Two men armed with AKs flanked them, standing just off to the side of the window and out of range for any of Alpha or Bravo Team’s men to take a shot.
But where was Yuri?
Jesse, Carter, Zoey, and Thatcher had been stripped of not only their weapons and ammo, but their chest plates as well. Not a great sign.
“You’re the one who shot me.” Zoran’s wheelchair whirred as he moved closer, but Jesse tore his gaze over to Zoran’s frightened ten-year-old boy.
This asshole isn’t going to win Father of the Year anytime soon, Jesse thought bitterly.
“I am.” Jesse had his only “weapon” ready to go, his fists locked at his sides. “I didn’t shoot your mother though,” he said, speaking to the kid, causing the boy’s eyes to dart his way.
He saw something of himself in that boy. A father was supposed to protect his child, not hurt him.
“Where’s the bomb? Where’s Yuri?” Carter stepped away from the wall where they’d been lined up, but in doing so, one of the armed men trained his AK on him.
“You killed my wife?” Zoran asked, his tone sharp as he looked at Thatcher instead of answering Carter.
“Your brother and your right-hand man offered you and your wife in exchange for intelligence. I did what I had to do,” Thatcher remarked.
Zoran tipped his head, quietly studying Thatcher as he lifted a 9mm from his lap. “Tell me why I shouldn’t end your life.”
“You want revenge for the death of a woman who cheated on you with your brother?” Thatcher asked.
Zoran rolled closer. “Your intelligence is inaccurate. My wife didn’t cheat on me. Yes, my brother is the boy’s biological father, but only because I’m sterile.” Zoran kept his weapon steadily focused on Thatcher. “I wanted our son to have my blood, at the very least. My wife was, what is the saying, artificially inseminated.” His eyes remained locked on Thatcher. “My brother wanted the boy. He betrayed me. Aleksa Stanković betrayed me. My wife? No, she was no traitor.” And with that, Zoran abruptly fired. Thatcher snarled and clutched his shoulder as he went down on a knee, but the stubborn SOB didn’t make a sound, unlike the hostages who cried out, their voices muffled.
Two weeks ago, Jesse would’ve knelt alongside his old boss to help. But now? He hated that even a small piece of him worried Thatcher might die. After everything Thatcher had done, and with Ella still in danger . . . he should’ve asked Zoran for the gun and killed his former boss himself.
“You put me in this chair,” Zoran noted, his eyes and now the gun in his hand pointed to Jesse. Biting down on his back teeth, Jesse prepared himself for the bullet that was sure to come.
“I told you to wait,” a man barked out as he strode through the open double doors with a few armed men. Jesse breathed a quiet sigh of relief, pretty sure Yuri had just saved him from taking a bullet.
“Yuri,” Zoey whispered, stepping forward alongside Carter.
“Hello, Zoey.” Yuri strode closer to the four of them.
The lighting wasn’t good enough for Jesse to make out the man’s eye color, but he was well-built, at least six-four, and had dark hair. The light from the sconces, though dim, highlighted the scar on his cheek that Carter had gifted him years ago.
“Where’s the bomb?” Jesse asked, needing to cut straight to the point to save Ella and Sydney. And a thousand others.
“My men won’t interfere and risk you killing us or the hostages if that’s what you’re afraid will happen once you share the location.” Carter managed to keep his tone steady when Jesse knew he wanted to rip the man apart.
Yuri stroked his jaw, his eyes roaming over Carter as if he’d been waiting for this moment for so long he almost didn’t believe Carter was really there. “You know, tonight hasn’t gone much differently than I originally planned. You’re still here. The bomb is still there.” He pointed to the window, the direction of Hallstatt. “And we’ll have our . . . what do you Americans call it? A Western showdown.”
“The bomb,” Jesse prompted, holding himself back from lunging forward and getting their showdown started right the fuck now. If that’s what this hitman wanted, he’d happily go up against him.
Yuri lifted his wrist and checked his watch like he had all the time in the world. “In fifteen minutes, a bomb inside the Bone House will detonate. Hidden in the room where the decorated skulls are located. That’s not enough time for your men to get across the lake, so I hope you have someone there who can defuse it.” He shrugged, then flicked his finger, gesturing for Carter to make the call.
Fifteen minutes? He struggled to remain calm, but his pulse raced and his stomach knotted.
He doesn’t want to be labeled as a terrorist, Jesse reminded himself, hoping the assassin wouldn’t suddenly change his tune tonight. If anything happened to Ella . . . so help him.
But Yuri, a man who’d been so clever for decades, had to be off his game. Otherwise, he’d have anticipated Falcon Falls’ arrival, and the team could use that to their advantage. Press the right buttons to guide the narrative their way.
Jesse pivoted his focus to Carter holding the phone, speaking to Sydney. He searched his memories for what he knew about the Bone House from his research on Hallstatt. The Bone House was in St. Michael’s Chapel, a stone’s throw away from their lakefront lodge.
When Carter lowered the phone, he looked at Jesse with a slight nod, letting him know Sydney was on it.
“How do you want this to play out?” Carter asked coolly after pocketing his phone. “You’re armed, and we’re not.”
Yuri stepped alongside Zoran’s wheelchair. “He’s unable to fight for his revenge, but others can do it for him. Unless you want to just go for him now?”
Zoran looked over his shoulder at Yuri, sweeping his hair away from his face as if needing to get a good look at the man, seemingly confused by his cryptic words.
“On second thought,” Yuri started while pivoting to face Zoran, “I’ll take care of it.” He shot Zoran twice in the chest, and more cries erupted from the hostages.
Yeah, you’re nuts. Jesse ripped his focus toward the boy who’d watched his father executed before his eyes, but the kid didn’t budge.
“That wasn’t ideal,” Yuri said after Zoran’s body had slumped forward in the chair. “But he insisted on being here, which means he saw my face. My deal with him was to kill you and Ella,” he added, “but I never promised he’d leave alive.”
The last thing Jesse had expected was for Yuri to eliminate one of their problems for them. Evidence Yuri wasn’t stable, especially in Carter’s presence. But to be honest, Jesse wasn’t so sure if he’d be able to kill Zoran in front of the kid.
“And what of the boy?” Zoey whispered, her attention riveted toward the ten-year-old.
Yuri followed her gaze to the kid. “I’ll train him. A new me, what do you think?” He sported a slight smile, eyeing Zoran in his wheelchair, and then he handed off his weapon to one of his guards and gestured for him to remove Zoran.
Jesse needed to try and get Yuri as close to the window as possible. Griffin was their best sniper, but he wasn’t with them tonight, so Jack was on the long gun. With any luck, he was already perched on high ground, his scope trained on the window, ready for when he had a clean shot.