by K. J. Dahlen
Roman’s eye brow raised but he didn’t say anything.
“In fact, we may need Geordie to run background on this guy,” Yuri muttered.
Roman snapped his head around to stare at Yuri. “Geordie? Are you sure?”
Yuri shrugged. “I’d really rather not but we need whatever he can find on this matter. This may become bigger than any of us were looking for. We don’t know anyone else who can do the deep background check we’re going to need on this. ”
Roman sat back in his seat and thought about the news he’d just heard. To say Yuri and Geordie didn’t get along was like comparing apples to grapefruit. Both were good men on their own, they just didn’t get along together. He knew Yuri hated to call him in on anything but they might not have a choice in the matter. They needed someone with certain skills and Geordie was the only person they knew that had such skills.
A short time later, Yuri was joined by the rest of his group, Sazon, Ana and Dutcher, along with Roman, Pappy, Dewey, Bear and Calico. Members of his own security team were there as well. Paulo arrived a few minutes later with the bag of evidence he’d taken from the safe.
Yuri took charge of the bag and announced to the whole group, “Before we get into what we found in the safe we need more information on Michael Tabrone.” Running his fingers through his hair he told them, “Paulo discovered evidence in the safe that leads us to believe that Michael is not who he claims to be.”
“Just how do you think you can get this information, especially if he’s not Michael Tabrone?” Pappy asked.
“We’ll have to call in an expert hacker. I don’t like the man we have to deal with and he doesn’t like me but it’s the only way we have to check this out.”
“It may not be the only way,” Pappy told him the group quietly.
Dewey snapped his head around to glare at the other man but he didn’t say anything.
“What does that mean?” Yuri demanded.
“We have a very good hacker,” Pappy assured him. “Dewey’s wife is outstanding in what she does and so far, she has never been caught.” Pappy nodded at his second in command. “He may not want her involved but she’s the best at what she does.”
Yuri turned to the other man and stared at him for a moment. “Is this true?”
Dewey gritted his teeth. “Yes it’s true. Trudy can get you what you need to know and no one will ever know she was in their system.”
“There is only one person that good that’s I’ve ever heard of and he’s known as The Phantom. Not even Geordie is that good.” Roman concluded. “But no one’s heard from this person in the last few years.”
Dewey turned slowly to stare at the man. “Trudy has been in hiding most of her life because she’s that good. She’s pissed off a number of people over the years and the government would lock her away for their own use if they knew where she was. We’ve been hiding her skills behind a network of firewalls and misdirection to protect her and our own organization.”
“Your wife is The Phantom?” Roman gasped.
Dewey nodded but didn’t say anything.
“Your own organization?” Yuri questioned.
Pappy shrugged. “We are part of a nationwide network that watches for threats against our country. We work hand in hand with a secret part of the government that stops terrorism on home soil.”
Yuri turned to Dewey. “Can your wife work quickly and keep quiet about the results until we have the whole picture?”
Dewey nodded.
“Will you allow her to work with us on this? I want to have the information to present to Sergi when he arrives later today.”
Dewey looked disgusted the reached for his phone. “I’ll need to give her more information than the name Michael Tabrone.”
“Give her the names Caleb Stoner and the Ripper,” Yuri told him. “I’d like to see what she comes up with on that alone.”
“The Ripper?” Pappy questioned. “I’ve heard that name.”
Yuri nodded looking solemn. “We found several newspaper articles in the safe about the crimes of this man. There is more but that’s what we found. I want to know more about this case before any decision is made. But you need to warn your men to watch Michael carefully and not to lose him. If he figures out he’s being watched, he may do something dangerous and disappear completely. We cannot afford to lose track of him now.”
Pappy agreed, “I’ll let my men know to watch their backs. I’d rather not lose any of them either.”
“He’s not one I’d trust. He wouldn’t hesitate to kill them in order to get away. Dangerous men are reckless when they are cornered.” Yuri turned to Ana. “And you, we need to put you under protection immediately.”
Ana frowned. “Why? Michael doesn’t even know I’m here yet.”
“I wouldn’t make that claim at all. Grey might not tell him we were there today but he might have others watching out for him.” Yuri shook his head. “He must have known his actions in New York would follow him wherever he went next. He did tell Grey that he needed to go underground for a while.”
“If he gets wind of us at all he could just disappear and wait to come back here to gather his things,” Roman pointed out. “I doubt a man like he is would leave anything to chance.”
Yuri nodded. Looking over at Pappy he said, “Maybe we should just transport him back here and confront him on our terms. We could hold him until we have the facts and Sergi determines our next move.”
“I can call the compound and get a van to Houston in a few hours. My men will watch over him until we get transport there. Once they get him in custody, they can bring him here,” Pappy assured them.
“Hopefully by that time, Sergi will be here and we will have more evidence of who he really is,” Yuri concluded.
“What about my brother and his wife?” Ana asked. “If you think I need protection, don’t they as well?”
“Nikoli told me several members of the MC your brother made first contact with are traveling here with them.” Yuri shrugged. “Maybe they have more information on that matter. We’ll just have to wait and see what they know and what they did before coming here.”
“I’m sure Deke has things under control,” Pappy assured them.
“But if they don’t know about what we just found how can they protect Drago and Gretchen and the new baby?” Ana wailed.
“Honey, I’ll make a call and see what’s being done about this.” Pappy reached for his phone.
Sazon frowned at the older man. The other man was entirely too informal to suit him. He wrapped his arm around Ana and held her close while Pappy made his call.
A few minutes later Pappy ended his call and looked over at Ana. “I spoke to a man named Mountain. He was left in charge while Deke, Sam, Gator and Jethro traveled here with Sergi and Nikoli. He’s going to send some men over to your place to watch over your family and stay with them until this matter is resolved.”
Ana smiled. “Thank you so much.”
Yuri ended a call and looked over at the others. “That was Nikoli, they are about two hours out and closing fast. He was most interested in what we found at the apartment. They want as much information as we can get before they arrive.”
“But that isn’t enough time.” Ana fretted.
“It will have to do,” Yuri stated.
Dewey answered his phone and called out to Yuri, “Trudy needs a fax number to send us the info she’s got already.”
“What could she possibly have at this time?” Roman frowned.
Yuri gave him the number and before long, they were receiving pages from Texas. When he glanced over at Dewey, the other man shrugged. “She’s good. She can hack into any system, find what she needs and get out before anyone realizes she’s even been there.”
Yuri began reading the pages in his hands and before he even got to page three, he was swearing in Russian. Passing the pages along the line of men waiting to read them he took a second batch off the printer and began reading them. The informati
on she was sending them were official police reports as well as newspaper clippings following a serial killer the press labeled The Ripper, named after Jack the Ripper from history of the old English killer from well over a hundred years ago who has never been caught. To this day, the authorities could only speculate as to who the original Jack the Ripper really was and what became of man himself.
“Would there be any chance of getting something to eat any time soon?” Pappy finally asked. “I don’t know about the rest of you but my belly is wondering if my brain remembers what food is.”
Yuri chuckled. “Of course. With everything that’s happened this morning, I think we can all use some nourishment. We’d better eat before the others arrive anyway. Once they get this information they may not think to stop to eat for hours.”
Over a buffet, as Yuri called for service since he owned this hotel, more pages came in from Trudy and the news was worse than anyone thought. Pappy got a phone call from his men in Houston. They had taken Michael off the streets and were bringing him to New Orleans in the back of a van. He’d been uncooperative in the capture and not only was he wounded but one of Pappy’s men was hurt as well.
Pappy found this news unacceptable and swore long and hard.
Yuri knew this frustration, so he went over to the bar and poured several drinks. Carrying one over to Pappy, he handed the glass to his and lifted his own in a toast position. “This bastard will pay the full price for his actions. Believe that if nothing else makes sense right now, believe in that.” He touched his glass to the other man’s, lifted it to his lips and slammed the liquor down this throat.
Pappy gulped his drink down as well then asked, “So who are we waiting on?”
Yuri placed his glass down on the table beside the sofa and glanced at the four men from Sabine Pass, Texas. “You may or may not be aware of the fact that my brothers and I are Bratva. It is similar to your Italian mob, only the Bratva is Russian. We have people we have to answer too in our homeland, Sergi Constantine is one of those men. He and his son Misha are here visiting family and they were in New York when Drago called his friend Jethro Ryan to help watch over his sister. Sergi, Nikoli and Misha along with four members of the Sin’s Bastards MC are the ones we are waiting for.”
Pappy nodded. “I know Deke and his dad Sam. In fact, I served with Sam in the Marines a life time ago. I met the rest of his club some time ago when we came through New York. They’re all very good men to watch your back. I’d trust any of them with my life.”
Yuri nodded then added, “Sergi is also my wife’s grandfather and Misha is her father.”
Pappy raised his eyebrow then chuckled, “Boy I do not envy you that connection. You fuck up and its over for you isn’t it?”
Yuri chuckled. “Almost happened already. I fucked up once and it wasn’t just a small fuck up, no it had to be big time but Raven forgave me. I think I was more afraid of her than those two.” He smiled. “She made me a father a few days ago and that shit is as real as it gets. Sergi and Misha are here to watch the next generation grow up.”
Pappy grinned. “Yeah, I thought I was too old to have a kid too, but my woman showed me just how wrong that thought was. She and my baby daughter are my whole world now and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
CHAPTER SIX
An hour or so later, seven men stepped out of the elevator and Kosta led the others to Yuri’s front door. After a swift knock he opened the door and stepped aside to allow the others entrance.
Sergi, Misha, Nikoli, Deke, Sam Jethro and Gator joined the others.
Ana got to her feet and stared at the new group of men. She only knew one of them and she barely knew him. “Jethro,” she whispered. “Is that you?”
Jethro smiled and held out his arms.
When she ran into them, Sazon growled but stayed where he was.
Jethro’s arms wrapped themselves around her small body and for a moment, he just held her. When he let her go, she looked up at him.
“Your brother is mad at you.” Jethro scolded her. “He wants me to paddle your ass for him.”
Sazon’s fingers curled into fists at the statement. “You’ll do no such thing unless you want to die.” He snapped.
Ana turned her head and giggled. “He wouldn’t dream of it but not because of your threat. He wouldn’t because he knows better.”
Jethro smiled and nodded. ‘She’s right you know. She may be tiny but she’s lethal when she wants to be.”
“I did not travel over twenty hours for this bullshit,” one of the men scoffed.
Ana turned her head to glare at the older man. “Well excuse the hell out of me.” She snarled.
“I came here for answers not for this.” He motioned at her with his hands.
Ana glared at him but before she could say anything Jethro’s hand covered her mouth and he whispered in her ear. “That is Sergi Constantine, Bratva leader in old Russia. Behave yourself.”
Ana nodded and pulled away from Jethro. “Well, after the last few days it’s good to see an old friend.”
Sergi nodded then turned to Yuri. “What have you learned about this man since we last spoke?”
Yuri reached for the pages Trudy had faxed over and handed them to Sergi. “I can order some food and drink if you like.”
Sergi went over to one of the chairs and sat down. “That would be good. It was a very long trip. I need coffee too.” He looked at Yuri. “Where is Raven? Are she and the baby all right?”
Yuri nodded. “Raven, the baby, Talli and Pepper are with Barshan and Mikial under guard. We didn’t know what exactly we were dealing with and now, I’m glad they are safe.”
“Oh,” Misha asked. “Why is that?”
“This man Michael Tabrone is not who he claims to be,” Yuri told them. “In fact, we’re not exactly sure who he is.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” Sam Tory asked.
Yuri turned to stare at him. “Michael Tabrone died at the hands of a serial killer several years ago. This man may have stolen his identity to cover his own tracks.”
“What a clusterfuck.” Deke swore. “What the hell did we walk into here?”
“Where is he now?” Misha asked.
“He’s on his way here under guard,” Yuri announced. Looking over at Pappy, he told his superiors, “Several of Pappy’s men are escorting him here from Houston.”
“Do you have a safe place we can store him until we can get this figured out?” Nikoli asked.
Yuri nodded. “We have a steel cage in the subbasement at Sazon’s gym. We’ve used it before for holding prisoners until judgement has been passed. He’ll be out of the way and he won’t be able to escape. He’ll be under guard at all times. No one but those of us in this room will know where he is.”
“Good,” Sergi nodded. “We need to review this new information and decide on a plan of action.” He turned to stare at Ana. “Have you found the daggers? Did he still have them?”
Ana nodded. “Yes, he still had them. We found them in his apartment. Along with the sword he used to murder my grandfather.”
“Is it true that your family name was once Curcovic?” Sergi asked.
Ana nodded. “Although that fact is not well known by too many people.”
Sergi agreed. “Da, the government of Russia would have a great many questions if they knew where to find you. Your great grandfather changed more than just his name when he came to this country didn’t he?”
“Yes, he did.” Ana didn’t deny it. “He changed his way of forging the steel too. He had to if he didn’t want his whereabouts to be known in certain circles. His swords were too well known to keep his talent hidden for long.”
“May I see the sword your grandfather made for this Michael person?”
Ana moved over to a side table and drew the weapon in discussion out of its box. Walking over to Sergi, she lifted the blade up to offer it to him.
Sergi gently took the blade and examined it, turning the blade into the light.
The craftsmanship of the blade was outstanding. The finish on the blade sparkled in the sunlight. The engraving on the blade was a series of old Celtic symbols mixed with symbols of the old country.
Ana knew the blade intimately as she had done the engraving herself.
The hilt of the sword looked heavier than it really was. She knew every nook and cranny of the blade and how well balanced it was. She had balanced the blade herself and she knew you could hold it with nothing more than the tip of your finger. She had tested out the blade in every manner she could. It truly was a fine blade and worthy of her grandfather’s name.
Sergi passed the blade along to his son and while Misha admired the blade, Sergi looked at Ana again. “And the daggers? You said you found them as well? May I see them?”
Ana went back to the table and picked up the box. Carrying it over to him, she gave Sergi the box and took a step back.
Sergi studied the box for a long moment then carefully set it on the table and his hand shook slightly as he opened it. His gasp was loud in the silent room. “Oh, my lord…”
Seven men gathered around the table and no one said a word as they gazed at the blades meant for a king. After a long moment, Sergi turned to stare at Ana. “Do you know what these are?” he whispered.
Ana nodded but didn’t say a word.
“What are these blades to you?” Deke asked.
“These daggers are Corsican war blades,” Sergi informed the group reverently. “No one has seen such daggers for hundreds of years.”
“Well, these are hundred years old, aren’t they?” Gator asked.
Sergi shook his head. “No, you don’t understand. These daggers are replicas of those worn by the earlier warlords of our country. Blades such as these would be specially forged when war was declared on another tribe. The stones you see in the handles declare intent. The first stone is the stone of the tribe itself, the one declaring the war. The second and third stones declare the allies tribes while the forth stone declares the tribe war is being raged on. Daggers such as these were forged every time a major battle was raged on our soil. But no one has forged daggers like this since the time before we acknowledged our first Tzar.” He breathed reverently. “Blades such as these would take the life of the loser of the battle. The winner would slit the throat of those who opposed him.” He shrugged. “Often both side would have daggers such as these made and the winner would confiscate the losers own daggers to show off his conquests.”
