Forged Risk

by Sidney Bristol

  “Hey.” He kneeled at her side.

  She glanced up at him, her face too pale. “Hey. How is he?”

  “Logan’s asking him some questions.” From the little Evan heard it wasn’t going well. “How are you?”

  She smiled weakly. “Alive.”

  “That’s good.” He glanced at the gun. “Want to hold on to that?”

  She stared at the heavy black weapon in her hand, mouth open on the brink of replying.

  “If you want to hold on to it, I think you should have the holster.”

  “Take it.” She thrust the weapon at him.

  He holstered the weapon then eased to the ground next to her.

  “What happens next?” she whispered.

  “Not sure.” Evan grimaced. He wanted to get them on a plane and head home, but he wasn’t sure that would. “I wasn’t aware Caleb had a small army.”

  “I didn’t either.” Felecia shuddered. “When I last saw them, it was just the four of them. Why was he here?”

  “Maybe he owed your dad a favor?”

  Felecia shook her head. “No. Dad wouldn’t. He doesn’t trust people, especially those he’s done this level of work on.”

  “Your dad could still be out there then.” He glanced at the front door, no longer confident about that chain.

  “Caleb and those men, they could have come after me as leverage. Or maybe...”

  “Maybe?” He turned his head and studied her profile.

  Felecia glanced at him. “I can’t tell you. It’s part of my leverage.”

  “Is it good leverage?”

  She nodded.

  “Are you going to use it?”

  “If I thought Zora would have believed me, I would have.”

  “What is it?”

  She licked her lips. “I know where my dad keeps backup records of every job he’s ever done. It’s insurance. He tells the people he works with about it, so they know they can’t kill him when it’s all over. I know where it is because—because he always said if something happened to him it was the only thing that might keep me safe.”

  Holy shit.

  “That’s the answer,” he blurted.

  Felecia frowned at him.

  “If we can get that we have all the cards. We know who his enemies and his friends are.”

  She shook her head. “But if you have that you don’t need me.”

  “Trust me, with this kind of intel Zora will give you whatever you want. This is the answer, Felecia.”

  She bit her lip and stared at him, no doubt wondering if she could truly trust him.

  TUESDAY. ST. PETERSBURG, Russia.

  Obran paced the hotel room, phone pressed to his ear. He’d expected to have news of his daughter’s swift return by now. Instead it was radio silence.

  Where the hell was she?

  He had many enemies. It came with this line of work. The kind of people he helped make vanish didn’t like anyone knowing their secrets regardless of the fact that Obran had helped them in the first place. To his clients, he would always be a loose string they could do nothing about.

  The phone kept ringing.

  But to become the target of an American investigation?

  He’d never seen that coming, and that worried him.

  If Skilman hadn’t insisted on using the Horsemen, Obran would have steered clear of them. He’d worked on few enough Americans that bringing those four men in seemed like a bad idea. Wasn’t it obvious to Skilman? Using Americans against Americans?

  The phone went to voicemail. He hung up and dialed again.

  Then again, Obran had done plenty of work for Skilman without asking questions. For all Obran knew he’d worked on more Americans than he realized.

  “Damn you, pick up,” he muttered.

  Everything about this had him strung tight. And it was his daughter hanging in the balance.

  When he got his hands on her he was taking her far from here. Maybe it was time to think about a better, long-term plan. She was smart. If he was going to keep her safe, maybe he had to resort to extreme measures. It was too much to hope she’d wake up and realize what he was doing for her, all the sacrifices he’d made. She was simply too sheltered to understand.

  He closed his eyes as the final ring sounded. Only, instead of the voicemail picking up a voice breathed raggedly into the line.

  “Hello?” Obran snapped. “Do you have her? Answer me.”

  “She escaped,” the voice said on the other end of the line.

  Obran frowned. Though he’d met the Horseman, only one of them spoke. “Caleb?”

  “He’s dead.” The other man gasped.

  Obran’s blood went cold. “What happened to my daughter?”

  “She’s still with the men who took her. We have a team tailing them.”

  “I thought you said this would be easy. I thought you said you knew what you were doing,” Obran roared.

  He should have handled this himself. Trusting anyone else was a mistake. His mistake. And it was his daughter who might pay the price.

  “Yeah, well, that was when we thought it was a bunch of CIA,” the man spat.

  “Who is this?”

  “Kurt.”

  The image of a man with dark hair and bright green eyes came to mind. The hair was the work of dye. With him, they hadn’t added to his facial features. They’d smoothed them out, removing the bumps in his nose from the many times he’d broken it. The old scars were gone now. It was amazing what that had done to alter the man’s appearance.

  “Well, Kurt, it will be your hide I come after if you fail me. You will get my daughter back or you’ll regret it.”

  “Save your threats, old man. We know where you are. You aren’t invincible, even with all your secrets. I’ll call you when there’s news. Until then, stop calling.”

  The line went dead.

  Obran turned and hurled the phone across the suite.

  This was getting out of hand.

  11.

  Tuesday. On the Road. Russia.

  Felecia took her first easy breath as they passed out of the city pointed north. Evan glanced at her in the rearview mirror, the skin around his eyes crinkling in a smile. She returned the smile then let it fade while ignoring Jamie sitting next to her in the back seat of the sedan. She knew he was there in case she tried to make a run for it, not that she was going to. The others were in separate vehicles, both ahead and behind them.

  She’d killed a man.

  Her mouth was dry and her stomach clenched. She took a deep breath and slouched down farther in the seat.

  They were headed to Finland, and from there she wasn’t sure. The St. Petersburg airport wasn’t all that large, and since they’d flown into the country, they weren’t going to leave by that route. Which meant one long road trip to Helsinki before she could out what happened next for her.

  It would be smart for Felecia to use this time to plan. She shouldn’t have told Evan about her father’s leverage. It was her secret weapon, but she’d been so stunned and desperate. It was still hard to make her brain work.

  Think.

  She had to protect herself, but all she really wanted to do was curl up in Evan’s lap and cry.

  I killed a man.

  Felecia shoved that thought aside. Her father had taught her to shoot to save her life and she’d made use of those lessons. Probably not in the way Dad intended, but it had happened.

  She drew in a deep breath.

  Her leverage.

  It would be easier if this Zora person would take Felecia’s word, if they’d go on what she’d seen and heard. While she knew where her father kept his leverage she also knew getting it was another matter. But if that was her last card to play she had to use it, and she had to get everything she wanted in the deal.

  Jamie grumbled.

  Felecia glanced at the man frowning down at his phone.

  “Well, there goes my signal.” He sighed and powered off the device.

  Evan gasped in m
ock astonishment. “You might actually talk to us?”

  Jamie grinned. “Fuck you.”

  She chuckled.

  Felecia’s few experiences with soldiers were all of a similar nature. They were often like the Horsemen, scary, gruff men with cruel streaks miles wide. Evan and his team were different. They laughed. Harper and Jamie were almost constantly pestering each other or someone else. There was a sense of comradery she wished she could be part of.

  “Careful.” Evan glanced back at her. “Now that he can’t talk to his girlfriend he’s probably going to spend the next four hours telling you about her.”

  “Oh?” Felecia glanced at Jamie.

  The man had an unrepentant grin on his face. “The rest of you are just single and bitter.”

  Evan snorted.

  Felecia recalled the name Tabby and the way asking about this person made everyone clam up. Was that his girlfriend? Or someone else?

  “How long have you been together?” Felecia twisted a bit to give Jamie her undivided attention. It would be good to think about something besides the blood Evan had washed off her.

  “Not long.” Jamie lifted a shoulder. “But I’ve got a feeling about this one.”

  Evan snorted. “You always have a feeling.”

  Jamie reached between the seats and smacked Evan’s shoulder. “This is different.”

  “Isn’t that what you said last time, too?”

  “No,” Jamie snapped, real heat bleeding into his voice.

  “Easy.” Evan held up a hand. “I’m just messing with you.”

  Felecia was intrigued now. “How is she different?”

  Jamie blew out a breath and turned his attention back toward her. He considered her question for a moment and a transformation came over his face. His features relaxed and he stared at a spot on the roof of the car, a hint of a smile curling the corners of his mouth.

  “She’s nothing like what I expected her to be. She’s successful, driven, passionate and so damn smart she makes me feel dumb sometimes, and I’m not stupid.”

  Evan tipped his chin up, catching her eye in the rearview mirror. “Don’t let that face fool you. He’s actually got a brain in there.”

  Jamie glanced at the back of Evan’s head then back at her, his expression sober and serious. “We want the same things. We both want to do what we believe in and have a family. Most women I meet want to party, but not her. Sure, she’s serious about what she does, but she wants to be settled. She wants to make a home, and I want that, too.”

  “It’s that serious?” Felecia tilted her head.

  “Jamie here goes from single to serious. There is no in-between.”

  This time Jamie ignored Evan. “Yes, we both think it’s that serious.”

  Felecia barely kept from sighing. Falling in love and getting to live that dream were the stuff of fairy tales for her. The sort of thing that happened to normal people. Her life was too crazy and complicated for something as simple and pure as love.

  “So you’ve talked about this with her?” Felecia curled one leg under her and twisted to give Jamie her full attention.

  “Yes,” he said without hesitation. An impish grin spread on his face. “Evan’s right. I don’t know how to half-ass anything.”

  “Except the dishes,” Evan said just loud enough for her to hear him.

  “What?” Jamie leaned around the seat. “What did you say?”

  “Nothing.” Evan grinned and winked at her in the rearview mirror.

  “You better watch your mouth,” Jamie said, his voice brimming with a threat Felecia didn’t believe.

  She studied Evan’s profile against the blue sky. If this were one of her movies, Evan would rescue her from all the evils in her life. A lot like the Rapunzel story in a way. She liked him, but she knew better than to make him out to be a white knight or a prince riding in to save her. He’d help, she knew that much about him, but they each had something they had to do. She needed to secure her future. And he needed to capture her father. With any luck they could help each other, but she didn’t want to fool herself. This thing she had with Evan was temporary. It was real in a way, but it wouldn’t last. She couldn’t let it.

  Anyone she cared about or who cared about her would be in danger so long as her father was alive. That was a fact. Even if her father wound up in prison, never to see the light of day again, she wasn’t sure she’d still be safe.

  Then again, Evan hadn’t been certain she was still alive. What were the chances other people did as well? Could she slip out, start her own life and not live watching over her shoulder?

  “Shit,” Evan yelped.

  The car lurched as he slammed on the brakes. Felecia gasped and braced her hands on the seat in front of her, heart pounding.

  A red van had come to an abrupt halt in the middle of the highway. It rocked slightly.

  “Go,” Jamie barked and reached under his jacket.

  “What—?” Felecia didn’t get her question out before she was thrown sideways.

  Evan cranked the wheel and stomped on the accelerator, cutting off another lane of cars.

  Something pelted against the back of the car.

  “What’s happening?” She twisted to peer back.

  Jamie grabbed her by the hair and shoved her face down on the seat, his words drowned out by the sound of shattering glass. She screamed and threw her arms over herself.

  “Hold on,” Evan yelled.

  Felecia curled into a tight ball. The sound of Jamie’s handgun filled the space, the boom of it vibrating her bones all while tires screeched and the car swerved sickeningly.

  This was because of her. These men could die.

  She should have run away at the first chance. Or at least tried. For their sake. She liked these people. They were good.

  Instead of clear skies whizzing by, she saw buildings now.

  They must not be on the highway anymore.

  The car whipped around a turn, the back end of the vehicle swinging wide.

  “Fuck,” Jamie spat. “Where are you guys? We lost one car, but the other’s still on us.”

  A the rat-a-tat-tat of more bullets ripping into the car had her flinching. Almost all the glass was gone. There was a disturbing gurgling around coming from the car, too.

  “We’re going to have to run for it,” Evan said.

  “Okay. Felecia?” Jamie gripped her wrist. “I need you to unbuckle.”

  Her hands fumbled with the seatbelt. Despite the way her hands shook she got the belt off her.

  “This has got to be it,” Evan said.

  “Ready,” Jamie replied.

  Felecia was so not ready. Why were these people shooting at her? If they worked for her father, shouldn’t their orders be to bring her back alive? Or had she finally broken her father? Could this be a third party? Someone new?

  The sedan whipped around, sliding sideways a bit before it came to a rocking stop.

  Jamie and Evan threw their doors open. Jamie grabbed her hands, hauling her out while Evan squeezed off a few rounds at a sports car hot on their heels.

  “Run.” Jamie pushed her ahead of him.

  She sprinted forward before she had any idea where she was.

  It was some kind of square. Boarded up stands not yet open for the day filled the area, creating a warren of paths. They were still in the suburbs of the city, little towns dotting the countryside built on the foundations of villages from ancient times.

  Men yelled behind them as she wove through the stalls, Jamie and Evan right behind her.

  In the distance a train’s horn blew, coming closer.

  That was their chance.

  “Follow me,” she said.

  Part of the stall just ahead of her erupted in shards of wood.

  She skidded around a turn and darted down an alley.

  The sound of the train crept closer.

  Trains were the one form of transport that knit this country together. A train could take them anywhere.

 
“Where are we going?” Evan drew even with her, but only for a moment. He swerved behind her as the alley narrowed thanks to garbage cans.

  “Stop.” Jamie grabbed her arm and swung her around a corner.

  Evan followed and they stood with their backs against the cool brick.

  “Sports car. That means two people.” Jamie sucked in air, speaking softly. “The car drove off, probably to head us off.”

  Which meant there was only one person following them.

  “Where are we going?” Evan whispered at her.

  “The train,” she replied just as softly. “It has to be coming into the station. If we can get on that, it’ll take us to Helsinki.”

  “Sh,” Jamie said.

  The sounds of the city made it hard to hear much, but even she caught the thumps of footsteps.

  Felecia held her breath, anxious to be away, to head for that train.

  The footsteps stilled.

  Sirens wailed in the distance.

  They all needed to get away from here.

  A cautious step scraped the concrete.

  Jamie shifted his weapon in his hands and sucked in a deep breath. In one smooth motion he pivoted, gun up and fired.

  “Go,” he said.

  Evan urged her back into the wider alley.

  Felecia let him push her, but she didn’t head for the train. Instead she closed in on the man lying on the ground.

  His feet moved and his hands clutched at his chest as blood began pooling under him. She took in the olive complexion and thick black hair.

  She knew him.

  He was her father’s man.

  “Felecia, come on. You don’t need to see this.” Evan took her hand.

  She pulled away from him and stepped closer. The man’s eyes rolled around in his head before settling on her. She crouched and felt in his pockets, finding his phone and his wallet.

  “What are you doing? What is she doing?” Jamie demanded.

  “We need money,” she said over her shoulder. “And I can’t let anyone have his phone.”

  “Come on,” Evan said and tugged at her.

  She let him lead her. They eventually emerged on a busy street. She ducked her head and made straight for the bustling train station.