Daina raised an inquiring eyebrow at him. “How are you doing?” she asked.
Colin sneered. The movement pulled the thick, rigid scars on his cheek, remnants of the burns and cuts he had received when the military compound outside of Musteika exploded. The attack by the Lithuanian Police Anti-terrorist Operations Unit, or ARAS as it was nicknamed, had nearly taken out the left side of his face.
“How the hell do you think I feel?” he snarled.
“We’ll find them soon,” she murmured, coming over to run her hand along his undamaged cheek.
He captured her wrist in a crushing grip. She didn’t wince—or look away. Her lips curved into a half-smirk, and she leaned in to kiss him.
“Boss, I have something you might be interested in,” Brett said.
Colin didn’t react for a moment, his eyes still locked with Daina’s. He pulled away before she kissed him. They would finish this later. She shrugged and returned to her seat on the couch where she was cleaning her pistol.
“What did you find?” he asked.
“Two things,” Brett glanced at Daina. “It looks like the ARAS had some assistance. There was a special team with them from the Jawahir Royal Military. Supposedly the JRM was brought in as part of a joint training exercise. There was someone else there, though, who wasn’t part of the ARAS or JRM,” Brett said.
“Dallas and Hamlet?” he replied, staring out the windows at the men patrolling outside.
“Just Dallas,” Brett answered.
Colin remembered his brother, Anderson, telling him that he had finally discovered Dallas’s identity, a woman named Midnight Rain who worked for the singer Idella. Fury burned through him. She must have been the one to kill Anderson. He had briefly seen his brother lying on the loading bay platform, a knife between his eyes. He had caught a glimpse of movement before his killer disappeared under the cover of the loading bay.
“What else did you discover?” he asked.
“The royal family of Jawahir just announced a double-wedding. Qadir and his brother Tarek are marrying Aimee Wheels and Idella respectively at the end of the month.”
A satisfied smile curved his lips. Perhaps, his luck was changing. If he killed Dallas first, then the rest of the Saif-Ad-Din family, he would have his revenge.
And what a sweet revenge it will be. The only one left will be Raja Hadi, if he doesn’t die in the civil war.
“Find out everything you can about Midnight Rain. She works as a bodyguard for the singer Idella. I want her location,” he instructed.
“Yes, sir,” Brett said.
Colin fingered the gun at his waist. He would rebuild his compound. Once the Saif-Ad-Din family were out of the way, all of Bronislav’s money would be released. He would blame the deaths on Rashid al Hamid, the king of Jawahir’s cousin.
Yes. Everything works out in the end.
“Dania, do an inventory. I want to know exactly what we have on hand and see if some of our suppliers are still operational,” he growled.
“Yes, sir, boss man,” Dania said in a relieved tone.
* * *
Midnight had flown on a few occasions. Most of the time on Idella’s private jet when Wallace needed extra security on hand for a possibly rowdy crowd. The jet she was on now was twice the size and three times as luxurious.
“What are you thinking? I can almost hear your mind working from here,” Junayd chuckled.
She looked around the interior and rubbed her hand along the plush, leather seat.
“I’m thinking Idella needs to seriously consider upgrading, though I shudder to think of the cost of maintaining this monster—not to mention the huge carbon footprint it must leave on the world.”
He laughed. “Yes, both are accurate,” he admitted.
“Well, as long as you know. It is better than traveling by horse and cart or boat,” she said with a sigh.
“Did I tell you it has a bedroom with ensuite bathroom?”