Claim Me

Chapter 20

20Lucas

Esguerra notifies me that Nora’s parents wish to fly out first thing in the morning, and I decide to do exactly what I told Rosa: go to Ukraine directly after taking them home. I’m still not fully recovered, but the workload from the Chicago disaster is easing up, and my ribs can heal in Ukraine just as well as here.

Now I need to break the news to Esguerra and fill him in on everything I’ve learned about UUR.

“So let me get this straight,” Esguerra says when I stop by his office and explain about the black site. “You want to take a dozen of our best-trained men to conduct an operation in Ukraine when we’re still trying to recover from all the losses? What’s the urgency on this?”

“They’re in the process of covering their tracks,” I say. “If we wait much longer, they’ll be much harder to track down.”

I keep silent about the fact that every day that passes without Yulia is f*****g torture, and I can’t sleep without her by my side.

“So what?” Esguerra says, frowning. “We’ll get them eventually—when we’re stronger and have rebuilt our security team. We can’t spare a dozen guards right now. UUR is not an immediate threat to us the way Al-Quadar were. We’re going to make the Ukrainians pay for the crash, but we’ll do it when the time is right.”

I take a deep breath. I know Esguerra has a point, but I can’t stay on the estate while Yulia is out there with this Misha of hers.

“All right,” I say. “How about I go to Ukraine by myself, with just a couple of guards? I could take Diego and Eduardo—surely you can spare the three of us.”

Esguerra’s gaze sharpens. “Why? Is it because of the girl who escaped?”

I hesitate for a moment, then decide to tell the truth. “Yes,” I say, watching Esguerra’s reaction. “I want her back.”

“I thought you were just amusing yourself with her.”

“I was—but I’m not done.”

Esguerra stares at me. “I see.”

“She’s mine,” I say, deciding it’s time to lay it out there. “I’m going to get her back, and I’m going to keep her.”

“Keep her?” Esguerra’s expression doesn’t change, but I see a muscle twitch in his jaw as he leans forward in his seat. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

I plant my feet wider apart and give him a level look. “It means I’m going to put trackers on her and keep her for as long as it suits me. I’m sure you won’t object to that.”

The twitch in Esguerra’s jaw intensifies as we stare at each other, neither one backing down. The air thickens with tension, and I know that this is it: this is when I find out if my boss truly values my loyalty.

Esguerra breaks the silence first. “So that’s it? You’re ready to forget about the crash?”

“She was following orders,” I say. “And besides, who said she’s getting off scot-free?”

For this new betrayal—for running to her lover—Yulia will pay.

Esguerra holds my gaze for a few more seconds before getting up and walking around his desk. Stopping in front of me, he says quietly, “You and I both know I owe you for Thailand, and if this is what you want—if she is what you want—then I won’t stand in your way. But she’s bad news, Lucas. Do what you must to get her out of your system, but don’t forget what she is and what she’s done.”

“Oh, don’t worry.” I give him a humorless smile. “I won’t.”

I haven’t yet decided how I’m going to punish Yulia when I get her back, but I do know one thing.

Her lover’s days are numbered.

That evening, I make arrangements to have Thomas—another guard I trust—keep an eye on Rosa. I don’t tell him why; I just ask him to follow her discreetly and to monitor all her emails and calls. My top priority right now is finding Yulia, but I haven’t forgotten about the potential danger Rosa poses to us.

When I’m back from Ukraine, I’m going to deal with her. First, though, I need to get Nora’s parents home and figure out how to get into Ukraine undetected.

I start by reaching out to Buschekov, the Russian official we met with in Moscow. I don’t mention Yulia’s escape, but I do give him the information I’ve uncovered so far about UUR. The more pressure I can bring to bear on Yulia’s agency, the better.

Unfortunately, Buschekov claims to be unable to help me with discreet entry into Ukraine, explaining that tensions are running too high between the two countries. I suspect he just doesn’t want to risk whatever agents he has in place there, but I don’t press him on this. If I had a firm lock on Yulia’s location, it would be different, but this black site is just a lead, and I need to preserve whatever goodwill we have with the Russians. That means there’s only one thing left to do.

I contact Peter Sokolov, Esguerra’s former security consultant, and ask him for help.

Peter saved Esguerra’s ass after the crash, but to do so, he let the terrorists take Nora, and my boss has sworn to kill him if he ever lays eyes on him again. I, however, do not share Esguerra’s feelings. In fact, I’m grateful that Esguerra is alive and well. I haven’t kept in touch with Peter, but I do have his email from before, so I send him a message explaining the situation. The Russian’s contacts in Eastern Europe are unparalleled; he’s the one who introduced us to Buschekov in the first place.

He doesn’t respond right away, but I don’t expect him to. I know he’s busy with his vendetta against the people on his list. Still, I’m hoping he’ll spare a moment to check his email. All I need is to have a couple of air control officials in Ukraine look the other way when I land in Kiev.

As one final step, I brief Diego and Eduardo on our upcoming mission.

“It’s going to be just the three of us,” I explain, “so we’re going to keep a low profile. We don’t want anyone catching wind of our presence there until we’re gone. The goal is to find out what we can and get out of the county in one piece. Is that clear?”

They both nod, and early the next morning, we load the plane with weapons, body armor, falsified documents, and everything else we’d need in case things don’t go according to plan.

Now I just need Peter to come through.

By the time we land in Chicago, there’s still no answering email from Sokolov, so I hand Esguerra’s in-laws off to our Chicago security crew and instruct the guards to see them safely home. Both of Nora’s parents seem relieved to be back on US soil, and I suspect we won’t be seeing them in Colombia again any time soon.

“So what’s the plan?” Diego asks when I return to the plane. “Are we flying to Kiev right away?”

“We might stop over in London for a day or two,” I say. “I’m waiting on a lead.” As I speak, my phone vibrates with an incoming message. Opening my email, I read the response from Peter, and a smile spreads across my face.

“Never mind,” I say, turning toward the pilot’s cabin. “We’re heading to Ukraine.”