Page 79 of Stolen Empire
The thought strikes me as ironic as he steps out to greet me.
"That was loud," he says.
"Shut up," I spit as I push past him into the office, closing the door behind us.
"Did you see the watchers?"
"Three of them. Far rail. One on the phone. Why?"
"Who are they?"
I move to the window, watching the paddock.
Katya's gone now, out of sight, so I can't tell what's happening, but that tracking chip in her pendant will lead me to her if things go haywire.
"One of them is a Radich. I'm guessing the others are his buddies… She stole from you?" he asks, narrowing his eyes, and I scowl at him.
I either let him in or cut him out, but if I need help with her, then Gavriil is the only one I trust.
"It's a job. Okay? That’s all you need to know. Just do as I say, tell no one, and the job will go off without a hitch."
Gavriil nods at me, but his expression shows skepticism.
I say nothing more, and he leaves without another word as I sit down at my desk.
The plan is in motion.
All I can do now is wait.
It's agonizing, but I move through my day trying not to think about her being out there alone.
I've checked the tracking chip several times and it's working fine, still moving every now and then.
She's been at a bakery downtown, then to a coffee shop, past a bowling alley, and the most recent check showed her moving toward the industrial sector of the city.
I have no clue if our plan worked or if she's just meandering around Moscow, and it grates on my nerves.
I'm snippy and short with all of my men and focus on the task of trying to vet my own employees over and over.
None of them had the opportunity to change the schedule again, and I don't know where to look, so I'm beginning to think that was a lingering fluke from Rodion's fuckups.
But none of this, however important it is, can distract me from worrying about her.
I check the time again.
One hour until Katya checks in, and my phone rings with a call from Gavriil.
"What?" I snap, totally on edge.
"We intercepted a call on that phone we cloned. Between Daniil and someone higher up. Sending you the recording now, Boss. You'll want to hear this."
The line goes dead and a moment later, the file comes through as a text.
I download it and press play.
The audio is grainy, distorted by distance or interference.
But I can make out voices.
