Chapter 7
A pair of black Ford Broncos with tinted windows pulled up beside the plane as the aircraft’s door open. By the time Popov descended from the aircraft, Aleksei Zenin had exited the lead vehicle and was standing at the bottom of the stairs.
“Welcome to Palm Springs, Mr. Popov,” Aleksei said in Belarusian. “I hope you had a pleasant flight.”
“I’m hungry,” Popov grunted.
“I took the liberty of ordering dinner from room service. It should be in your bungalow by the time we arrive.”
The rest of Popov’s men deplaned and climbed into the second Bronco.
Aleksei held open the back passenger door of the lead SUV.
After his boss climbed in, he went around and climbed into the front passenger seat.
Behind the wheel was Aleksei’s younger brother, Vladimir.
If not for their obvious age difference—Aleksei being older by eight years—the two would look like identical twins.
“Seat belt,” Vladimir instructed.
“What?” Popov asked.
Aleksei pointed at the strap hanging next to the door. “They are very strict here. If you do not use it, you can get a ticket.”
Popov scoffed, then tried to yank the belt across his generous waist. But he pulled too fast, so the safety device clamped down before he could get it halfway around.
Aleksei said, “You need to do it slow—”
“I know how to use a seat belt!”
“Of course. My apologies.”
Popov tried again, and this time the clasp clicked into place. “Can we go now?”
Aleksei nodded, and Vladimir hit the gas.
The drive to the Mountain View Resort & Spa took a mere twelve minutes. The place was a sprawling affair, built in the Spanish-mission style, with bright white adobe walls and red tiled roofs.
Vladimir stopped next to a pedestrian gate at the back and led Popov and the others through it into an expansive central courtyard dominated by a gigantic lagoon-style pool.
At the back of the courtyard, near one end of the pool, was the resort’s bungalow section. Each stand-alone bungalow was surrounded by a six-foot-high adobe wall, creating private outdoor spaces that included hot tubs.
“Here we are.” Aleksei gestured at the gate to bungalow number five as they approached. He then motioned to the nearby gate. “Most of the men will be in six.”
“Most?” Popov asked.
“My brother and I will be staying with you, to assist with any needs. Unless you’d rather we didn’t.”
“No. I need you close.”
Aleksei handed a key card to one of the other men and nodded for them to go get settled. He then used another card to open Popov’s gate and stood aside so Popov could enter first.
“Keep a watch out here,” he whispered to Vladimir, then followed his boss onto the private patio.
As Popov gave the area a cursory glance, Aleksei hurried ahead and opened the bungalow door.
Again, Popov went in first and found himself in a large room with a seating area on the left and a dining area on the right. On the dining table sat the food Aleksei had promised.
“There are three bedrooms that way,” Aleksei said, pointing at a hall to the right. He then gestured to a pair of double doors on the far left. “And that’s the master bedroom.”
Popov walked over to the table and lifted the cover off one of the plates, revealing a thick New York steak.
He cracked a smile for the first time since he’d arrived. If there was one thing the Americans knew how to do, it was steak.
As he pulled out a chair and sat, he said, “I need a drink.”
“Of course. One rum and Coke coming up.”
That was Popov’s go-to.
While Aleksei prepared it at the bar, Popov sliced into his steak and took a bite. It was a perfect medium rare.
“Your drink,” Aleksei said, setting a glass on the table.
Popov took a sip, then said, “Lundstrom?”
Aleksei and his brother had been sent ahead to Palm Springs not only to make sure the accommodations were ready for Popov, but to also do reconnaissance on RRE.
After Popov had learned about Lundstrom at his meeting with the senator, he’d tasked the Zenin brothers with finding out as much as they could about the man before Popov arrived.
“We put a tracker on his vehicle, and after he left for work this morning, we searched his house,” Aleksei said. “The place could really use a housekeeper, but even so, we found no signs of anyone else living there but him.”
The corner of Popov’s mouth ticked up. The way one managed their private space said a lot about a person. In Popov’s experience, the messier, the easier to manipulate.
“He did have a safe, though,” Aleksei added.
“Did you get a look inside?”
Aleksei nodded. “Documents, mainly, for his mortgages and that kind of thing, and a Glock 9mm.”
Popov had been about to put another bite into his mouth but stopped and raised an eyebrow.
“Vladimir removed the firing pin,” Aleksei answered the unasked question.
Popov continued eating.
“After the house, we went to his office,” Aleksei continued.
“His car was there so I thought he was, too, but he arrived a couple hours later in a company pickup truck, so I don’t know where he was during the day.
That shouldn’t happen again. Before meeting you at the airport, we put tracking bugs on all RRE company vehicles. ”
“Anything else?”
“One more thing that was a bit confusing.”
“Yes?”
“When Lundstrom left work this evening, he parked a block away and stayed there for a half hour, then followed another car when it departed.”
“Followed like they were going somewhere together?”
Aleksei shook his head. “Followed like he didn’t want them to know he was there.”
“And then?”
“I don’t know. We had to break off to finish what we needed to do before meeting you at the airport.”
“Any idea who the other car belonged to?”
“No, but it was distinctive, and I’d recognize it again if I saw it. Vladimir, too. I’ll send him back on Monday morning to get its license number.”
Popov took another sip of his rum and Coke. “Lundstrom is expecting us to contact him. Call him in the morning and tell him I want to meet with him right away.”
“Um…”
“What is it?”
“You have a ten a.m. tee time tomorrow, followed by your appointment at the spa. And then there’s the party tomorrow night.”
Popov waved his fork in the air. “Then have him come by after the party.”
“It could be late.”
“So what?”
“No problem, Mr. Popov. It will be done.”
“See that it is.”