“Got it,” both men replied.
We all climbed out. The ground underfoot was springy with layers of fallen pine needles. What kind of wild animals did Estonia have? Were there bears? I was pretty sure they had lynxes and wolves as well. Out this far from civilisation, it might not only be the humans we had to worry about.
Ahead, floodlights turned on, blasting us with blinding white light. I lifted my arm to shield my eyes from the worst of it.
A voice came out of the white like some kind of alien landing. It was male, and clearly agitated, but he was also speaking in Estonian, and I had no idea what he was saying. Typical Brit abroad—always expecting someone else to have learned English.
“Turn those lights down,” I called out. “You’re blinding us.”
I hadn’t expected them to be dimmed, but they were. At least we could see now.
––––––––
THE MAN ON THE OTHERside of the gate was tall—about my height—with a thick mane of curly brown hair and a beard that reached to the base of his throat.
The man shouted something in Estonian.
I put up both hands to show him I wasn’t a threat. “My name is Tam Cornell. Tell your boss that I’m here.”
The man switched to English. “Iamthe boss.”
“You’re Rasmus Valk? Then you’ll know who I am.”
“What do you want?” His English was heavily accented, but it was still better than my Estonian.
“I’m not saying anything until I know you’re the one who runs things around here.”
The man scowled, and without saying anything else, spun on his heel and walked away.
Sly turned to me. “You think he’s gone to get Rasmus?”
“He could be going to get backup,” Leo said. “What if they come back with more men to outnumber us?”
I pursed my lips. “Then we’ll have to make sure we keep this peaceful.”
Leo cocked an eyebrow. “We might not be the ones making that choice.”
I understood my brother’s concerns, but I didn’t think Rasmus or his crew would start shooting without finding out why we had come all that way first.
A second, similar-looking man approached, though this one appeared older, perhaps in his forties. As Leo had predicted, he’d brought backup in the form of a third man as well.
“Rasmus Valk?” I asked.
“Tam Cornell. What are you doing out in quite literally my neck of the woods?” His English was perfect.
I took a step closer. “The last lot of money you sent us was a dud.”
Rasmus’s thick brows pulled even closer together, blending into one thick slug. “That cannot be right. Our product is excellent. It’s the best there is.”
“This wasn’t your product.”
I reached into my pocket. On the other side of the fence, guns were lifted and aimed, but I raised my other hand to tell them to stop, and moved more slowly, so as not to surprise anyone.
I pulled out a wedge of fifty-pound notes. “You’re going to need to open the gate.”
Rasmus gave one of his men the nod, and they stepped forward to unlock it, opening the barrier between us. I moved closer and handed the wedge of notes over to Rasmus.
He frowned and flicked through them. “This is not my work.”