Chapter 26
Vissarian
“Lo tomaré desde aquí, jefe.”
I’ll take it from here, Chief.
As soon as I heard my buddy’s voice, I was able to breathe easier.
“We’re getting out of here,” I told Fallon, who’d almost gotten us arrested when one of the militia had questioned her. And I’d been damn proud, almost egging her on.
I’d known she was feisty, but she’d shoved every bit of despair she was owed after what I’d told her and what she’d seen at the hotel into fury.
It was the kind of fury that could easily kill a man with her venomous gaze alone.
All the men who’d dared stick guns in our faces were lucky to still be standing.
I’d had the choice of calling my Pakhan, who was thousands of fucking miles away, or the one man I knew could dig us out of this hell hole. I chose option number two.
Our phones had been taken, our passports confiscated, and we’d been tossed into a room without so much as being offered the opportunity to call an attorney.
That’s not the way it worked in Cuba. Rights were almost nonexistent.
From what I could tell, we’d been labeled public enemy number one.
The bastards had searched the plane inside and out, looking for drugs. I’d been surprised they hadn’t planted a couple of kilos just for kicks and giggles.
The entire time Fallon had berated every police officer who’d come within close proximity, her excellent Spanish accent and knowledge of the language keeping the soldiers on edge.
We were lucky she hadn’t gotten us killed in the process.
Only my threat to spank her ass when we were released had gotten her to quiet down for longer than thirty seconds. And damn it, her rebellious nature rising like a phoenix kept my balls tight as drums.
“Who is out there and how can you be so certain we can trust him?” Fallon threw out. She’d done nothing but pace the floor of the small interrogation room we’d been tossed into, every word out of her mouth clipped given her anger.
The only cooing sounds I’d heard had been when talking to Bella. That was after she’d pounded on the door demanding a bowl of water.
“He’s an old buddy of mine. Used to live in Vegas.”
“And he chose to come here?”
I gave her a stern look. “He’s from here. Lots of history. Don’t allow the experience at the airport to color the rest of the country. You might be surprised.”
“We’ve been treated like criminals. The one bastard tried to put handcuffs on me.”
“Then you reminded them who I was. And who you were for that matter.”
She gave me an odd look, even growling like the animal I knew her to be in bed. “You’ve been here before. Haven’t you?”
“I cannot confirm nor deny.”
“Then why not pull all those strings you have so we didn’t need to endure being treated like animals?”
How could I not grin from her arrogance and the question? “Because I was having way too much fun watching you berate them.”
Before she had a chance to either punch me in the lip or send me straight to hell with the daggers in her eyes, the door opened and in walked a man I hadn’t seen in almost five years.
“My man. Fancy finding you in my homeland.” Carlos threw out his arm, grasping my hand. His grin was wider than I remembered.
“Carlos. Thank you for coming on short notice. I seem to have a couple issues I need help with.”
Laughing, he glanced at Fallon and down to Bella, shaking his head. “I guess you do. It took me a little while to explain to my buddy the chief that you’re not a drug trafficker.”
“Told you,” Fallon said from where she stood, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“I didn’t paint the damn plane. Carlos Riveras, Fallon Zimmerman. My pilot.”
His eyes opened wide. “You flew the plane like that? With no engines?”
“I did.” Her answer was brief. She wasn’t in the mood to trust anyone.
“Fantastic landing. I was lucky enough to see the video. You must have a military background.”
“Air Force.”
He pressed his hand against his chest before taking a step closer, grabbing her fingers and pulling them to his lips.
Thankfully, she allowed him to make the affectionate gesture even though her lips were pursed. “You are magnificent. I heard you were a little forceful with the air traffic controllers.”
His compliment seemed to soften her.
“That’s because they were assholes.”
Her comment amused him and told me I was wrong; she hadn’t softened.
“Careful with the lovely pilot. She’s a feisty one. Do you have someone who can fix the plane?” I asked.
Fallon cocked her head and I had a feeling I was going to hear about my comment later. Not that I would mind. Seeing another side of her was even more enticing. The way she’d handled the massacre had also impressed me.
Most women would be extremely distraught. Not her. She’d been furious that the assholes had invaded our space.
Did I believe at some point the events of the last two days and the news would eventually wear her down? You bet. But I’d be around to catch her.
If we could get out of Cuba.
Carlos wrinkled his nose. “Already called a couple guys I know. With what you told me, their services won’t come cheap and it’s going to take at least twenty-four hours.”
“Money is no object. Time could be. Do you have anywhere we can go that might be considered safe and dog friendly?”
This time his grin was full of mischief. “You got heat on your tail?”
“Yeah, we do. I assume you have spare weapons if I need them?”
“You know I do. Come with me. You can stay at my place and I won’t take no for an answer. Plus, if you run into any trouble while you’re here, I know a few guys.”
I clapped him on the back. “I figured you might. You don’t mind company?”
“Not at all. Let’s get your things. I assume they took your personal belongings. By the way, you’re lucky they didn’t try and fill their monthly cocaine quota. From what my buddy told me, that lovely woman keeping you company is the only reason. They were afraid of her.”
My not-so-sweet, highly disobedient pilot smiled in a way that only women could do. “As they should be.”
Her words caused Carlos to lift his eyebrows, blowing out hot air.
Meanwhile, I shook my head.
“Time for a cool, frosty beverage.” Carlos threw open the door.
As we headed out, all eyes were on us, but Carlos chatted it up with a few of the men, making jokes. It was apparent they hadn’t gotten the message that she spoke fluent Spanish given what they were saying about her.
The spark in her eyes should have been a dead giveaway. Only once had she almost told them what they could do with their lewd comments.
Once we’d gathered a couple of bags, including items for Bella, we hopped into his open-air Jeep. The afternoon was beautiful, the sun just low enough in the sky to accentuate the beautiful foliage and colorful buildings.
Fallon sat in the back with Bella. She’d been quiet since leaving the police station. That didn’t mean she wasn’t paying close attention as Carlos drove through the city.
“What are you dealing with?” Carlos asked, darting a look into the rearview mirror and keeping his voice low.
“Don’t worry, Carlos. Fallon is more than just my pilot.”
His chuckle was heartfelt. “I could tell that the instant I walked in. She knows who you are?”
“She knows all my dirty little secrets.”
“I hope not.” We both laughed.
“Have you heard of the Hoffman Group?” I asked.
“A group of Europeans who want to lock down every European country. They have the methods and means to control the banking industries, politics, defense, communication systems, and more. Aren’t they worried about retaliation from Moscow?”
“Yes, they are. They are looking to form an alliance.”
“Let me guess. With your family.”
“You got it.” I glanced out the open window, studying the landscaping. Not much had changed since I’d spent a month with Carlos and his crew.
“But you’re not interested.”
I took a deep breath. “That remains to be seen.”
“Are you suggesting they attacked you and sabotaged your plane?”
“No, the Bruni Crime Syndicate did that. I’m positive of it.”
He scratched his head. “They’re slimy but are gaining control of the Midwest of your lovely country. They also know better than to go after Bratva. Why now?”
“Because I’m Giovanni Bruni’s granddaughter.”
When Fallon piped in from the back, Carlos’ eyebrows immediately shot up as he whistled. “O-kay. Now, I understand.”
“There’s more,” I offered. “Fallon is Megan’s sister.”
He slammed on his brakes, barely managing to stop at a traffic light. “No fucking way.”
“True.”
“I told you to believe in reincarnation.”
“That you did, except Fallon is her own person.”
She cleared her throat. “I’m right here, boys.”
“Ooohhh. I like this girl. What I do know is that the Brunis’ organization was originally courted by some family in Moscow, so my sources tell me that they are actively attempting to keep the lines of communication open.
They have designs on expanding. Some shit happened though. Bruni kept it quiet.”
“The expansion. Any idea where?” Carlos had always kept up with activities of other cartels and crime syndicates. Doing so had prevented him from facing his maker more than once.
“That is unsure. West or east.”
West. That should mean to Los Angeles, but I wouldn’t put it past them to try to make some inroads into Vegas. Other syndicates had tried and failed over the years. It was something to keep in the back of my mind. I rubbed my finger across my bottom lip.
“They will not like what happens if they decided westward bound is doable.”
He laughed. “You were always a go-getter. I’ll tell you what I’ll do.
If the Brunis were the ones who sabotaged the plane, they’ll be looking for reports of a crash or a missing jet.
I’ll have my boys pay close attention to the airwaves while your plane is being repaired. We’ll know if they make land.”
“You’re saying they could possibly follow us here,” Fallon interjected.