Page 110 of The Brigadier

I wasn’t certain at all what I should do except for hope that I could get in touch with Nikolay. Now I wondered if the road had washed out. At this point in the night, it would be tough for me to find. I returned to my glass, grabbing it and halfway jogging into the kitchen. I filled it, still pumped full of adrenaline. Thankfully, there were a couple of bars and I forced the previous message to go through, breathing a sigh of relief when it did. Next, I tried to type something that might make sense.

Damien witnessed my father hitting his mom. They were dating.

I had no idea what else to say. All I could do was lean against the counter, sucking down wine and hoping he’d answer the text, call, or even better, step through that door. My skin was itching as I finally tossed the phone onto the counter. I still could not believe my father had been having an affair.

Who was I kidding? I’d caught him in several rather interesting positions over the years. I’d ignored them. He’d ignored the fact I might have seen anything. It had been better for both of us.

But this was something different. I was certain of it.

I closed my eyes, rubbing them hard. I was getting way too stressed out.

Thump. Thump. Boom!

This time, the boom sounded as if it was directly over my head. But sound could transfer. Maybe the best thing to do was to head to where the soldiers were staying. Maybe they knew something. It was risky leaving Damien after the nightmare he’d had, but I’d just be a few minutes.

I suddenly realized I had both Danny’s and Maxim’s numbers. Danny had gone with Nikolay, but I couldn’t remember if Maxim had. Shit. My brain was fried at this point. I quickly tried to dial his number only to have it immediately drift into silence. Was the storm that bad? Maybe it was. I moved to the coat closet, hoping for a jacket of some kind. I found a hooded jacket. It wouldn’t keep the blowing rain out but at least it would help. Thankfully, the porch was covered.

Another debate.

Another moment my stomach churned.

I was not happy leaving but there was really no other choice. There was no way I could just wait here without knowing anything.

My fingers were still shaking as I switched off the security. At least I’d learned how to do it for a single door. When I opened it, I was hit by just how bad the storm really was. Almostimmediately, debris flew by the front porch. I had no idea what it was, but I had to bite back a yelp. The house was much more soundproof than I’d realized, the wind howling.

If I didn’t sprint over there, I’d never get back. I did my best to do so quickly, still feeling the effects of the hard rain.

As soon as I walked into the garage, I had a strange feeling. There was no clear reason why. One SUV, a motorcycle, and another car were parked inside looking pretty. But I could swear it was as if they’d been disabled. Maybe I thought that because several tools were on the tool bench. I had a feeling they were always put away.

Don’t let your imagination get the best of you.

My little voice was right. I needed to focus. I headed up the stairs, thinking about knocking, but it appeared there were loud voices. Was it one of the televisions or an argument?

I wasn’t the kind of girl to just stand by so I turned the knob, thankful it was unlocked. The fact I was creeping inside, trying to remain as quiet as possible was certainly telling. I didn’t trust anyone. Well, almost anyone.

It was definitely an argument and it was coming from another room. I crept even closer.

Pop!

I slapped both hands over my mouth. There was no mistaking what I’d just heard.

A gunshot.

Shaking was the easiest of my reactions. I had to fight to keep from screaming. Everything inside me said to run, but I needed to know who shot who.

Someone cursed in Russian and I wasn’t certain what to think. His voice almost instantly shifted to English.

“Utter chaos here,” the man hissed and I still couldn’t tell who was speaking given his hushed voice. “I had to kill three of the bastards.” The man sucked in his breath and there was silence for a few seconds.

I was holding my breath.

“What are you talking about? No, I had no idea the fuckers found Tanner’s family. Not one of the bastards told me shit. The merchandise? Ah, fuck, man. What do we do now?”

There was another hesitation.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll handle it if that’s what you want. You sure? I mean… Fine. I’ll do that. No, you don’t need to come here. Alright. That’s fine.”

I sensed he’d tossed his phone.