Page 48 of The Enemy Protector
He smiles and leans forward. “There are other ports. I’m offering the partnership to you first out of respect. But we both know there are others who would be very happy to be involved.”
It’s my turn to lean forward. “You’re in my city. Every port is mine. I’m allowing people to run them.”
He gets to his feet. “We’ll talk soon.”
He walks out of the restaurant. I stay seated.
I wait a few minutes before I walk out. Kirill is waiting in the SUV.
I slide into the backseat. “Home.”
Kirill is riding shotgun. He looks over his shoulder at me. I give a slight shake of my head. He nods once and faces forward.
Once home, he and I immediately go into my office.
“Has pest control been by lately?” I ask.
Kirill looks personally offended. “Never misses his scheduled visit.”
Things feel off. “Call him,” I say.
Kirill nods. “I’ll call now and ask for an emergency appointment.”
He walks out of the office to get the equipment needed to search for listening devices. I’m not paranoid. I’m careful. I don’t like Yuri being in town. He’s upsetting the natural order of things. Someone is backing him. Someone with money. Money buys people—even my own.
Kirill returns a few minutes later carrying what looks like a standard briefcase but I know contains a sophisticated bug detector. He moves methodically through the room, running the device along the walls, under the desk, behind the paintings. I watch in silence, arms crossed, jaw clenched.
If he finds something, I’ll know Yuri has infiltrated my operation. My sanctuary.
Kirill completes his sweep and gives me the all-clear signal. “Clean.”
“Good.”
“Want to tell me what that was about?” he asks.
“Can never be too careful.”
“What did he offer you?”
I tell him, watching his expression. He’s clearly as surprised as I am.
“How the hell is an operation that size running in my city without my knowledge?” I ask.
“I don’t know. I didn’t know. I suspected there was more to the operation, but I just assumed it was pills.”
“I want everything,” I say quietly. “Every detail you can find. How long it’s been running. Who the contacts are. Where the procurement happens. I want to know if Yuri built this or if Mikhail has been running this under my nose.”
“That’s going to take time.”
“Then start now.”
Her father has already left her out in the cold. Yuri is stripping away what’s left.
She won’t survive this alone.
She can hate me for the cage. She doesn’t get to die outside it.
13
