Forged Risk

by Sidney Bristol

  It was just because he’d rescued her.

  Evan turned his head, speaking Ukrainian. “We’ll make sure you’re taken care of. I promise.”

  She nodded.

  Maybe the team wasn’t as tight as they appeared if Evan was offering her help their leader wouldn’t? Might she be better off with them?

  Felecia wished she knew.

  5.

  Saturday. Safe House. Kiev, Ukraine.

  Evan knew they shouldn’t make promises they couldn’t keep. If this were an Aegis Group job, he was certain someone on the operations side of the business could talk to the right person to ensure Felecia was taken care of. But working with the Task Force meant their objectives were different.

  Hell, Zora hadn’t been the least bit interested in helping thwart a techno-terrorist attack. Their team had gone a bit rogue there to stop that threat while also juggling their main objective. Not that they really knew what they were working toward. They were still in the dark there, too.

  Their best bet was to present Felecia as the key to finding Obran and the missing SEALs. But that wasn’t something they could make happen. She either knew what they needed to know, or she didn’t.

  Logan watched Felecia’s every bite. They all did, though not openly. Evan didn’t think she’d be this calm if that many eyes were on her. This op hinged on what she knew. They’d blown their one chance to scoop up Obran and Evan doubted they would get another opportunity handed to them.

  Finally she pushed her plate away and wiped her mouth.

  “Thank you.” She glanced at him then the others before coming back to him. Her speech was slow, careful. “This might be faster if you translate. I’m better at understanding, not speaking.”

  He nodded. “Sure, go ahead. When you’re ready.”

  She sat back in the chair, her gaze drifting to a spot on the floor. “What do you want to know?”

  “How does he work? What’s the operation like? How do people find him?” Logan asked.

  Felecia’s lips compressed into a tight line for a moment. When she spoke, it was in Ukrainian, her words faster. “People don’t come to him directly. They’re referred, or it happens through other...brokers.”

  She paused while he repeated her words, but only for a moment.

  “If the job is simple we’re given pictures, we pick the names, make the documents and that’s it.” She glanced up at Evan. “But you want to know about the big jobs. You want to know about the Horsemen.”

  “The Horsemen?” he echoed before he remembered to translate for the others.

  She nodded.

  “Show her the pictures,” Logan said.

  Jamie pulled out his phone and showed her the screen.

  Felecia glanced at it briefly, as though the image could harm her if she looked at it for too long. She flinched and turned her head back toward Evan.

  “This is more complicated. There are specific people he does this work for. It is very complex. We are just part of how it’s done though. Dad is involved in the surgery process so he can advise how much of the face should be altered. We create histories. Records. Mementos. Keepsakes. It takes months of background work to set up these new lives. We worked on these men for six months before plans were made for how to transition them.”

  Logan was pacing now. “Who are they now? Show her again.”

  Jamie laid his phone in front of her. Felecia pressed herself away, her face twisted into a scowl as if the picture could hurt her.

  “Did you pick their names?” Evan asked.

  She nodded and reached out a hand. “I don’t know what their names were, but this one is now Bodhi, Caleb, Kurt and Ramon. I helped create them.”

  Evan continued to watch her face. There was real fear there. Dread. The kind she’d only shown when talking about her father. “You called them the Horsemen. Why?”

  She pushed the phone away and looked at him. “Because that’s what they’re called. I didn’t give them that name, it’s just how they were referred to. The Four Horsemen.”

  “She calls them the Four Horsemen,” Evan repeated in English and glanced at the others.

  “That sounds fucking great,” Harper muttered.

  Logan paused his pacing long enough to ask the questions they needed to know. “Any idea how we can find your dad? Or them?”

  Felecia licked her lips and darted a glance at Evan before focusing on Logan. She spoke in her slow, deliberate English again. “Them? No. My father... He will come for me.”

  Evan stilled.

  None of them had really considered that was a possibility.

  “My father—you call him Obran—he won’t allow anyone to have me. Why do you think I was chained up like an animal?”

  “What are you saying?” Logan leaned forward, hands on the table. “We set a trap? Use you as the bait?”

  Felecia shifted and one side of her mouth curled up. “Yes, that would be one way of doing it.”

  “Are we canceling our flight?” Jamie asked.

  “No.” Logan straightened, watching her. “Orders were to move out, so we’ll go to the next location.”

  “TL, I don’t like this,” Evan said.

  Logan ignored him, still focused on Felecia. “You’d be in on this?”

  She tipped her chin up. “I hate him. I want to be free of him. If this is how that happens...”

  Evan could see the plan now. They’d take the flight in a few hours, they’d dangle her out there, making sure she was in full view of cameras or onlookers. The end goal would be to draw Obran and his lackey’s to them, where they controlled the setting.

  “God damn it,” Logan muttered. “I’ll call Kelsey so she knows what we’re bringing.”

  Evan glanced at Felecia then stalked after Logan into the next room.

  “We can’t do this,” Evan said, keeping his voice quiet.

  Logan glanced at him. “Why not?”

  “She’s already in danger because we rescued her. We’re asking her to risk her life on the off chance we might be able to help her. What if we do this, it fails and things are worse for her?”

  “What if we succeed? What if after this she doesn’t have to worry about him anymore?” Logan slid his phone into his pocket. “You seem to forget that she’s part of this.”

  “Not by choice. He’s held her for years. Since she was a kid.”

  “And imagine what that’s done to her.” Logan shook his head. “I want to help her. I intend to help her. But we also have to get this job done. Remember, Zora was willing to ignore a terrorist because or end objective is that important.”

  Ethan swallowed. He hadn’t thought of it like that.

  “If you can see another way of doing this, tell me and we’ll do it different. If not, this is the best way we’ve got of taking care of both our problems and hers. The sooner Obran is off the board the sooner she’s safe and we can go after these Horsemen.” Logan’s lips twisted up over the word.

  They were in way over their head.

  SATURDAY. SAFE HOUSE. Kiev, Ukraine.

  In the light of day things were both worse and not as bad as Obran had thought last night.

  Felecia hadn’t disappeared. He knew where she was and where she was going. The men who’d taken her had walked her through the airport without even trying to disguise themselves.

  They were either smart or stupid. It was hard to decide which.

  Obran would have preferred to have handled this situation himself, without Skilton’s assistance or calling on the Horsemen. Obran would have preferred that Skilton not know about Felecia, but keeping anything from Skilton was near impossible. The man had eyes and ears everywhere. Which was working in Obran’s favor now.

  The question now was, why was Skilton helping at all? And why involve the Horsemen? What did Skilton know Obran didn’t?

  He finished packing his bag. Though the Horsemen were on Felecia’s trail now, he intended to be close at hand. He wouldn’t put it past Skilton to want Felecia in h
is care to lord over Obran. Their arrangement worked, but he wasn’t stupid. Skilton was a dangerous enemy and an even more dangerous friend. Obran had to play his cards right or he’d be wearing yet another leash.

  Times like these he missed the days when his work was simple. It wasn’t his nature to be satisfied with what he had. Never had been. He always wanted more, to do better, to think bigger. If he could go back and tell his younger self to be content with his wife and the work he was doing, he would. Chasing the dream of having more, of being able to afford the finer things, had cost him every bit of his freedom.

  But he could still protect Felecia. From himself. From Skilton. From the Horsemen. And his enemies.

  It was just a matter of time until his daughter was back with him.

  Maybe it was time to think of keeping her somewhere else. Moving the entire operation somewhere Skilton might not find them.

  A move like that would take more planning than Obran had the ability to do now. But later. He’d do it when he had her back. To keep her safe. Even if she didn’t appreciate it. At least she’d be alive, unlike her mother.

  SATURDAY. SAFE HOUSE. St. Petersburg, Russia.

  Evan did another walk through of the safe house. As the team’s surveillance officer it fell to him to set up cameras and their security. This time it had all been handled by FBI Agent Kelsey Young prior to their arrival. Evan hadn’t been aware that Kelsey was joining the Task Force. Then again, maybe she wasn’t. For all he knew she was part of Zora’s plan to keep everything contained and intel away from the mole.

  Despite his territorial nature when it came to the surveillance, he had to hand it to Kelsey, the whole location was set up as secure as they could make it.

  The safe house was situated on the top floor of a building that, to all outward appearances, was undergoing renovations. It was typical of the buildings on Vasilyevsky Island. The first floor housed shops while the rest of the floors were apartments. Most of the first and second floor had been gutted and he didn’t doubt that work would happen. But not now.

  No, for now this was their safe house and trap.

  He glanced through the vaulted arches of the once grand apartment into the living room where Felecia sat on an old, worn sofa. No part of him liked using her, even if everyone else agreed it was the best solution to all of their needs.

  Felecia turned her head and their gazes collided.

  Damn.

  Despite everything he’d done to pull away from her, he still felt her drawing him in each time their eyes met. He’d kept to himself during the flight. They’d booked seats with him on one side of her and Logan on the other. There wasn’t a word she’d uttered they hadn’t overheard. And she hadn’t once made a move they didn’t approve.

  He should make another round, double check Kelsey’s work. Instead he walked slowly into the living room.

  Felecia had the TV on softly. The others had divided shifts and gone to sleep soon after arriving. Kelsey was downstairs taking the first street watch, which meant it was just Evan and Felecia for now.

  “Everything okay?” she asked speaking English in that careful way of hers.

  “Yeah. Mind if I sit?” He gestured at the sofa.

  “Be my guest.” She shifted her legs aside.

  “How are your ankles?”

  She glanced at him. “Better, thank you.”

  “Have you walked through the place?” He ignored the TV and instead focused on her. She looked more alive than she had last night. There was more color in her face, more hope.

  “Not really. Logan wanted me to stay put.”

  Evan glanced down the hall. He’d stated his concerns about dangling Felecia out there as bait with both Logan Tucker. Hadn’t they tried that a few weeks ago with Jamie’s girlfriend? And hadn’t it blown up in their faces? Why did they think it would be different now? Despite all of that, they were sticking to this course of action.

  “Did something happen?” Felecia asked.

  Evan shook his head. “No.” He switched to Ukrainian and felt a little guilty, but not enough to stop himself. “You know this plan is dangerous?”

  She nodded.

  “Have you thought about what happens if this doesn’t go well?” He watched her face, noted the slight changes, how the tension returned to the corners of her mouth.

  “I’ve been telling myself that it will be fine.” She lifted her hand and smoothed her hair back. “Are you telling me you don’t think your plan will work?”

  “I didn’t say that.” He grimaced. “I don’t like gambling with lives.”

  He couldn’t tell her about the last time they’d tried this. What with the mole, they couldn’t risk saying much to people outside their immediate circle. The other guys were wary enough about including Kelsey and there was no way she could be the mole.

  “Do you know how to get out of the building?” he asked.

  Felecia just stared at him for several moments. Finally she drew in a deep breath and spoke, “The front door, but that obviously would be where the threat was coming from. The fire escape, but that leaves me exposed and an easy target to anyone watching for people leaving the building. That only leaves the dumbwaiter, and I’m not sure I could fit in that.”

  Evan was relieved she’d thought through that much. “This flat used to be two units. There’s what looks like a closet door in the corner office. It’s a secondary entrance and that’s where we expect your dad’s men will try to enter if they’ve accessed current building records.”

  Her brows rose. “I missed that.”

  “You couldn’t go around trying doors.”

  “No,” she agreed. One side of her mouth quirked up. “You’re not worried I’ll try to escape?”

  “Kelsey’s downstairs. I wouldn’t want to cross her if I were you.” Evan had seen the FBI undercover agent a few times since their last op had wrapped up. Twice had been in the gym, making use of their equipment around other appointments. She was a powerhouse in a tiny package.

  “You don’t think my father will attack tonight?” Felecia curled her legs under her, her chin propped in her hand, focusing on him.

  Evan didn’t want to admit how much he liked her looking at him. “Low probability, not impossible. You think he will?”

  There was no hesitation. “No.”

  “When?”

  She bit her lip and her gaze slid off him. “If he sends his men? Tomorrow, maybe three nights from now. But those men aren’t... They’re street thugs. If he hires someone else? I’m not sure. A night or two?”

  Evan nodded. Logan had asked her about her father’s resources and manpower already and quizzed her. They knew Obran had about a dozen guys who assisted with things from deliveries to helping establish backstories and more he could hire for odd jobs if need be. Evan had no need of her going over the numbers again. What mattered was that they all had tonight to rest and recuperate.

  “So.” The tension eased from Felecia’s face. “A Ukrainian American soldier?”

  “Yeah.”

  “How’d that happen?”

  “My parents immigrated when I was a kid.”

  “Do you remember living in Ukraine?”

  “A little. I remember my grandparents, mostly. Playing outside on their farm.”

  Felecia laid her head on the back of the sofa. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

  “Both.”

  Her smile widened and in that moment she looked so young. “I always wanted a sister.”

  This was a perfect opportunity to learn more about her past. He knew he should be thinking about how this filled out the picture of who Obran was, but all Evan wanted to know was about her.

  How had she survived her father and remained sane?

  He swallowed hard, acutely aware of how attracted he was to her, how much he wanted to help her.

  Evan liked to sit back, observe, think things through. Which meant he was more conscious of the things he and the other guys did. Why they did things.
Which women appealed to them most.

  One common theme he’d seen among the guys he worked with was a tendency to want to always play the hero. A woman in need of assistance was catnip to most of the guys. It played to all of their inclination to be the helping hand. Evan wasn’t immune to that. His own past was littered with women he’d helped and dated, in either order.

  And Felecia?

  Every fiber in his body wanted to protect her. To keep her safe.

  She was—what? Twenty-four? The last time anyone had seen her was eight years ago. He was willing to bet that for as long as Obran was in her life he’d kept her under lock and key.

  That wasn’t any way to grow up, much less live.

  “What are you thinking about?” Felecia asked.

  That she looked so sweet and innocent sitting there. That he wanted to make her impossible promises like he’d keep her safe, he’d make sure she got somewhere she could start a life.

  “That I need to get back to my job,” he said slowly.

  “Oh, okay.”

  “Get some rest.”

  “I guess I should.” She uncurled her legs. “Have a good night.”

  Evan nodded and got to his feet. Walking away from her was far more difficult than it should have been.

  If he was smart he’d stay away from her. Too bad he already knew he couldn’t.

  6.

  Sunday. Safe House. St. Petersburg, Russia.

  Felecia watched Jamie and Harper, her gaze bouncing between them like a ping-pong ball as the men traded jabs over breakfast. She didn’t understand half of what they were saying, but the general feel was one of good humor. One thing was for sure, this team was comprised of five very good-looking men. Jamie had darker skin, hair and eyes, similar to Felecia’s own coloring. Harper was hard to pin down. He was tanned, but it was hard to tell if he was born that way or just liked the sun. His hair was short and dark. Most of the time he wore a knit cap, like now.

  Kelsey jabbed her in the ribs causing Felecia to flinch sideways. She’d met Kelsey first thing in the morning in the bathroom of all places. Felecia had been washing her hands when the door burst open and Kelsey barged in claiming it was an emergency. Felecia got the feeling that moment defined Kelsey perfectly. She was a lot packed into a small frame. If Felecia had to guess Kelsey was barely over five feet. Her broad nose and smile created an expressive face, probably harkening back to some sort of Pacific Islander heritage.