CHAPTER 48
Luna
“Wait, you’re O?” I ask.
This cannot be the leader of…whatever they’re called.
She looks like a runway model. Well, a retired model.
She’s probably in her late fifties. She’s tall and slim but not without curves.
She’s got stunning, deep blue eyes and silver-blond hair styled in short waves.
Her nails are immaculately painted in all black.
Her diamond-encrusted gold jewelry is understated perfection.
She’s in an all cream suit with a black ring on one hand, a black belt and black stilettos. She screams control and power.
I think I’m in love with her.
“No, Ellie was right.” She answers me, “I am Owen’s wife.”
“But…” Ellie starts, confused. Van and Mark look like they’re in shock.
Allie just smiles as she goes on, “I suppose my husband is more active in comms and he’s out in the field.
He and I run the cave together. You’re all familiar with American football, yes?
” she asks us. She sounds more British than Russian.
Or maybe she sounds like everything. Or nothing.
Amazing. “My husband is the quarterback, on the field, leading the team, making decisions out in the action,” she pauses to look at me, “I call the plays.”
Chills break out all over my body.
Mark clears his throat.
And I remember with one glance at his face that he is— and this woman is—the enemy. They all are. Or were. I don’t know, I can’t think straight. I look down and take a breath.
“Right, let me explain.” Allie was leaning toward me a bit, but she straightens and adjusts her suit jacket.
“Only a few people in the world know what the real product is and where it’s moving to and from.
Thanks to you, we know at least one way it’s being moved.
In the magazines of the weapons shipments. Well, some of them.”
“In the magazines,” I think out loud. “So something tiny then, it’d have to be.”
“Exactly. Could be new pills. Micro tech. Bio weapons. We don’t know.”
“What do you know?” I snipe without thinking. Maybe I should be more cautious, more…respectful I guess. Except, they can take my respect and shove it up their asses until I know what’s really going on.
“We know, thanks to Ellie, that the target is young children.”
“No,” I shake my head and put my hand to my mouth. This cannot be happening. My father and little kids? What?
“Yes. Her uncle, your papa, Volotov and a few others who run the world in the shadows, they’re targeting elementary-age children. Basically babies.”
“But…why?”
“Good fucking question,” Mark mutters.
I look at Van, angry all over again but he answers before I can ask, “I’m not in on it. Could never work my way in. Your father, her uncle, they never trusted my father and they never trusted me.”
I snort. Trust. What a fucking joke!
“Can’t be nano,” Mark thinks it through with us. “I still say they aren’t giving that much micro processing, which is still extremely expensive and unstable, to seven year olds.”
“Nano tech could mean anything, though. Could be micro bots that embed in their skin, yes, but it could be simple patches that adhere to their clothes. Something they inhale or ingest,” I ramble.
Allie asks, “Administered how?”
Good question. I sit and consider it. “In the food maybe? Cafeteria?”
“Why,” Mark scoffs, “to track the location of every child in America? For what purpose?”
“Trafficking?” Ellie asks.
“Could be,” I continue brainstorming out loud with them because I can’t help myself, “but, unbelievably, most kids that age these days already have data-enabled cell phones that can be easily tracked and traced.”
“Correct again,” Allie says, studying me. I shift under her gaze.
“Allie?” Van says, trying to break her out of…whatever is happening.
“This is getting weird now, should we leave the two of you alone?” Mark says, snarky bastard.
“You’ve no reason to believe anything I say,” she says to me, her gaze so intense I swallow.
I try to chuckle, then cough, “Correct.” I grab the water from Ellie and suck a few gulps down.
“Still, this was not the plan,” Allie motions between Van and me. I frown as she says, “He was supposed to get close to Mancini over the next few years. Birthdays, weddings, he was supposed to wear him down. Work his way into their operation.”
“You weren’t going to bring her in?” Ellie asks Allie the question but she’s glaring at her husband.
“We weren’t sure,” Allie shrugs. “Mancini agreed to the marriage to plant her with the Irish. Skulls Quinn is a recluse. I assume your father and Volotov agreed to the marriage to use you to see what, exactly, Quinn knew or suspected, yes?”
“He didn’t tell me that but I’m sure you’re right. I don’t think he accounted for the lack of wifi. Couldn’t even listen in on my conversations.”
“True,” she nods, “He had Zeno search your things, tried to plant a bug.”
“W-what?” I am reeling yet again. Z would plant a bug in my things and not give me a heads up?
“So,” she crosses her arms, “We weren’t sure about you.”
“I was,” Van says, his voice low and sure.
“Not at first,” Allie finally looks away from me to Van.
“The plan was always Mancini senior, then to see how much she knew. Some people can’t be turned.
” She shifts back to me and says, “It’s clear your father didn’t read you into the real plan, the real product he’s moving.
” I huff a bitter laugh at that. “But,” her tone changes.
“You were an integral part of his operation, even if he didn’t know it.
They’ve struggled without you and why wouldn’t they?
Every night you changed his logs. You switched routes, reassigned men. ”
“How do you—”
“Your ledger,” she says simply. As if it’s not a huge fucking deal that she’s read my personal, secret diary that was hidden in the lining of my suitcase. She steps closer to the bed. “You have a gift for this. Logistics. Efficiencies. And you’re a natural leader too.”
I look away.
I never led anyone.
I never got the chance.
“Van’s family took you in. In just a couple months, you earned the respect of the men and the affection of the women,” I start to shake my head but she raises her perfect brows.
“Didn’t you? Think about it. Your suggestions.
Your training and the crowd of spectators that grew and grew to watch said training. ”
I look away and feel my cheeks burn. Then my eyes.
“You and Van falling in love was maybe the best thing that ever happened to us.”
I shake my head because this is too much. Quinn…Van…I…
“Fine, my mistake. Forget about Van. But your father was a fool, Luna. You’re brilliant, shrewd, strategic. You should have led teams, called shots and made plans. Come do so with me.”
“With you?” Ellie asks, “Where?”
“Wait a minute,” Van starts.
Allie answers Van in Russian.
“I don’t…” I stutter.
“Everyone stop!” Mark yells. We all stop and look at him.
He looks almost distraught, “Mat’,” he calls Allie mother in Russian and tries to soften his tone but fails, “with all due respect, you’ve been here maybe five minutes, please explain why the hell a black hawk is trying to land on my house right now? ”
“Ah,” She nods, “That’ll be Owen, I suppose. I didn’t tell him I was coming.”