The Guardian (Sons of Texas #5)

Chapter 1

St. Petersburg, Russia

Yesterday

“They know.”

The whispered words from behind him caused Luka to stiffen. He’d been careful. So very careful. Trusting only his best friend, Vladimir, because he knew what kind of monsters he was trying to avoid.

Luka tried to calm his racing heart as he scanned the faces of those rushing past him on the street.

He’d given his life to the Federal Security Service—the FSB, formerly the Soviet KGB.

He’d been an excellent spy, and he’d taught many of the younger generation.

So many times, his superiors had come to him with one problem or another, and he always managed to find a solution.

“You’re on your own.”

Luka didn’t turn around. It wouldn’t do any good. Vladimir would have already blended into the crowd. That was his specialty. If Vladimir didn’t want to be found, it was damn near impossible to locate him.

Then again, it wasn’t just anyone after the two of them.

Luka thought about his flat. There was nothing there for anyone to find.

Nor in his office at FSB headquarters. He wasn’t that stupid.

When they came for him—and they would—he was prepared for the torture they would inflict while demanding he tell them everything he knew.

Luka had been down this road before when captured by an enemy.

He’d just never expected his own country to turn against him.

He brought the cup of coffee to his lips and blew on the steaming liquid.

His hat was pulled low, covering his salt and pepper hair and brows.

With the rim near his face, he glanced at his watch.

Two minutes until he was supposed to walk across the street and board the train that would take him west out of the city to Estonia.

If Vladimir could be trusted—and he could—then anyone was a potential threat.

Luka knew firsthand not to discount anyone.

To see everyone as a potential enemy. But he wasn’t just any spy.

He was one of the best. He’d survived two years of torture.

He wasn’t going to let some nameless group keep him from getting out of Russia and sharing the truth with the world.

He took a drink, but he didn’t taste the coffee.

His mind was trying to find threats in the crowd.

He picked out two women standing fifty meters to his left.

Ahead of him, a man dressed in business attire hadn’t quite hidden the earpiece he wore well enough.

To his right, three other men stood out like sore thumbs.

It was all so obvious. Too obvious. Yet nobody made a move.

That’s when it hit him. They wanted him to think he’d beaten them. He’d let his guard down, and that’s when they’d strike.

Luka’s mind raced to find a way out. Every direction he turned, there they were, waiting. He couldn’t go home. He couldn’t go to work. He couldn’t flee his beloved homeland. That left only one thing for him to do.

He drew out his phone and sent a two-word text. Then he started walking to the train. He threw away his coffee and put his hands into the pockets of his coat. The fingers of his right hand wrapped around the pistol, while his left found the grip of the small dagger.

No one stopped him. He entered the train station and made his way to the platform. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He was being followed, and he had a suspicion that more enemies surrounded him. Still, he didn’t slow. He reached the car and took the steps up and inside.

He walked through car after car until he found one that was nearly filled to capacity.

He went to the very back and took a spot opposite a mother with a toddler in the seat facing him.

Luka nodded in greeting. He glanced to his side to see three men in their early twenties wearing jeans and hoodies.

One listened to music or something through earbuds.

Another was reading. The third played on his phone.

They looked unassuming, which meant they were most likely people he needed to be wary of.

He sat back and looked out the window. His thoughts skidded to Vladimir again, and he wondered if his old friend had gotten away. Despite the normalcy around him, Luka was on high alert. He knew better than most how a good operative could get a job done—even in a crowd.

The moment the train began to roll, his senses became even more heightened. If this were his mission, he’d wait several minutes before he made his move. It would give the prey a sense of security and let them think they had gotten away.

Just a few minutes into the ride, the mother across from him made a sound and spoke softly to the child.

The harried woman gave him an apologetic look as she shifted the cumbersome toddler, who was now whining.

She shushed the boy, rocking him. As she moved, she knocked over her coat and bag.

He smiled and continued studying the other passengers while the mother shifted the child and tried to gather her items.

“Excuse me,” the mother said, just loud enough to get his attention.

Luka’s gaze slid to her, and his brows rose in question.

“Would you mind getting the bag for me, please? I don’t want to wake him,” she said, looking at the child who now lay limply across her chest.

Without question, he bent to retrieve the bag and coat.

No sooner had he leaned over than he felt something sharp near his ribs.

He froze, unable to believe what had just happened.

He tried to sit up, but he couldn’t move.

Blood flowed, thick and hot, from the wound in his side.

As he struggled for breath, he managed to turn his head to look at the mother.

She was gone. The only thing left was a life-like doll he had mistaken for a real child.

His last thought as his eyes closed was that there was no escaping the monsters.