He got home, and to his surprise there were no cops or forensics there yet. He figured Parker must have pulled some strings or made something up to keep the coast clear for a little longer. He was shocked that his brother was helping him so much after all the shit they had been through, especially recently. They usually couldn’t get through a full conversation without one of them telling the other one off, and now Parker was putting his own job at jeopardy to help.
Decklan rushed inside, stepped over the still-dead Langley, and ran upstairs to pack. It only took him five minutes to get everything he needed. It wasn’t much, but it would be enough. He pulled out his phone and looked up the earliest flight he could get. He knew it wouldn’t be cheap, but money wasn't really an issue since his wife was so successful, and he was the only one left to spend it. Two pm was the earliest flight he could book, so he did. That gave him four hours to get to the airport, get through security, and get to his gate. It was more than enough time since the airport was only twenty minutes away.
He arrived at the airport, parked his truck in the parking garage, grabbed his one bag and headed inside. He got through check-in and security without issue. There wasn’t much of a line since it was the middle of a weekday. The only time this airport really saw any high-volume traffic was early mornings and weekends.
He found his way to his gate and took a seat in the waiting area, since he had time to kill before his flight. Decklan was trained in situational awareness and he always used it no matter where he was or who he was with. The first thing he always did when entering a room or place was scan it for possible threats. He looked for anything that seemed out of place or anyone who seemed like they didn’t belong. He learned that being aware of one's surroundings always could literally save his life, and those of others.
His first experience with this was before he enlisted. He was at a party in high school one Friday night when one of the popular girls' rich parents were out of town. Her parents knew she threw these parties because they let their little spoiled brat do anything she wanted, but on this particular night, things got out of hand, even more so than the typical high school party. It was normally just their own high school kids that attended, but word got out about the party and some kids from a rival school decided to show up. Worse, one of them ended up belonging to the most dangerous gang in the city. The kid was only seventeen, but he had a reputation for violence and on top of that he had a hair-trigger temper. Decklan noticed the guys enter the party, clearly not belonging. He inched his way closer to where the group of guys was standing near the front door, as he watched the gang member start arguing with one of the football players. It escalated quickly and Decklan could tell something was about to pop off. He always had an instinct for sniffing out trouble and always wanted to protect people who couldn’t protect themselves, which was probably why he made such a good soldier.
After a couple of minutes of the two arguing, Decklan noticed a sudden change in the gang member’s body language and facial expressions. This guy was about to snap and possibly hurt a lot of people. The guy went to lift his baggy t-shirt, indicating he had a gun in his waistband, but Decklan quickly took notice and tackled the kid to the ground. He was much bigger and stronger than the gang member so keeping him subdued until the situation died down wasn’t too difficult for him.
He thought about that day a lot because he knew if he hadn’t recognized what was happening or hadn’t been paying attention, kids would have died at that party. Now, he made sure he was always aware of his surroundings, no matter what.
He scanned around the sitting area at his gate and noticed only a few people were waiting with him. A middle-aged man dressed in a nice suit with a leather briefcase. Clearly a businessman who must be going to Russia for work. He looked to his left and to see a mother and two small children, one boy and one girl. She was fighting a losing battle, trying her best to contain their energy.
Good luck, lady. I can tell you firsthand that you don’t stand a chance.
Seeing this young family suddenly triggered a wave of emotions in Decklan, but he didn’t want to start sobbing in the middle of the airport. Instead, he leaned over with his elbows on his knees and just held his face in his hands for a few minutes until the emotion passed. He still hadn’t properly grieved over his family, but he knew now was not the time to start. There was still a job to get done. Finally, he looked over about three rows in front of him and noticed a young woman, probably only twenty or twenty-one at the most. She had headphones in and was reading a book. She was traveling alone, which meant she was trying to explore the world while she still could. Before she grew up and realized how dark, cold, and unforgiving life really was—or she was going to meet some guy for the first time that she met online. The latter was typical for kids these days. Damn millennials.
“Now boarding all seats. Please make your way to the gate. Your flight takes off in twenty minutes and the gate will be closing in fifteen.” Some woman behind the counter spoke over the loudspeaker.
Decklan waited a few minutes while he watched the other passengers board. He wasn’t much for standing in line so he’d rather wait until he could just walk straight on without having to stand right on top of strangers. Getting on a plane like this was weird for Decklan. He was more used to walking straight up to the plane from the tarmac, since that is how they boarded planes in the military. He was finally inside the plane, making his way towards his seat, 15A, which put him around the middle. He put his bag in the overhead storage and took his seat. He was a window seat, which he always loved because he secretly had a passion for scenery. It was a way for him to escape.
He was anxiously waiting to see who was going to be taking the seat next to him, because whoever it was, he was going to have to get used to them for the thirteen-hour trip.
“Hello!” a young and innocent-sounding voice said.
Decklan looked up and saw the same young girl he had noticed when he was waiting to board.
“Hi, how are you?” Decklan responded, trying to sound polite even though he wasn’t really in the mood for small talk.
“Great! I’m Rebecca, how are you?”
“Can’t complain, I guess.” Which was a bald-faced lie. “I’m Decklan. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Same!” the young girl replied with a big smile.
Decklan could tell this girl wasn’t going to shut up anytime soon and was probably going to talk the whole damn way.
For the love of God, kill me now!
“If you don’t mind me asking, why are you going to Russia?” Rebecca asked energetically.
“Just got some business I have to take care of,” Decklan replied, lacking the same energy.
“Oh cool! What kind of work do you do?”
“It’s kind of hard to explain.”
Rebecca leaned in, playfully whispering, “Are you a spy or something? Or a hitman?”
“Oh no, nothing like that, ma’am. I just wouldn’t want to bore you with the details,” Decklan replied lightheartedly, hoping to get her to stop pressing.
Rebecca leaned back, acting shocked but clearly not being serious. “Ma’am! How old do you think I am?”
“Sorry, force of habit, I guess,” Decklan said.
“No need to apologize, Decklan. Not enough men have manners these days. It’s quite refreshing,” she replied, pretending to be proper.
Decklan just smiled, hoping this was the end of this childish back and forth.
“Well, aren’t you going to ask me?” she said.
“Ask you what?”
“Aren’t you curious why a young single girl is going to Russia all by herself?”
I could give two shits, Decklan thought to himself. But she was a genuinely nice girl and he didn’t see any harm in playing along. “Sure, why not. Why are you going to Russia?” he asked.
“It’s actually a pretty crazy story. I found out about three years ago that I was adopted. I was completely sho
cked by the news, so I wanted to try and find my actual birth parents. Don’t get me wrong, I love the people who raised me. I still call them Mom and Dad, but what little girl wouldn’t want to meet her real parents, right?”
Decklan wasn’t expecting that and didn’t know what to say, so he just nodded in agreement.
“After doing some digging around on the Internet for a year, I finally found them… well, her anyway. It said my real dad passed away from cancer when I was ten.”
Decklan remembered Langley’s wife losing a battle to cancer and how much that wrecked his life, so he knew the turmoil cancer brings.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he replied, not really knowing what to say.
“Thanks!” she said. “Then it said my mother was still alive but had moved shortly after his death. She took a job in Moscow and has been living there ever since. I am going to find her and meet her for the first time. I have a lot of questions.”
“That’s incredible, Rebecca. I really hope you can find her and get the answers you want. Family is the most important thing in …” Decklan said but couldn’t finish because he was starting to choke up again.
Damn it, man. Keep it together!
***
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“I’m okay. It’s just been a rough month,” Decklan replied.
“I can understand that for sure.”
Decklan knew she was just trying to be nice but there was no way she could possibly understand what he was dealing with. No one could. It was unimaginable for most people, but it was his reality.
“Well, I’m going to try and get some rest now. The jet lag and time change are going to be rough once we get there,” Rebecca said.
Decklan smiled and nodded. “Good idea. I’m going to do the same.”
The conversation finally stopped, which Decklan thought was what he wanted. However, silence seemed to be even worse. With nothing or no one to distract him from his pain, it easily crept back up and started to consume. He began seeing flashes of the past with his family. All the memories were good. He knew there were hard times over the years, but his mind didn't allow those to find any space in his thoughts. It was only the good times, which made it even more difficult to keep it together. He was strong, highly trained, and skilled, and had been hardwired to push through difficult situations. It was something he had to do in order to survive over the years, but this pain was different. Nothing about his life was ever easy, until he met his wife. She saved him. She turned his whole world around and showed him that things could be good…even great.
But what did that matter anymore? She wasn’t here anymore, and she was never coming back. He had no interest in ever finding love again because he knew she was the only one for him in this life. All he could do now was make up for not being there to protect her and their children.
They had only been in the air for a couple of hours, which meant it would still be half a day before they landed in Moscow. He looked over at Rebecca and she was fast asleep. She looked so peaceful. Decklan wondered if he would ever sleep like that again. He slept because he didn’t have a choice, but he never actually felt rested. He stayed exhausted all day every day and the only thing that allowed him to push through was adrenaline and his thirst for revenge. Plus, he now had two promises to fulfill…his own and Langley’s. He couldn’t let their deaths be in vain.
Several more hours passed, and he still couldn’t fall asleep. He figured at this point that it wasn’t going to happen. He just gazed out of the window, watching as the world passed by underneath. Everything seemed so small and meaningless from this perspective. The plane spent most of the time over the Atlantic Ocean. The vast and open waters of the deep blue. Several more hours passed by and they were finally over land again. He looked up at the small TV on the back of the seat in front of him to check the flight path. They were flying over Ireland, then the UK, Germany and eventually into Russia. The only time he had ever ventured out this far east was Germany when he was in the military, but never beyond that. Russia would be the farthest place he had ever gone, and probably would ever go. Hell, it might be the last place he ever saw.
Ding! Ding! “Hello, this is your captain speaking. I hope everyone’s flight has been comfortable thus far. We will begin our descent here shortly and should be landing within the hour. We want to thank you for flying with us and we hope to see you again soon.”
About time.
Decklan noticed Rebecca was starting to come out of her long slumber. He couldn’t believe how long she slept. Basically the whole trip, minus their back and forth at the start.
She removed her eye mask and returned her seat to the upright position.
“Are we almost there? How long was I out?” she said, still half asleep and fighting off a yawn.
“Almost. Less than an hour according to the captain,” Decklan replied. “You slept almost the whole way.”
“Wow, I must have been pretty tired, huh?” she said with a sleepy smile.
“I guess so.”
“Do you know where you are staying once we get there?” she asked. “Maybe we can share a cab, or whatever they call it in Russia.”
“Oh, I’m not sure yet to be honest. I was going to figure it out once I got into the city,” Decklan replied, not wanting to tell her where he was going.
She looked at him inquisitively. “That sounds stressful, but I am sure a good-looking businessman like yourself won’t have any trouble finding your way around,” Rebecca said with a flirty tone.
Good looking? You are young enough to be my daughter, Decklan thought to himself.
“I’ll manage,” he replied, purposefully ignoring her comments.
They could feel the plane start to descend, which meant they would be landing any minute. Decklan wanted to grab his bag and get off the plane as quickly as possible. He needed to find Parker’s contact as soon as possible. The last thing he wanted to do was be wandering around a foreign country, especially Russia, without a gun. Especially since he was looking for one of the most dangerous men Russia had to offer.
They finally landed and were ready to exit the plane. Rebecca was just as ready to get off as Decklan. She stood up in the aisle, grabbed her bag from the overhead compartment, and then handed Decklan his bag as well.
“Is this yours?” she asked.
“Yes, thank you, Rebecca.”
“Of course, Decklan,” she said, blushing.
It had become evident to Decklan that she had formed some kind of high school crush on him, but he could care less. His heart was still and always would be for his late wife.
They both scurried through to the front, with all the other passengers, until they found themselves standing in the Moscow airport, ready to go their separate ways. Rebecca leaned over and hugged Decklan tight and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“Good luck and who knows, maybe we will see each other again.”
Decklan was caught off guard by the unexpected and unwanted affection, but for some reason it brought him a little comfort.
“Good luck to you too, and I hope you find your mother. Be safe and always keep your guard up,” Decklan said, unintentionally.
She looked at him funny, like he had just spoken a different language. Decklan was caught off guard by his own words as well. His protective instincts must have kicked in.
“Thanks, and I will! I promise,” she replied, as she turned and walked away.
CHAPTER 19
Despite the long flight and lack of sleep, Decklan didn’t feel as tired as he should. He was too focused and determined to get the job done that he came all this way to finish. He maneuvered through the airport, pushing past crowds of people and hearing the muttering of a language he didn’t understand. Here he was, all alone in a foreign land, and he couldn’t speak a single word of Russian. He kept walking through the airport, trying to find his way to the front, where he hoped to find a taxi that could take him into
Moscow.
He finally managed to get outside, where a new crowd of people was taking up the sidewalk. Some were getting picked up by their families, while others were trying to accomplish the same task as Decklan and find a taxi. Failed attempt after failed attempt left him standing on the sidewalk longer than he had wanted or intended. He looked over to his left, and saw a taxi waiting without a passenger so he ran over to it as fast as he could and jumped in.
Thank the Lord, he thought to himself.
“Hello, where are you going, sir?” the cab driver asked.
Decklan was taken aback by this man's ability to speak English. He figured he would have to play charades in order to communicate where he needed to go. “You speak English?” Decklan asked.
“Yes. I learned many years ago. Figured it would help me with the American businessmen. Although you don’t look like the typical businessman I am used to picking up.”
Smart, Decklan thought to himself. “I’m not. Just here on vacation,” he replied, lying.
He could see the taxi driver smile in the rearview mirror, clearly not buying it.
“Moscow, Russia for a vacation. I would have to say that is a first,” he said jokingly. “Where is it you are going exactly?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn't answer you the first time. I need to head into the city. I’m looking for someone specific and I believe they live in the city,” Decklan replied.
“Sounds good. Off we go!”
It didn’t take them long to reach the main city, but traffic slowed them down to a halt once they arrived. It looked like New York City on any given day, where it was bumper to bumper and it took twice as long to drive as it did to walk. He didn’t know where to find Parker’s contact. All he had to go on was ‘look for a big blue door.’ He had no idea if that would be easy or hard to find in Russia. For all he knew, every house or building could have blue doors. He figured the taxi driver wouldn’t have the first clue what he was talking about if he asked, but he had nothing to lose.
BLOOD TIES (Decklan Jennings Thriller Book 1) Page 13
