Sins of the Master

by Catherine Taylor

  Eddie chuckled. “The guardian angel. The man you never forgot. And I bet he didn’t forget you either.”

  She shook her head. “I’m nothing special to him.”

  “Don’t believe that. Men like me and Jahn, we are surrounded by violence all our lives. Women like you bring a little light to our lives, with your gentleness and your laughter and the way you see the good in us when we all we can see is darkness.”

  “But I didn’t,” she sobbed. “I attacked you and said horrible things.”

  “You spoke the truth, but before you saw my tattoos, you wanted me, and you have no idea how much that meant to me.”

  “What’s not to want?” She grinned. “You’re a handsome man, and you do incredible things with your mouth. I ruined it for myself. Whoever gets you now, I will be jealous of.”

  Eddie smiled and glanced out at Dylan, nodding to him before looking back at Lena. “He needs you, Lena, more than you need him. Just remember that.”

  “I’ll try.”

  “Now kiss me. Give him something to be jealous about.”

  Lena giggled. “You’ll get me in trouble, but then again, I’m already in enough of it.”

  She gently brought her lips to his and allowed them to remain there for a moment, before she grinned at him. “That’s all you get. As soon as you’re better, I’ll make you a yabluchnyk like you’ve never tasted.”

  He gazed at her, smiling. “I’ll look forward to it.”

  * * * * *

  The gun was pointed at Esther as she stood shaking from the devastating memory of Eddie falling from the car. She had been tempted to crash the car, there and then, but they were too close to the house and its location was no longer a secret. She glared at Miller, who was gazing in wonder at it between keeping an eye on her.

  “I’m impressed,” he said. “For a terrorist, your Master has exceptional taste. I can’t wait to see inside.”

  “Why did you do that to Eddie?”

  “Call it a gut feeling,” Miller replied. “You were too calm, too at ease with him. It was best to eliminate any plans you had cooked up between you. Now, I only have you to deal with.”

  The black SUV appeared from the road between the trees and pulled up behind the other car. Esther watched as four large men got out and stared at the house. They were dressed in black fatigues and slinging assault rifles onto their shoulders. One of them, was especially broad and well over six feet at the crown of his clean shaven head. He laughed and said something to Miller in Russian.

  Miller grinned and replied in Russian, which had Esther frowning at him curiously.

  He smirked. “What?”

  “Nothing,” she said.

  “Good. Now, I suggest you tell us if there’s any surprises waiting for us when we open that door, apart from the alarm which you are going to disable for us.”

  The large man spoke to her in English. “We spotted cameras on the road in here. Who is monitoring them?”

  “Nobody. They’re monitored from inside the house to alert us of anyone approaching the property.”

  “So someone is inside?”

  “No. Only a few people have access to the house and we know not to come here without Dylan authorising it.”

  “Bit hard when he’s dead.”

  “Then the house was not to be approached without permission from me and another girl.”

  “What other girl?”

  Esther balked at her first mistake and quickly thought of something to rectify it. “Tammy, but she’s dead too, killed when your men shot her.”

  “Ashley,” Miller commented, his gaze penetrating her. “She’s dead?”

  “I don’t know an Ashley,” Esther frowned. “All I know is Tammy is dead.”

  Miller smiled and nodded his head. “That’s good. That’s very good.”

  Esther glared at him, but held back her comments.

  “Where’s her body?”

  “I don’t know. We got separated that day. I never saw any of them again.”

  “But you are positive she was killed?”

  “What do you want? I saw the blood, all down the front of her. I saw her fall to the ground. As far as I know she died. Why would she even matter to you?”

  “That’s my business,” Miller replied. “Did she live here?”

  “Yes.”

  “Forget her,” Olek demanded, glaring at Esther. “I’m going to ask you again. Is there anyone in that house?”

  “No.”

  “If you’re lying to me, I’m going to fuck you in the arse until you bleed like a pig.”

  “I’m not lying.”

  “You should know, Esther,” Miller smiled. “Olek is a professional at what he does. He can torture a man for weeks and keep him alive, or a woman for that matter. I strongly suggest that you are up front about any cautions we should be taking.”

  Esther was more relieved at finding the house deserted, than intimidated by his threats. She knew their approach would have been picked up by the cameras and anyone in the house would be long gone, at least she hoped they would.

  “The house is empty.”

  “Then, by all means, lead on.”

  Olek began to bark orders in Russian to the others, and Esther watched two of them take off running with their rifles in hand. She guessed that they would be patrolling the grounds and was a little heartened by their departure. That left three in the house with her.

  Punching in the code, the front door unlocked and she led them inside. Immediately, she went to the panel on the wall and punched in another number.

  “Alarm is off.”

  They stood in the hallway, marvelling at the statues and the cathedral window.

  “This is fucking incredible,” Olek laughed. “I want to see it all. Let her take us through, before we start fucking around with computers.”

  Miller shook his head. “Business first.”

  “We’ve just driven over two fucking hours to get here.” Olek looked at Esther. “Where does he keep the booze?”

  “We have a wine cellar.”

  Olek grinned. “Yes, that’s what I want. Show us.”

  “Olek, we have work to do.”

  ‘”You have work to do. I want a fucking drink” He looked at the man with them. “And so does Dominik. Have you got a problem with that?”

  “No.” Miller smiled grimly. “Perhaps we should look through the house first.”

  “Exactly.”

  Miller looked at Esther. “The wine cellar and then Tammy’s room.”

  * * * * *

  With the sun now behind the hills, the temperature had dropped considerably by the time they had pulled up to a log cabin, surrounded by trees and not much bigger than a shed.

  “Where are we?” Lena asked, peering out. “I thought we were going to meet a helicopter.”

  “I’m taking Eddie there on our own,” Dylan announced as he got out. “You women are staying here. Vanessa, come with me.”

  Vanessa got out and followed him, waiting as he opened the door. Inside, she looked about as Dylan lit a kerosene lamp and lit up the one room. It contained little more than a shelf of books, a desk, a chair and a gas heater. There was camping equipment stacked in one corner.

  “Is this for when you’re slumming it?”

  “Home away from home,” he replied. “I come up here sometimes to be alone, but not too far from the house. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone long term, but Carl should be here within the hour.”

  Before Vanessa could comment, Dylan’s phone buzzed. He answered quickly. “Yes, Yvette.”

  “They’re in the house, three men with Esther. Bevan Miller is one of them. They’re all armed. Two more men are patrolling the ground and watching the road.”

  “Esther, how is she?”

  “She’s calm. Her face is bruised but I see no other injury. Master, Miller is asking questions about Tammy. He’s in her room with Esther. The other two are in the kitchen. They broke the wine cellar door and they’r
e drinking a bottle of wine each.”

  “I’m going to switch over to the headset. Vanessa will have this phone. Let her know when the chopper is here. I’m headed to the house now.”

  “Good luck, Master.”

  “Thank you, Yvette, but luck will have nothing to do with it.”

  Ending the call, he looked at Vanessa. “Want to see something impressive?”

  “Sure,” she smiled. “As long as it’s not in your pants.”

  He chuckled as he pulled back the desk and the rug under it, revealing a metal plate. Next to it was a digital panel flush with the floor. Punching some numbers in, he opened it.

  Vanessa gasped at the assortment of weaponry in the compartment below. He took out a rifle and tossed it to her.

  “If anyone comes near this cabin before that chopper arrives, Yvette will let you know. Don’t hesitate to use it.”

  She watched him pull a thick black jacket out and slip it on. “You were expecting this day, weren’t you?”

  “I don’t know. This is how I’ve lived my entire life, leaving nothing to chance. It took nineteen years to justify my paranoia, and I’m over it. Out there in your car is the one reason I want to leave all this behind, once and for all. Everything, just to be with her.”

  “I’ll guard her with my life.”

  “I knew you would.” He grinned. “I just didn’t want to ask.”

  When they left the cabin, Lena was running towards them. “Eddie is getting worse. He’s sweating, cold and pale.”

  “I’m taking him to meet the chopper now,” Dylan, told her hurrying past her. “Just stay here and do everything Vanessa tells you.”

  “Jahn,” She called after him. “I know he’s dying. Just tell me what you’re going to do with him.”

  Dylan stopped and turned back to her. “He doesn’t want to die in front of you. I’m taking him up to the house with me.”

  Lena nodded and wiped at her tears. “This is not a time to be angry, Jahn. This is a time to forgive. We’ve all made mistakes, every one of us.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Dylan frowned. “And I’ll look after him, I promise.”

  “When will I see you again?”

  He stared at her. “I don’t know.”

  With that, he strode to the vehicle and wouldn’t allow himself to look back at her. Once inside, he looked at Eddie who was breathing heavily. Sweat was pouring down his pale face.

  “You still with me, Eddie?”

  “Yeah, just get us out of here.”

  Eddie managed to stay upright, until they pulled away and then he slowly lowered himself to lie on the seat. He looked up at the back of Dylan’s head.

  “You know, Jahn, you don’t deserve her any more than I do.”

  “Yeah, I know, but she’s got a thing for me. So tell me, Eddie, did you fuck her?”

  Despite the pain, Eddie laughed. “She didn’t tell you, did she? Of course she didn’t. She’s a lady like no other. Sorry, my friend, but I’m going to take that secret to the grave with me.”

  Dylan grinned. “I can live with that.”

  “You know, Jahn, you’re going to have to marry her. Women like Lena, they don’t do half measures. They want the whole fucking deal.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “Maybe give her a couple of kids as well. Why should you get it easy?”

  “You’re pushing it.”

  “Jahn, the other girl, Mairead, is she alright?”

  “She’s back with her husband and doing well.”

  “Good. I tried to help her too. I think… no, I know, I would have stopped them from hurting her. I should have taken them out there and then, at least tried, but I was always a bit of a coward, certainly not Bratva material. Jahn, I never did thank you for what you did for my Tatiana. Do you think she ever forgave me?”

  “Of course she did. Tatiana loved you and she understood what you were caught up in. She made me promise that I would get you out, if anything should happen to her. I didn’t understand what she meant until it was too late.”

  “She was beautiful.” Eddie’s voice grew weaker. “And you and me, Jahn. Are we alright?”

  “We always were, Eddie, though I’d still like to know about you and Lena.”

  There was no reply, and Dylan glanced back. Eddie was still, his eyes partially open and staring. Slowing the car down to a stop, Dylan got out, and went to the rear and retrieved a blanket, before opening the back passenger door. He lay the blanket over Eddie’s body and stood staring at him

  “Goodbye, my friend.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN

  The roar of laughter startled Esther and she shivered to see Olek stride into Tammy’s room. It had already been violated with Miller’s presence, but at least he hadn’t said much about it. He was too busy, meticulously going through every drawer and studying her photo.

  “Explain this to me,” Olek chuckled as he gazed around the room. He picked up another photo of Tammy, dressed in a baby doll nightie, her hair caught up in ribbons and hanging in two ponytails at the side. A plastic diaper peaked out from underneath. “What the fuck is this? She’s old. Why does she dress as an infant?”

  Esther felt anger stirring. “That’s what she liked to do.”

  “Fucking, fat, ugly weirdo is what she is.” Olek spat as he looked about the room. “This is just sick. This arsehole you loved so much was just a fucking sick cunt. What does he get out of this?”

  “He liked to make her happy.”

  “Fucking perverts, the both of them.”

  Miller glared at Esther. “How long have you been with Tyler?”

  “Four years.”

  “So this woman was already here when you came along?”

  “Yes.”

  “What did he tell you about her?”

  “We weren’t allowed to discuss Tammy’s past. Dylan wouldn’t allow it.”

  “Yes, I bet he didn’t.” Miller wandered over to the dressing table and picked up a porcelain doll, his eyes narrowing as he gazed at it. “Where did this doll come from?”

  “I’m not sure,” Esther replied. “She’s had it a long time.”

  He began to lift the dress and layers of petticoats, peering at the body. Olek was going through the wardrobe, laughing at the childish clothing. He looked over and laughed harder at Miller’s perusal of the doll.

  “You like dolls, Mishka?” he asked.

  “I’ve seen this before,” Miller replied. His fingers pulled back the auburn hair and studied the small writing at the base of her neck. He nodded and smiled. “London.”

  “And what is your interest with this woman you’re so interested in?” Olek wandered closer.

  “It began with her. I met Ashley a long time ago. Must have been…” He stopped and grinned. “It was exactly nineteen years ago.”

  “Who was she?”

  “Just a young girl, fifteen and pregnant to one of my assets stationed in Australia. He’d been fucking the mother and daughter for years, while working for her father. Her mother married her off to him and shipped them off to New Zealand Tait wanted the girl but didn’t want to be lumbered with a kid, which presented an opportunity for me.”

  “How?”

  “I had become friends with a list MP, rising rapidly through the ranks. He and his wife were despairing a long, unsuccessful run with the IVF program, trying to have a child. It was in my interests to supply them with one.”

  “This woman’s child?”

  “Tait was all for it, and so I arranged a boat trip for his and Ashley’s honeymoon. We transported Ashley to another boat and helped Tait half sink the first and radio in a distress call. Tait was rescued, convincingly distraught, telling of his futile attempts to save his beloved bride. Instead, we kept her hidden at Tait’s house on the West Coast, until she had given birth. Tait was supposed to kill her after that, but he kept her locked up for years, only bringing her out to entertain some of his pervert friends. The girl was half stupid anyway, so I allowed him t
o have his fun, even watched occasionally. And then one night back in 2005, the whole house burnt down, taking Tait out and a woman I had thought was Ashley. So I was quite unprepared to see her still alive when Adele showed me her photo.”

  “And where is this child now?”

  “Grown up and still living with her parents. As far as they are concerned she was a Romanian orphan, not that they were going to ask too many questions.”

  “And you got your foot in the door of New Zealand politics.”

  “Much to the delight of the Kremlin.”

  “So how did Tyler get hold of this woman?”

  “I don’t know.” He looked at Esther who had sat down on Tammy’s bed. “You want to shed any light on that?”

  Esther stared down at the floor. “I didn’t know any of Tammy’s history, until now.”

  “It wouldn’t surprise me if it was Tyler who took Tait out and burned the house down. In fact, I would bet on it. If Adele hadn’t shown me those photos, I might have stayed out of it. I was content to allow Semyon and Asya to fight over Tyler all they liked.”

  “And this other fellow,” Olek said. “Brendan North. How did he figure in all of this?”

  “He also found out that Ashley was alive. I had to get rid of him, and with Asya planning to kidnap James and Mairead, I had the perfect opportunity to have Brendan killed off without drawing too much attention. It should have been straightforward, the jealous husband going after the man stalking his wife.”

  “Except, it didn’t go that way, did it?” Olek remarked.

  “No. Mairead wasn’t with James, and Leo’s girl was there and fucked everything up. I had to get Yuri’s men to go after Brendan’s laptop before anyone else saw her image. If that wasn’t bad enough, Adele decided to blurt her story out to the police, which has put me on the back foot again.”

  “What a fucking mess,” Olek laughed. “And you all had your own agenda. Asya wanted Tyler to kill him. Adele wanted to frame him. You wanted him to find this Ashley woman and Semyon wanted him back in Russia over some computer program.”

  “Not just any computer program. Semyon had been searching for Zaleski for years, or rather a scientist who had stolen the software to the most sophisticated surveillance and anti-satellite program ever developed.”