age of sixteen, you worked your way up the mercenary hierarchy into a position of leadership, eventually taking over the group when you were twenty-two and making it your own. From there, you expanded to recruit thousands of other mercenaries. You operated all over the world until six years ago when you stopped taking contracts, all but disappearing from the world of black-market operators.” She watched his face, trying to read his expression.

It didn’t change. “I will require this hacker’s name and location.”

“She lives in Indonesia with her arms dealer husband, but you won’t be able to touch her. Her husband keeps her in constant lockdown.”

Should she tell him what she did? He was a kidnapper who took away her freedom, but she hated knowing he might be upset by what she was telling him. “I asked her to erase everything she could find about you after giving me the information. There’s nothing left of you anywhere on the web.”

“Why would you do that?” His shoulders were stiff.

“Because I knew it was what you would want.”

He looked at her, his face softening. He touched her, brushing her curls back from her face. “You are a resourceful woman, Saskia Koba.” He smiled, though it was tight. “Thank you for asking your hacker to erase my information. I am uncomfortable with the idea that my enemies can find out about me.”

Saskia nodded. “Yeah, I gathered as much from your sister. Ayaan might be tight-lipped, but she’s protective of you. She knows how much your privacy means to you. You don’t have to worry that I would expose you.”

“I know you won’t.”

“Because you know me,” she said, admitting to herself that it was true. He did know her. He’d been watching her every move for years. It should freak her out, but it didn’t. She found his benevolent attention comforting.

He finished his coffee and set the cup on the table. “Come, let me show you around Marifiya. You only got a glimpse when we drove in yesterday.”

It was what Saskia was hoping for.

She went back into her room and changed quickly into a pair of jean shorts and a blue and white striped shirt. When she was ready, she reached for her purse, then stopped. Would she need anything in it? Even if there were shops in Marifiya, she didn’t have any cash in the local currency, and the internet didn’t work for anyone within the village walls so her credit cards were useless. She grabbed her phone, tucking it in her pocket before leaving her room to meet Radik in the hallway.

He took her hand and led her down the stairs to the front door where Nikka stood waiting. “We’ll be out for several hours.”

Nikka replied, “Ms. Koba should take her hat.” She rushed upstairs, presumably to Saskia’s bedroom and rushed back toward them moments later with Saskia’s ballcap.

Bemused Saskia took it from her, saying drily, “Thanks for unpacking my things.”

Nikka beamed at her and walked away.

“Do I really need a maid?” Saskia asked Radik, watching Nikka leave. “At home, I use the services of a housecleaner. The rest, like laundry, I prefer to do myself.”

“I know,” Radik said, leading her out the front door. “Nikka isn’t a maid. She runs the house with her grandmother, and she chooses her own duties. If you don’t want her touching your laundry, you need only tell her. But if you give her a chance, you may find she’s an excellent companion.”

Saskia tipped her face up to the sun, which was shining down brightly, warming her. Nikka was right, Saskia did need her hat. Pulling it over her curls, she said, “You may have noticed through your years of stalking me that I’m kind of a loner. I prefer my own company most of the time, so why would you get the impression I need a companion?”

“Come, this way.” Radik waved his arm indicating they should set off down a dirt road with buildings lining either side. As they walked, Radik explained, “You may prefer your own company most of the time, but there are other times when you lean into and appear to benefit from close female friendships. I have seen you spend many hours in conversation with Ayaan, Leeza, and even your cousin-in-law, Shaun. I believe you crave these close moments the same as you do food.”

Saskia thought of a fourth, budding friendship that had been cut off too soon. She rubbed her chest at the thought of Aurelia. “You can’t force friendship, Muhammed. It has to come naturally. I’m selective with my friendships. I’m friends with my sister because we’ve known each other my entire life and we share similar experiences. I’m friends with Shaun because she’s smart and interesting. And I’m friends with your sister because….” Because Ayaan was very like Radik and being around her made Saskia feel closer to him. “She’s tough, loyal and protective. All qualities I admire. Nikka seems like a nice person, but that doesn’t mean we’ll become friends.”

Leaving the topic of conversation behind, Radik pointed at a brightly painted building, with sections in red, blue, green and yellow. It looked like a group of well-organized children took crayons to it. “That’s our schoolhouse. We currently have seventeen children attending.”

Saskia didn’t know if she was more impressed that there was a school in the compound or that Radik knew exactly how many children attended. “You seem to really care about the families living here.”

He continued walking. “I suppose after pursuing a lifetime of destruction something changed in me. When I claimed this territory, I did it with a mind to build rather than destroy.”

Saskia thought she was beginning to understand. What she had first seen upon coming to the compound was a secure prison surrounded by concrete walls, an army in the process of being organized, but it might actually be something else. Something better.

Most of the streets were lines with traditional Congan houses. They were made of wood and corrugated metal, and had thatched roofs, like the main house. As they neared the core of Marifiya, they walked past a couple of buildings that looked like apartment complexes, which surprised Saskia. “From the reading I’ve done, I learned there are almost no buildings like this in rural Congo, especially in a place as remote as this.”

Radik nodded at the building she was looking at. “I flew in a construction crew to build these, the walls surrounding the compound and the tunnels. Supplies were brought in by boat using the river. It wasn’t easy but I had time and patience on my side.”

“And unlimited funds,” she added drily. Then asked, “There are tunnels?” His lip lifted in that smile of his she was starting to recognize as somewhat condescending. Like he thought she was being naive. Damn it, she was a mafia princess, not some normie. “Of course, you have tunnels. And I’m sure they lead out to the airfield, don’t they?”

“Yes, as well as to the river where there are boats that can be used for escape in case of emergency.”