“I saw you die.”
We gathered around the makeshift living room. Kelly and Callum were sitting side by side on the long couch. I didn’t know who I was jealous of—Callum for having my wife’s attention, or my wife who couldn’t sit two feet away from McG. As long as Roth wasn’t trying to get in there, I would let them have their time. Kelso and I were standing drinking beer. We weren’t comfortable enough here to simply relax in an armchair.
Apparently, Roth was more than relaxed and was lounging like he was about to binge-watch TV, unaware of the man in the room who wanted to tear him to pieces.
But my priority was the information McG had for us.
“You saw me in the middle of an explosion. The blast threw me into the sea.”
“We looked for you.”
“Dmitry fished me out of the water,” Callum said.
“Dmitry was aware of the deal between the Russian mafia and Stepanov,” Roth explained. “Russian arms dealers made millions selling Cold War-era nuclear material to terrorists. That was what was on that ship in the Gulf of Aden. Al Qaeda in Yemen was making deals with the Russians, who, in turn, were working with people in the Kremlin.”
“Don’t tell us things we already know, Roth. Tell us who betrayed the SEALs.” I wanted to grill him about his connection to Dmitry, but that could wait.
“Our commander and two SEALs,” Callum said grimly.
“Proof?”
“One of them is heading Ford’s corporate security. No direct link. None of this leads back to Ford but to a close oligarch associate.”
“Fuck. Stepanov has this proof?”
“He has recordings,” Roth put in, and I was getting irritated with how he kept butting in. “Dmitry’s been keeping tabs on this oligarch for years and he’s been feeding me intel.”
That time I couldn’t hold back and snarled, “Tell me how you seem to be Dmitry Volk’s spokesperson.”
“It’s eating at you isn’t it?” Roth taunted. “That I knew Callum was alive before you did.”
“You knew Callum was alive this whole time?” Kelly flared.
“No.” Roth’s gaze softened when he directed his reply to my wife. I clenched my fists. I could take a shot at his jaw later. All of us needed answers. “Dmitry contacted me six months after that op because I was in special activities. I was surprised how he knew I was connected to the agency. He didn’t immediately tell me Callum was alive until he made sure I was clean.” He switched his gaze to me and I wasn’t sure if I preferred the mockery over the sympathy written all over his face. “You were too close to this. You were on the op, your guilt over Callum’s death—no way could we burden you with the plan.”
“That wasn’t your decision. You and Dmitry—”
“It was mine,” McG cut in. “I love you, bro. I love my sister. I hated what this shit did to you—”
“Spare me the sentiments,” I cut him off. “We can hash out hurt feelings later. Let’s get back to Stepanov, and how he seems to be the center of this mess.”
“There’s a rumor circulating that Stepanov has dirt on everyone, and somehow the information will be released to every news agency if he dies.”
“He could be bluffing,” I said.
“Maybe.”
“So, why did you stay gone, Cal?” Kelly asked softly.
“I was badly injured. Broken bones, burns,” he said. “I had amnesia for a few weeks.”
“So, what’s in it for Dmitry?” Kelso asked.
“Can’t speak for him but he has his reasons,” Roth said.
“And none of you guys were suspicious that he happened to fish Callum out of the water?” I scoffed.
“He’s since proven he’s on our side,” Callum said. “And you should know. He struck a deal with the agency.”
“So after you healed? You stayed gone?” I asked. My mind still couldn’t understand why he chose to stay away. And yes, I was pissed he stayed gone, because it broke my marriage and gave an opportunity for this asshole to move in.
“Since I was laid out, Dmitry was this voice in my head telling me returning to the States was a mistake. That I would endanger my family if Ford didn’t get what he wanted. It’s the mob way—evening the score. So, I agreed to help him.”
“Sounds like brainwash to me,” I said.
Callum chuckled. “That’s what I say all the time.”
“We have people, too, you know. Those who could have helped you.”
“At that time, Ford was very powerful. The fact that he couldn’t stop his mafia associates from having his son assassinated spoke to how loyal he was as a business partner.”
“Terrible father,” Kelso muttered.
“So, Dmitry proposed we hit him from the shadows and chip away at his power which is tied to his wealth,” Callum said.
“What do you mean?” Kelso asked.
“If you check his net worth from five years ago, it’s down by sixty percent.” Kelly’s brother said with relish. “Most of his businesses were with Russian oligarchs and the energy pipelines. With those disrupted, some of them shut down, you can imagine how his influence has plummeted.”
“Did they suspect Dmitry was behind the attacks?” the detective asked.
“Not until recently,” Callum said. “Dmitry got distracted when his brother was giving him trouble and became careless. But it was time for me to come home. Five years of staying gone … it was getting hard. Don’t get me wrong. The first few years we were always on the go …” His eyes gentled when he looked at my wife. “It’s time to come home.”
Kelly was shaking her head. “I can’t believe you didn’t let us know. Even signaled at least. I mean you should have known Levi worked for the CIA.”
“Yeah, but you had a terrible DNI then,” Callum said. “We didn’t trust him not to fuck us over. When Admiral Porter returned to head National Intelligence, we saw an opportunity.”
We talked briefly about how it had been a relief since the admiral was in the thick of it again. While Porter was DNI, they could respect his competence in handling the strongest intelligence agency in the world, and they had to move quickly.
“So, are you two really back together?” Callum split a wary look between Kelly and me. “You went private when I got killed, right?”
“Yeah, I got disillusioned, bro,” I admitted. “I didn’t want to stop the search. The window was too small.”
“We made an illegal incursion that was off the books, caused an explosion at sea for everyone between Yemen and Africa to witness. Thank fuck you guys got the nuclear material off the ship by then.”
“So what’s the plan,” I asked. “How do we get proof of Ford’s involvement. And why the fuck do you need Kelly?”
McG turned to my wife. “I need you to make us disguises.”
Kelly
“What for?” I asked. “You’re not thinking of staying hidden forever, right?”
My brother’s eyes grew troubled. “Ford knows I’m alive, he’ll come after the ones I love if I don’t get to him first. It’s already happened.”
I glanced at Levi. “Surely John can do something. I mean, he’s got a direct line to the admiral.”
My husband crossed his arms and stared at the floor. “I see how this can be dicey.” He lifted his gaze to me. “We’re not clear where the threats are coming from. Stepanov? Or Ford?”
“Both?” Kelso asked. “My take? If the SEAL op was exposed that would mean treason for Ford and for Stepanov which would be disastrous for Murder Sanctum. He can’t operate under the radar anymore because it would be a huge scandal.”
“The Sanctum will implode and take everyone down with it,” Callum agreed. “We’re talking about the Russians—the collective oligarchs and mafia— and Ford. This might have repercussions for the Kremlin, and what do you bet there’ll be a race to find people who’ll take the fall? The most expendable right now is Stepanov because he’s at the center of it all, but he’s got too much on everyone to simply roll over. With Ford’s reduced power, he’s the next candidate.”
“Shit.” Kelso scratched his jaw. “Let’s make sure we have the connections straight. Ford is in business with the Russians.”
“Correct,” Levi said.
“The evidence from McGrath Investigations sent his son to prison—a scapegoat of sorts, but everyone was afraid that the younger Ford was going to try and cut a deal with the feds.”
Everyone started nodding.
“There was no question Ford’s associates would have his son whacked. He was fatalistic about this, but he loved making money more, so he did nothing to prevent it,” Kelso said. “Enter Stepanov and Murder Sanctum with an enviable roster of the deadliest hitmen. They get rid of Ford’s son, the prosecutor’s son, Robert McGrath’s son—” he looked at Callum. “You.”
Again, everyone nodded.
“The Russian mafia agreed to blow up the SEAL operation in exchange for Stepanov to be the distributor of Moscow White in the U.S. because the Russians wanted out of selling Cold-War nuclear material. Higher profits, and it’s easier and safer to move illicit drugs. It was a win-win on both sides.”
“That’s why Stepanov is desperately trying to find answers as to whether Callum was dead,” Levi said. “He sent Blaze after my wife. Was that to send a message to you or Roth?” He turned to look at my brother.
“Both,” Cal said. “A double-agent on our team sent a picture of Roth and Dmitry to Stepanov. This made him suspicious. So, he sent a man after Roth. That man never came back.”
“Then he sent Blaze after Kelly.”
“Right. After they sent a video of Kelly’s beating we knew we had to act fast.” Callum wrapped an arm around his sister. “Tom was on your tail the whole time. That’s why he got to you quickly.”
“But what about Alana,” I said. “I’m trying to be patient. At this point, I don’t care why you faked your death, but we need to get her back.”
“Whoever has her, we can lure with the Moscow White we stole,” Callum said.
Levi whistled and glanced at the crates. “Are those Stepanov’s drugs?”
“Yeah, man,” my brother said. “That threw Stepanov off at first, and he suspected Chicago. Moscow is squeezing him for payment. Technically, it’s their money—twenty million dollars—with no product to sell. After we got rid of Eisenberg and his crew and stole the drugs, that was when Ford found out I was alive.”
“How?” I asked.
“With Stepanov backed into a corner, he probably asked Ford for money and confessed,” Callum said. “Ford lost confidence in Stepanov and sent mercenaries after the McGraths himself.”
“Let’s not forget the cowboy,” Levi said. “Bristow just confirmed that the guy was definitely Ford’s man, not Stepanov’s.”
Kelso interjected, “I thought you cut Ford’s net worth to forty percent.”
“It’ll be zero when we get through with him,” Callum said.
“So is that why you need a disguise now?” I asked. “To move around? Because that one you wore at the casino was terrible.”
“I had to catch you in the restroom because your husband stuck to you like a tick.”
“What if I didn’t have to go?” I raised a brow.
He grinned. “I made sure the server kept refilling your drink.”
I shook my head and laughed lightly. Turning serious, I said, “Levi has friends who can help. You don’t need to do this alone and wear disguises.” I glanced at my husband who nodded in confirmation.
“Ford has eyes everywhere. I can’t risk facial recognition.”
My critical eye took in the angles of his face. “We can use prosthetic transfers, but we’ll need to work on your makeup game.”
“Hey, I didn’t do too badly,” Callum grumbled. “Don’t forget, I was the one who taught you to use that shit.”
“What?” Levi chuckled. “Is there something I need to know about you, McG?”
“Halloween,” my brother said. “Kelly’s first Halloween she wanted to go as Wednesday.”
“Wednesday?” Kelso asked.
Callum rolled his eyes. “The Addams Family, dude.”
Levi turned to the detective. “One thing you need to know about the McGraths, they’re movie buffs. If they throw out some weird statement you don’t understand, it’s most likely in reference to a movie.”
Kelso crossed his arms and squared his stance. “I’m getting that. But what’s our plan? How do we get Alana McGrath back and bring Ford and Stepanov down?”
“Our plan,” Callum said, pointing to himself and Roth.
“Fuck that,” Levi growled. “We’re here. Bristow is on board. Use us.” He glanced at the detective. “You don’t have to.”
“Hell if you’ll keep me out of it,” Kelso said.
“Gabby is going to kill us,” my husband groaned.
Callum regarded the other men in the room before turning to Roth, who shrugged. “The more the merrier, but it’s not our call.”
“What do you mean?” Kelso asked.
“Dmitry,” Callum clipped. “He’ll arrive in the morning. We used to be a bigger team but after the leak of the picture, he reduced this to me, Roth, and him. All of us have personal stakes in this.”
“Well, the CIA has him on a leash,” Levi said smugly.
Cal chuckled. “Try not to gloat about that too much. The guy has an ego.”
