Chapter 28
Sklad . . .
Without a window, Orrin had no idea what time it was. With each minute that passed, he became more and more on edge. And he questioned whether Yuri would show.
Then again, even if he did, it might all be a trap. That was something Orrin would have to prepare for.
He thought of his sons. All three smart, courageous, lethal men. They excelled in their chosen branches. No father could be more proud of his offspring.
If only Melanie were there to see it.
He didn’t allow himself to become morose as he usually did when he thought of his dead wife. Melanie had been gone for over twenty years. During that time, he’d held onto her memory and the love they’d shared.
And he always would.
He saw her every time he looked at their children. Whether it was a look, a smile, or something they said, she was always there.
The door to his room opened, and Yuri hurried in, closing the door softly behind him. Orrin got to his feet carefully.
“You look surprised, stariy droog.”
“I am,” he admitted.
Yuri gave a shake of his head. “You will have to trust me for this to work.”
“I know.” That’s what bothered him so much.
Orrin removed the clip in his pistol, checking it, before he slammed it back into place and tested the slide before shoving it in the waist of his pants. He motioned to the door with his chin. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
“Not yet.”
Was this when Yuri would betray him? It seemed too soon for that. He remained in his spot, waiting for Yuri to explain.
“The guard change happens in two minutes,” Yuri said and looked at his watch. “We will have to hurry. It will not take them long to realize you are missing.”
“Or you.”
Yuri shrugged.
“What about your family?”
“I warned them as best I could,” Yuri whispered. “I can only pray they get somewhere safe.”
“I thought you should know the doctor did not want to leave.”
He frowned as his gaze met Yuri’s. “What? Why?”
“I do believe she likes you.”
“She was only trying to help.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. It is time.”
Orrin followed Yuri out of the room and into a hallway that stretched endlessly in either direction. Yuri didn’t hesitate to turn left and stride down the corridor.
They took a set of metal steps down to another floor. There, Yuri hesitated. Flattening their backs against the wall, they waited for two men in suits to walk past.
By the way Yuri watched them, Orrin suspected they were part of the Saints. They wore no discernable uniform and looked the same as anyone else on the street.
It was no wonder Yuri was anxious. The Saints could be anyone, anywhere. For all Orrin knew, everyone he’d ever associated with was part of the Saints.
That thought set his teeth on edge. Who were these bastards? It was obvious they wanted world domination—or at the very least, to control whoever was in charge.
Releasing Ragnarok on certain countries could drastically change the powers that ran the world. The US could be toppled. Any country could.
It wouldn’t be a quick change, but the Saints seemed to be fine with that.
Unless Ragnarok wasn’t the only card up their sleeve.
Orrin was going to have to find out more about the group. That was the only way he was going to find a way to bring them down.
Yuri tapped him on the arm, the signal to move. They silently slipped around the corner and jogged to the door on the far end.
Just as they approached the door, a man stepped before them. He and Yuri held gazes for a long minute. Then he saluted Yuri, a silent message of good luck. The soldier’s eyes then slid to Orrin. He gave Orrin a nod before he turned to the side to allow them to pass.
The next instant, they were outside. He drew in a deep breath of the fresh air, not even caring that it was raining. The storm would help them escape.
Orrin held his arm against his hurt ribs. The binding on his wrist helped with the jarring as they moved. His shoulder felt fine for the moment.
To fight the Saints, Orrin needed to be at his best. And he was far from that. It would take days of healing before he’d be fit, and that was time they didn’t have.
“There,” Yuri whispered and pointed to a large black SUV in the parking lot.
Orrin glanced around, looking for anyone who might be watching. He found first one, then two, who stood in the shadows near doors.
“They are my men,” Yuri said.
Orrin sincerely hoped so, or it would be the shortest escape in history. Yet they made it to the Range Rover without incident.
Yuri got behind the wheel while Orrin climbed into the passenger seat. He took shallow breaths to combat the pain of his ribs.
The SUV’s engine roared to life. They drove away, the warehouse’s lights fading quickly in the rain. Although Orrin hoped to never see it again, he made sure to familiarize himself with the surroundings in case he ever needed to return.
It wasn’t an easy feat in the dark with many of the street lamps out, but the signs and signposts for the docks off to his right helped.
“I have a lead on Jankovic.”
Orrin lifted a brow and swung his head to Yuri. “You found the scientist?”
“He is in DC, holed up in a home with more security than your President.”
“So the Saints have him.”
“It appears that way.”
Orrin twisted his lips. “That won’t make getting to him easy.”
“As soon as he sees me, he’ll know why I’m there.”
“And the Saints will know who I am. That doesn’t leave us much.”
Yuri flashed him a smile. “We’ve had less.”
That was the truth. Then again, their families’ lives hadn’t been on the line before.
“Where did you put the formula?” Yuri asked.
He shrugged nonchalantly. “Somewhere safe.”
“Are you sure the Saints will not find it?”
“Positive.”
“Let us hope you are right.”
Orrin hoped so, as well. He settled back against the seat. “If we can get to Jankovic, we’ll strike at the Saints in a big way.”
“It will get their attention. Ragnarok is still out there.”
“Once Jankovic is dead and unable to formulate more of the bio-agent, we’ll destroy Ragnarok and the formula.”
Yuri gave a nod as he weaved his way through the streets. “I like that plan. But you and I both know it is only a matter of time before the Saints find another scientist who can produce another bioweapon of this magnitude.”
“The public needs to know of them. Someone from our government needs to do the honors.”
“I do not trust anyone in either of our governments.”
That was the pickle, because Orrin didn’t either. He wanted to think Mitch Hewett was on his side, but how could Orrin know for sure? It wasn’t a chance he was willing to take.
“So, what do we do?”
He blew out a breath, hating the pain that it caused. “We find a way to get to the scientist. Or bring him to us.”
“I like this idea,” Yuri replied with a loud laugh. “Bring the mudak asshole to us.”
Jankovic certainly was an asshole. What kind of human being could create such a thing as Ragnarok? And all for money.
If it were true that every man had a price, it looked as if Jankovic’s wasn’t so high. His soul, however, would pay for eternity. Right after Orrin made him suffer for a few days.
“Do you wish to contact your sons?” Yuri asked.
“No.” Not yet, at least. Partly because he wanted to concentrate on keeping the Saints off their trail, but a large part was also because he wasn’t sure how they would react to hearing from him.
It wasn’t as if they checked in with him often. Orrin had stopped trying to call after they’d each joined the military because he had more access to them there.
They didn’t know all the times he’d watched them from afar. It killed him not to talk to them and know what was going on in their lives, but he also understood why they wanted away from him and Texas.
“They blame you for Melanie’s murder, do they not?”
“Yes. I blame myself, as well.”
“You have no leads on her killer?”
“I got close about a year after she was killed, but the trail went cold. Then I was sent away on several missions that kept me out of the country.”
“Curious, do you not think?”
He certainly did now. Why hadn’t it raised red flags back then? Was the devastation of her loss so great that he’d allowed something like that to slip through without realizing it? What else had he missed?
“You said you got close to discovering who it was?” Yuri asked.
Orrin nodded slowly. “Apparently, too close. The question now is: did my own government take my wife from me and her sons? Or was it the Saints?”
“It is probably one and the same.”
Orrin closed his eyes. The thought that his own government could do something like that to him left him chilled to his very soul. He’d given so much of his life to his country, and for what? To have some faction running it for its own agenda?
“I felt just as sick when I realized I was surrounded by the Saints,” Yuri said.
Orrin opened his eyes, determination strengthening his resolve. “My family has been sacrificing their lives for this country since it was formed. I won’t stand by and see it ruined by the Saints.”
“Ah, now that is the Orrin I have been waiting on,” Yuri said, slapping the steering wheel. “This may be our last battle, stariy droog.”
“Then we go out with a bang.”
“And take those fuckers down with us.”
Orrin turned his head to Yuri. “We’re going to need help.”
“Do you have people you can trust?”
He was about to reply that he did when he recalled that his murdered team had all been Saints—or so Yuri claimed. “If the men I vetted, trained, and trusted were Saints, I don’t think I can trust anyone but my own flesh and blood now.”
“Then we’ll do this on our own.”