15. Cash
CASH
I avoided being seen by everyone and anyone who might want to interact with me. The last thing I needed was to leave an impression on anyone. And a white male in the middle of the fucking desert was a huge red flag.
I was nearly to the border of Georgia, but I had to stop for fuel before I entered the line to cross the border.
The papers Ibrahim got for me were good, but that didn’t mean they would stand up to scrutiny.
Georgia was the most likely route for me, though, ensuring I was entering a United States-friendly territory. It was a chance I had to take.
Pulling into what looked like an abandoned gas station, I got out, stretching my legs and arching my back to work out the kinks of driving for so fucking long. I couldn’t wait to get the hell away from here and back to civilization. Hell, even Russia sounded pretty fucking good right about now.
Walking around to the pump, I took my time fueling, knowing I was still in for a good three-hour drive to Tbilisi.
“Excuse me,” a feminine voice said from behind me. I winced, thinking that poor woman sounded a lot like Kermit the Frog. “Would you be willing to give me a ride across the border? I lost my leg in the war and it’s an awfully long walk from here.”
Stiffening, I slowly turned and faced the hideous woman behind me, using only a scarf to disguise the beard on her face. My lips twitched with amusement as Thumper’s robotic leg stuck out slightly from under the dress he was donning.
“I don’t know. Smuggling people across the border could get a guy killed.”
“Not if you have the right paperwork,” he said, patting his purse.
How the fuck did he even know where I was, let alone at this fucking gas station? That was a question for another time, though.
Nodding, I jerked my head toward the vehicle. “Sure. Get in.”
I ran inside and paid, keeping my eyes averted from the cashier as I handed over the money. Thankfully, Ibrahim had given me everything I needed to get by for a little while, but the money wouldn’t last forever.
As I got in, Thumper was adjusting his skirt, complaining about what a pain in the ass it was to wear that shit.
“This is fucking ridiculous. I never should have volunteered for this.”
“For wearing a dress?” I asked as I pulled back onto the road.
“To save your ass,” he clarified. “I should have let you fucking suffer after what an ass you’ve been.”
“Why are you here?”
It’s not that I wasn’t grateful for a friendly face, but why the hell had he traveled back to the sandbox? It didn’t make sense.
“Well, when you get targeted for a hit, having friends can be useful. Do you remember what friends are?”
Man, was I going to have to deal with this shit the rest of the fucking drive?
“It’s not that I’m not grateful, and yes, I remember what friends are?—”
“Because it doesn’t seem like it. You disappeared just like that,” he snapped his fingers. “And you haven’t called. You haven’t written. You faked your death. Now, I’m no genius, but that definitely doesn’t sound like something a friend would do.”
Sighing, I focused on the road ahead. “If you’re going to bust my balls, why did you even bother to come?”
“For Eva,” he said, shooting me a pointed look. “You know, you did one hell of a job pushing her away, but clearly, not good enough. That woman has some brass balls on her.”
I clenched my fist on the steering wheel, not liking the way he was talking about her. “My wife doesn’t have brass balls.”
“Oh, so now she’s your wife?” he countered.
“Why the fuck are you here?”
“Call me crazy, but I don’t want you to end up in a gulag.”
“They don’t have those anymore.”
“So I’ve been told,” he muttered. “The point is, you have a family at home, even if it does appear that you’ve forgotten about them.”
There wasn’t a chance in hell I could ever forget about them. Eva and my kids meant everything to me, and it was only because of how much I loved them that I knew I had to leave. Without them, the world didn’t exist, and I was beginning to feel that deep in my chest with every day that passed.
“How is she?”
“Well, I’m here, aren’t I?”
That didn’t answer a damn thing. “How did you even find me?”
When I turned to face him, he shot me a toothy grin that made my hackles rise. “Remember that time you were taken in place of Rafe?”
“Yeah,” I answered slowly.
“Well, it seems your wife likes you just a bit too much. She didn’t like the idea that she wouldn’t know where you were or if it was really you. So, she had Rafe implant three trackers under the skin.”
I rolled my eyes on a sigh. “Fucking hell.”
“She’s known where you were all along, man. Did one hell of a job crying at your funeral, too. We didn’t suspect a thing.”
“I thought Fox would have told her, honestly.”
“That man tried, but he was rambling about mice talking to him and all sorts of shit. We just figured he was going crazy.”
“He already is. There’s no going anywhere.”
“So, did you do it?”
My gaze snapped to his in anger. “Are you fucking serious?”
His hands shot up defensively. “Hey, I’m not judging. I have no fucking clue what you’re doing.”
“No, I didn’t fucking kill President Codi.”
“But you did shoot Al-ahmar.”
When I didn’t answer, that was all the confirmation he needed. “So, what’s the plan?”
That was a good fucking question. Stay alive. Find out why the fuck I was set up. Figure out how my old man fit into all this. “The plan for now is to find someplace friendly to stay while I figure out what the fuck is going on.”
“Figured as much.”
But it still didn’t make sense. “Okay, you knew where I was because of my tracker, but you couldn’t possibly figure out my route. How did you know where to find me?”
“Would you believe me if I said FNG figured it all out?”
“Christ, is he involved in this?” I muttered.
“And everyone else.”
“What about the three J’s?”
He shrugged, adjusting his fake boobs. “Not sure. They ran out a few weeks back, hoping to break into a facility. No one’s heard from them since.”
“And you just let them leave?”
A huff of laughter slipped past his lips. “Is there really any way to stop them? They were pissed as hell when Knight went looking for you instead of them.”
“It would have been best if everyone had just stayed away,” I muttered.
“Well, that wasn’t going to ever happen. Not when you have so many loyal followers.”
“You make it sound like a cult.”
“It sort of is. What the fuck is it with women and boobs? Seriously, this is the most uncomfortable disguise I’ve ever worn.”
“Why are you wearing it?”
“Because you’re less suspicious if you’re traveling with a companion.”
“And you couldn’t send Rae to do the job?” I drolled.
“She said she wasn’t going to be pigeonholeed into a stereotypical role.” He rolled his eyes at me. “So, I drew the short straw, and here I am.”
“Well, it looks awful on you, if it makes you feel any better.”
“That’s not good. I’m supposed to be a convincing woman.”
That was hilarious at best. But as he sat in the seat beside me and adjusted his dress, I relaxed a little more, knowing I had someone at my back. I wasn’t sure how long this would last, so I soaked up every ounce of camaraderie I could. Because way too soon, I would be on my own again.
“So, what’s the plan for the checkpoint?” Thumper asked as we approached.
“A friend got me papers.”
“And you’re sure they’ll hold up?”
I gripped the steering wheel, my jaw clenching hard. “Not entirely. I’m hopeful.”
“Well, that’s fucking great,” he sighed, digging into his purse. “Here. I got you papers.”
I took them from him, frowning at the new packet in my hand. “How did you get this?”
“Well, what did you think I meant when I said you could get by with papers?”
“I thought you meant for yourself.”
“These are really good, but we got you a new set for every border. We don’t want you showing up in too many places. Your name is all over the fucking place. Whoever you pissed off, they must really fucking hate you.”
That still rankled. I didn’t know what I was going to do when I found my old man, but he was on the top of my hit list right now. I still couldn’t believe he was the fucking leader of the Shadow Government, but then for him to do this…It had to be him. He was in charge.
We pulled into the line for the border crossing and I prepared my papers, praying everything would go smoothly. I just needed to get into Armenia and then into Georgia. From there, everything would be a little easier.
I hoped.
The man ahead of us was waved on, and I pulled forward just as the man at the border check was tapped on the shoulder by someone behind him. I let off the gas, wondering what was going on as the two started to argue, but I was being waved on by one of the guards.
“What the fuck?—”
The man was thrown out of the booth and another man stepped into his place, and I just fucking knew. “Shit,” I muttered as I pulled up to the booth.
“Play it cool,” Thumper hissed. “Remember, you’re just another driver.”
Yeah, easier said than done when the entire world was gunning for me.
“Papers,” the man snapped.
I handed mine over, along with Thumper’s, barely catching a glimpse of the woman in the photo on his passport. As the man scanned my passport, another man walked around the vehicle, checking for bombs or drugs. Whatever could be smuggled into the country.
I really fucking thought I was home-free. And then I fucking looked at the man in the booth and my fingers twitched with the desire to pull out Sally, who was stored under the floorboards.
The man looked directly at me, and I knew the moment he recognized me. But he wasn’t just another guard. I recognized him from the night I put a bullet in my brother’s chest. He was one of the fucking Shadow Government.
He pulled the gun just as my hand flew out the window, slamming his hand forward as a shot rang out.
“My boob!” Thumper shouted as I hit the gas.
Bullets pinged off the back of the car as I broke through the barrier and flew down the road.