Page 48 of Captive Ruin

“How long will you be in Switzerland?” he asks without preamble. “I need you back here.”

Good. I might get to see my Little Stray sooner than I hoped. “Why?”

“The Volkovs may be more of a problem than we thought. They’ve just fucked one of our deals in LA, and you know how I hate to lose.”

That’s putting it mildly. But also, our enterprise is set up to ensure we win when we’ve chosen our target. Most of it is legitimate, but enough isn’t. Financial pressure through Northbridge. Espionage and security via Sentinel Risk. Contractual and regulatory manipulation through the law firm of Armitage and Calder. In short, we always stack the deck in our favor. Bastien’s frustration is justified.

“Was it a big deal?”

“Fortunately, no. Eighty mill or so. That doesn’t concern me as much as how they did it.”

“Go on.”

“Our intel suggests they’re money laundering for the client, and they basically pulled a one-eighty, put them over a barrel, and took control.”

“That’s careless.”

“Of the client? Sure. They underestimated the Volkovs.” Bastien pauses. “We need to make sure we don’t make the same mistake. They targeted our deal, Lukas. I can’t accept that.”

“Are you suggesting it was deliberate?”

“If it was nothing but a coincidence, we’ll be more careful. If it wasn’t…” He draws in a breath. “I’ll crush them.”

I wince. That sounds like a lot of time I could be spending with Amelia instead. “Let’s not burn everything for a petty rivalry.”

A moment passes before he replies. “If they sense weakness they’ll keep coming.”

“True,” I admit.

“But you’re right, avoiding a war is preferable. That’s why I want you back here. Find out if they did go after us, and if they will again.”

“Very well.” I turn from the window, considering. “If you want Origin done, I need two days, maybe three.”

“Fine. Get the data and send it to me; DeLuca can deal with it. Then focus on the Volkovs. Nothing else is a higher priority.”

“I was actually going to ask you for some personal time.”

“What, now?” His surprise carries. “What on Earth for?”

“Well, you’re always insisting that a married man is a more stable one.”

Bastien scoffs. “That’s to control them, not to…” A pause. “You’ve found another woman?”

“I have.”

“That’s good,” he says, sounding genuinely happy. “But shitty timing. Can she wait?”

I scowl at the wall. “I don’t want to risk someone else…” I can’t finish the sentence. My throat closes up at the thought.

“Juliette’s death was a tragedy,” Bastien replies with a softer tone than I usually hear him use. “You deserve happiness, my friend.”

“Thank you.”

“Do what you need to do. I’ll find someone else to deal with the Volkovs.”

“I can manage both,” I say, a little defensive. “There isn’t anyone else.”

“Montague can do it.”