Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Radik knew as soon as he spoke that Saskia would reject his words.
How could she respond any other way? She was all fire and passion, her drive for independence the thing that sparked her daily existence.
He admired that about her, loved it even, but he couldn’t allow her stubborn, headstrong personality to put her in danger.
She shoved her chair backwards, pushing away from him before standing. She looked like an angel, the lights bathing her in a soft glow, her hair a wild halo of chestnut curls.
He remained kneeling, taking a position of disadvantage so she might feel less vulnerable.
“No,” she snapped, waving her hands wildly.
“You did not bring me here just to lock me down harder than Jozef ever has. This isn’t happening.
” She paced away from the table before whipping around to glare at him.
“You think you can casually declare you’re taking me away from my family forever?
Then what? I’ll magically fall in love with you?
” She sounded so angrily skeptical Radik nearly smiled.
He stood, approaching her slowly, as he might with a wild animal.
“I don’t think that.” She was soft, sweet and everything he’d been dreaming of for the past six years.
With a little patience she would be his.
“Taking you from your family was never a casual decision. I understand how you must feel, but this is necessary. The Kobas are an internationally renowned crime family. They’re in deep with the Bratva.
Being around them is too dangerous. Look what happened to your parents. ”
She gasped and stared at him with such loathing he thought she might hit him. As much as it bothered him to have her look at him like that, it was better to tear the Band-Aid away now than have her think he would allow her access to her family any time soon.
“How dare you mention my parents,” she hissed. “What happened to them… it was fucked up.” Her shoulders slumped and some of her energy seemed to drain.
She was still processing the deaths of her mother and father.
He knew because she often wrote in her journal about it and he’d unabashedly read every word.
Those pages had been his lifeline to her when he couldn’t be in her presence.
Her cousin had killed both of her parents, traumatizing Saskia.
She still loved Jozef, didn’t blame him for his actions, but she wasn’t entirely reconciled to losing her parents in such a horrific way.
A soft sob escaped her lips and his hands trembled with the desire to hold her. “You can’t take me away from the only family I have left.” She stared up at him with shining, imploring eyes. “I need them.”
He almost relented. He had a military at his disposal, he could find a safe way for her to spend time with her family, but he didn’t want to give her that hope. Not yet, not before her attachment to him grew strong enough that he could be sure she wouldn’t use her family to escape him.
He hardened his heart against her plea. “You only need me. I know it’ll take time, but you have everything and everyone you need here in the compound.”
“These people are not my family,” she snapped, her tone one of betrayal as she swept her arm out, indicating the compound. “I don’t know them.” She narrowed her eyes. “And I don’t know you either.”
Her words cut. She knew him, knew his heart, even if she wasn’t ready to admit it. “You will come to know me and the people here. You will come to love us.”
“And if I don’t?” she asked stubbornly.
He wanted to pull her into his arms, to hug away her uncertainties and fears, but the time wasn’t right. She wasn’t receptive. Instead, he took her hand, leading her to the door into the house. “You must trust me, Saskia. In time, you’ll be happy.”
She yanked her hand from his. “I was happy.” Her teary eyes glittered in the patio lights as she stared at him with loathing.
“And you took that away from me.” She paused, then added, “The people who killed Aurelia took that away from me, but you’re making it worse by holding me captive.
I’ll never forgive you for this.” She spun on the spot, rushing into the house.
Radik strode back to the table and picked up her half-drunk glass of water.
He held it up to the light and then pressed his lips over the spot where hers had been, draining the glass before setting it back on the table.
Speaking into the darkness, he said, “You were never happy, Saskia Koba, but you will be.”
He strode into the house, making his way to the front door. “Stay sharp,” he said to Shola who was posted at the entrance. “I don’t think Saskia will be a problem tonight. Too exhausted and disoriented from her ordeal but give her a few days and she’ll make you earn your paycheck.”
Shola’s eyes glinted with anticipation. “I look forward to it, General.”
Radik strode down the front steps of the house and into the darkness. “I’ll be back in a few hours.”
“Copy, General.”
Radik walked the darkened streets of Marifiya, noting the tidiness of his makeshift village.
Not a single piece of trash littered the streets.
The people who lived within the confines of Radik’s compound took pride in their home, keeping the grounds clear of rubbish and debris.
The buildings were all neatly kept and brightly painted, flowering bushes planted in front.
He made his way to the compound’s command center.
It was where he conducted most of his operations.
Beneath the fortified building were a hub of tunnels that spread across the entire area and could be accessed from several strategic points, including the main house.
They contained hidden rooms with weaponry, vehicles and security equipment.
He punched in the door code and pressed his finger to the biometric scanner, letting himself inside. Cool air brushed over him. The sterile rooms, bare walls and state-of-the-art equipment felt more like home than anywhere else, but he was hoping Saskia would change that for him.
“General,” Nuani greeted him, his expression serious.
“I want to speak with Vincent.”
“Yes, General. He’s expecting your call.” Nuani picked up a tablet and hit the contact number for the commander of Radik’s DRC mercenary group.
“General Radik.” Vincent answered, his rugged face filling the screen. “I understand you had trouble in Pretoria.”
“There was an unexpected complication that forced me to move up my plans for Ms. Koba. I want everything you can get on the men who attacked my future wife and murdered her colleague. Send someone to the medical examiner’s office.
I want the autopsy results.” He paused, then added, “Take charge of the remains. We will make sure Aurelia gets back to her family.” He knew without a doubt it was what Saskia would want.
“Yes, General,” Vincent said, his expression unchanging. “I have people in South Africa now, waiting on your orders.”
“What numbers do we have available to bring to Marifiya?” Radik paced the room, his mind whirring. He didn’t think Koba could find the compound, but he wanted additional security anyway.
“We have seventy-two here, the rest are out on missions.” Radik operated one of the largest mercenary groups in the world. Though there were a few hundred at Marifiya, he had thousands posted around the world, including the 500 in Vincent’s unit, which was located in the East of the DRC.
“Send thirty,” Radik said. “Recall a few reconnaissance teams. I want access to more if needed.”
“Are you expecting an attack?” Vincent rarely questioned Radik, but Radik knew it was unusual for him to send so much security to the well-hidden compound.
“There will be no compromise on Saskia’s security.” His tone suggested the line of questioning was unwelcome.
“Understood,” Vincent said. “I will send our best to secure Marifiya.”
Radik ended the call, staring at the screen as it darkened. Exhaustion was creeping in. He’d been awake since finding out Saskia was in Pretoria. 56 hours. He needed sleep, but there was something he should do first. For Saskia.
“Get Jozef Koba on the phone,” he growled at Nuani.
Nuani hit Jozef’s contact on the tablet while also bringing up the feed Radik had of Jozef’s office. Not something the Koba boss knew about, of course, but Radik was nothing if not resourceful.
Jozef was alone in his office. He checked the contact number then picked up the phone, engaging the robo greeting. “Hello, you have reached Jozef Koba.”
“Koba, it’s Radik.”
The crisp image of the Czech mafia boss showed him stiffen in reaction.
He tapped at his keyboard, swiftly typing out a message for Radik.
“Where is my cousin?” The robotic voice was calm, though Radik knew Jozef was anything but.
A savage sense of glee went through Radik at rattling his adversary, then he reminded himself Saskia wouldn’t want her cousin to suffer.
For her, he would be a better man.
“She’s safe and unharmed except for a bump on the head and some bruising to her ribs, which my personal physician has assured me will heal quickly.”
Jozef’s fingers flew across the keyboard. “Where is she? Why hasn’t she contacted me?”
Things were about to get tense. Though the last thing Radik wanted was to upset Saskia, he didn’t think he could keep from pissing off her cousin. Not without letting her go, which wasn’t going to happen.
“I have her,” he told Jozef. “And I’m keeping her. She will remain safe with me.” It was all he was willing to give the other man. He nodded at Nuani who disconnected the call as Jozef was frantically typing.
Radik watched the video feed. The moment Jozef realized the call had been dropped, he grabbed his keyboard and threw it, storming around his desk to the door. Yanking it open, he signed at someone in the hall.
Radik had learned the rudiments of sign language, but he didn’t know it well enough to understand Jozef’s furious movements.
Jozef then paced his office until Havel showed up a few minutes later.
They had a signed conversation. Radik caught enough to know they intended to send two teams of mercenaries to Pretoria to search out Saskia’s whereabouts.
One of the teams would include Jozef, Havel and Saskia’s sister, Leeza.
Radik would have to tread carefully with them.
Saskia would never forgive him if he or any of his people injured a member of her family.
“Watch them,” Radik said to Nuani. “Let me know what is said when they interrogate my sister. I want every word.” He was positive they would talk to Ayaan about his whereabouts, but they wouldn’t get anything out of her.
“Yes, General.”
Radik had expected this response from his rival and wasn’t particularly worried about the Kobas flying to South Africa. His compound was several thousand kilometers away and virtually untraceable.
He slipped from the building, heading toward home and his bed. He picked a bouquet of wildflowers as he walked. Tomorrow, he would show Saskia around her new home.