40. Trust Issues
TRUST ISSUES
The plane is silent. Full of unspoken questions, but silent.
I stare out the oval window, mentally recounting the limited information Igor shared this morning. I can picture the disappointed shake of his head perfectly. He’d be far more disappointed if he knew I’d let Carina go before her family found her.
Found.
That was the word Igor used. It’s innocuous.
Normally, found is good. But if Carina was correct about the contents of the drive she gave me, her family will be furious.
Andrea told Igor they were shipping her to Spain until the wedding to Nico Morello.
A decision that makes no sense and only increases my concern.
This will be my best opportunity to intervene, and I couldn’t risk Igor choosing not to.
So, I asked Misha to search flight plans until he located the right one.
Collected a team of men I trusted and left on what I’d described as an inspection of one of our Spanish facilities.
Due to my frequent travel, I had been granted unrestricted access to the planes at our disposal years ago.
After tonight, there’s an excellent chance that privilege will be revoked.
I don’t care. I watch the clouds glide by, going over the plan in my head.
About an hour before we’re scheduled to land, Maksim stands abruptly. “I need to talk to you.”
He walks to the bedroom at the back of the plane without waiting for a reply.
Viktor glowers after him. He and Maksim bickered nonstop during takeoff. They’re both young and volatile, and only one cares about impressing me.
Bringing Maksim along was likely a mistake.
If Carina was right and he’s viewed my intervention as a non-vote of confidence in his abilities, this wasn’t the proper moment for me to try to prove otherwise.
I hadn’t been certain Maksim would even agree to come under vague circumstances, with no directive from Igor.
I have no intention of this going sideways. But the Italians won’t hand her over without a show of force on our part. If it goes badly, Igor won’t abandon two of his three sons. Maksim’s presence was the closest to an insurance policy I could secure on short notice.
Maksim is waiting, arms crossed, by the foot of the bed. I’m not sure whose plane this is, but it’s a nice one. That’s the price rich businessmen pay for our protection—their toys are ours too.
“What the fuck is going on?” Maksim spits out as soon as I close the door behind me.
I squash a sigh. “Boss.”
He scowls. “What?”
“What the fuck is going on, boss?—that’s the question you should have asked. Except you don’t get to ask questions. You do as I say because I need eight men for this operation.”
“Eight men for what operation? Those guys are all clueless, and they don’t have the balls to ask.”
“They have enough respect for me not to ask.”
“It’s not about respect—”
“Of course it is.”
“It’s hero worship, Lev! They all worship you because you’ve saved their life, or their brother’s life, or their cousin’s life. It’s why Alek hates the world, if you haven’t noticed.”
“You don’t know half of the things I’ve done to benefit you and Aleksandr, Maksim. You don’t get to lecture me about being competent when you get to party and have fun while I’m out butchering traitors. I’ve earned respect from these men, and I’ve earned it from you.”
He shakes his head. “You’re lying.”
“You want a list of every—”
“Not about that. You might think I don't pay any attention during meetings, but I do. For instance, I know we don’t have any active suppliers in Madrid. So, what the fuck are we going to inspect, Lev?”
He’s right. The other men aren’t privy to those details, but Maksim is. And he’s also right that I thought he wasn't aware enough to notice.
He came, knowing I was lying about the reason for this trip. I’m not sure how to feel about that. Grateful for his faith or irritated he came along, only to accuse me far enough into the flight that I have no way to replace him.
Could I pull this off with seven men? Probably. I doubt more than four will be traveling with Carina. They have no reason to suspect an attack. But this will go much more smoothly if the Italians are sufficiently outnumbered, not faced with a fight they have a chance of winning.
So, I’m honest. “They’re moving Caruso’s daughter to Madrid tonight. We’re going to grab her during transit.”
Unexpectedly, Maksim starts laughing. In a carefree, unrestrained way I haven’t witnessed since we were both kids. He runs a hand through his hair, still chuckling. “Are you fucking kidding?”
I stay silent. He knows I’m not.
“Are you really so obsessive that you can’t let anything go? You can’t disappoint Igor one fucking time? He wanted her on a whim, Lev. He’s already moved on!”
I don’t correct Maksim’s assumption. Why else would I be bothering to track down a woman if not to gain Igor’s approval?
He’s not entirely wrong. It does bother me that I failed concerning Carina, but it has nothing to do with our father.
I should have walked her to the door of that plane. I let her go earlier than I should have because I was struggling to control my emotions. I thought taking out the tail would be enough, meaning I underestimated the men after her. That doesn’t sit right with me either.
“Stay on the plane if you want. But if we lose a man, it’s on you.”
I turn and walk back into the main part of the plane.