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Authors: Tori St. Claire
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pissed beyond reason that he’d come so dangerously close to telling Sasha he had sent an operative to Dubai to find her two months after he left her with Sheikh Amir.
Even more pissed over finally understanding why no one knew who
Irina
was.
Which brought him full circle to the fact she hid her identity from him in the first place. It made him feel like a fool for letting his defenses down when he took her to his bed two years ago and fucked her, unable to get enough of her sweet, skinny body.
He really fucking hated surprises.
He shifted in the seat, desperately needing an outlet for the restlessness that cramped his muscles.
Adding insult to injury, Hail Mary was never fun. Always the very last plan developed when coordinating a mission, it existed out of necessity. But employing it meant everything had been blown to shit. For Alexei, it signified failure. He hated Hail Marys more than he hated surprises.
This one would particularly suck. Calling in Kadir bin Imran, former embedded Black Opal operative and primary asset to the success of the initial bust six months ago, felt like going to the emergency room for a splinter. Sure, Kadir knew he was on standby—he was on every mission that involved the Arab world—but Alexei couldn’t remember any operative having to employ a Hail Mary that involved him. Nor could he recall any incident where Kadir had to employ a Hail Mary, despite the levels of shit he managed to wind up in.
To those who knew of him, he was a legend.
He answered the private line with cool reserve. “Kadir.”
“Alexei.” It pained him to make the necessary request. “We need the Gulfstream. Our bird’s locked up.”
“I expected I might hear from you when Mohammad phoned me thirty minutes past.” Kadir’s thick accent resonated through the speakerphone. If he’d ever spoken another native tongue, it had long ago been lost. “I have sent my crew to my private hangar. They await my instructions.”
“Mohammad called you?”
“He did. On news of Saeed’s death, he sought an immediate alliance.He believes my reputation—and my security personnel—will keep those who stand against his family from further action.” Kadir paused, then asked more somberly, “Did you retrieve the girl, or did she perish with him?”
Beside Alexei, Sasha shot forward in her seat. She tugged at his arm, violently shaking her head. He glanced at her in time to see her dash her free hand across her throat. Under any other circumstance, he’d appreciate her caution, but what Kadir didn’t know now, he’d find out in a matter of seconds with one phone call to headquarters. Simply because of the instability in the Arab nations, he held the unique position of knowing at least
something
about
everything
that involved this part of the world. It was just too probable that something like Alexei’s current mess would happen.
Alexei shrugged off Sasha’s hand and twisted out of her reach. “She’s with us.”
Sasha voiced her disapproval with a soft groan that had Alexei giving her a puzzled frown. She mouthed something at him, but he couldn’t make out the words.
“Good. Go on to my plane. The flight plan has been arranged. It will take you to my villa in Siena, Italy, so you need not trouble with unexplained arrivals.” He chuckled softly. “You will not want to stay there. My daughter is in residence. She knows Sasha.” Another pause drifted through the line before Kadir continued, “Luck be with you, Alexei. Keep Sasha safe for me. She is a treasure.”
The line clicked into silence.
It hit Alexei then, what Sasha had been trying to convey. Kadir knew her personally. Which made no sense. While whores were common enough, showing them off was unheard of. A man caught with a mistress risked disgrace on his entire family. So why would Saeed introduce Sasha to his peers?
Alexei didn’t like the immediate answer. Kadir knew Sasha because Saeed shared her body.
Something wholly unfamiliar reached
Even more pissed over finally understanding why no one knew who
Irina
was.
Which brought him full circle to the fact she hid her identity from him in the first place. It made him feel like a fool for letting his defenses down when he took her to his bed two years ago and fucked her, unable to get enough of her sweet, skinny body.
He really fucking hated surprises.
He shifted in the seat, desperately needing an outlet for the restlessness that cramped his muscles.
Adding insult to injury, Hail Mary was never fun. Always the very last plan developed when coordinating a mission, it existed out of necessity. But employing it meant everything had been blown to shit. For Alexei, it signified failure. He hated Hail Marys more than he hated surprises.
This one would particularly suck. Calling in Kadir bin Imran, former embedded Black Opal operative and primary asset to the success of the initial bust six months ago, felt like going to the emergency room for a splinter. Sure, Kadir knew he was on standby—he was on every mission that involved the Arab world—but Alexei couldn’t remember any operative having to employ a Hail Mary that involved him. Nor could he recall any incident where Kadir had to employ a Hail Mary, despite the levels of shit he managed to wind up in.
To those who knew of him, he was a legend.
He answered the private line with cool reserve. “Kadir.”
“Alexei.” It pained him to make the necessary request. “We need the Gulfstream. Our bird’s locked up.”
“I expected I might hear from you when Mohammad phoned me thirty minutes past.” Kadir’s thick accent resonated through the speakerphone. If he’d ever spoken another native tongue, it had long ago been lost. “I have sent my crew to my private hangar. They await my instructions.”
“Mohammad called you?”
“He did. On news of Saeed’s death, he sought an immediate alliance.He believes my reputation—and my security personnel—will keep those who stand against his family from further action.” Kadir paused, then asked more somberly, “Did you retrieve the girl, or did she perish with him?”
Beside Alexei, Sasha shot forward in her seat. She tugged at his arm, violently shaking her head. He glanced at her in time to see her dash her free hand across her throat. Under any other circumstance, he’d appreciate her caution, but what Kadir didn’t know now, he’d find out in a matter of seconds with one phone call to headquarters. Simply because of the instability in the Arab nations, he held the unique position of knowing at least
something
about
everything
that involved this part of the world. It was just too probable that something like Alexei’s current mess would happen.
Alexei shrugged off Sasha’s hand and twisted out of her reach. “She’s with us.”
Sasha voiced her disapproval with a soft groan that had Alexei giving her a puzzled frown. She mouthed something at him, but he couldn’t make out the words.
“Good. Go on to my plane. The flight plan has been arranged. It will take you to my villa in Siena, Italy, so you need not trouble with unexplained arrivals.” He chuckled softly. “You will not want to stay there. My daughter is in residence. She knows Sasha.” Another pause drifted through the line before Kadir continued, “Luck be with you, Alexei. Keep Sasha safe for me. She is a treasure.”
The line clicked into silence.
It hit Alexei then, what Sasha had been trying to convey. Kadir knew her personally. Which made no sense. While whores were common enough, showing them off was unheard of. A man caught with a mistress risked disgrace on his entire family. So why would Saeed introduce Sasha to his peers?
Alexei didn’t like the immediate answer. Kadir knew Sasha because Saeed shared her body.
Something wholly unfamiliar reached
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