Page 71 of Shades of Loyalty
You acted the same weeks ago, my inner voice reminds me. God.
“It’s just me,” I say, closing the door behind me quietly and sitting next to him.
He doesn’t lower the gun completely. Neither do I. The silence between us is thick—almost suffocating.
The ship’s getting closer, its lights cutting through the fog. I feel tension in the air. My men are ready to check everything.
Or, more importantly, to murder anyone who conquers our safe plan.
I exhale slowly, frustration crawling up my throat.
“Everything good out there?” Yuri asks, his voice tight.
“Yes. But I don’t trust anyone right now,” I reply, my tone colder than I intend.
He scoffs. “Not even me?”
I pause, considering the question. He knows me too well to expect a lie.
“In this moment? No, not even you,” I say flatly. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you shot me and took the whole shipment for yourself.”
Now Yuri scoffs even louder. “So much for our alliance.”
“Don’t you doubt me, as well? Even slightly?” I ask, my voice a low growl.
“I do,” he answers simply, then grins at me through the darkness. I grin back at him.
Of course we’re allies, but we’re not stupid.
Good to know, isn’t it?
The ship finally reaches the dock. The captain steps onto the deck, lighting up his cigarette as a signal.
We only trust one man to captain the ship, and every time, he's been trustworthy.
But still—we check it again. Every time.
We can’t risk the shipment coming in incomplete.
“I’ll get going,” I tell Yuri.
He nods, watching me leave. “Good.”
I step out of the container, moving toward the massive ship. My men are watching me closely, waiting for my signal to begin unloading.
I step on board, nodding at the captain. I watch as he opens every single damn container, checking the shipment piece by piece. Drugs. Weapons. Everything.
It takes nearly half an hour, but when it’s all done, everything looks fine.
It doesn’t surprise me. Everything is always right on spot with him.
When I leave the ship, I spot Hayden standing by the loading area. “Get the trucks ready. Start loading,” I tell him, then grab my walkie-talkie and speak into it, contacting Yuri.
He’s still hiding. I don’t know why. Maybe he's a coward who always sends others, but I personally don’t trust anyone when it comes to shipments like this.
My father taught me that—you check everything,no one else touches the shipment before you do.
“Tell your men they can start unloading,” I say into the radio. Twenty seconds later, Nikolai meets my eyes, and I nod. He passes the orders along.
