Listen To Her Heart, page 11
“Tomorrow. Their flight—”
Karzi frowned. “What you mean, their? More than one?”
“Yes, two women and they will arrive at Heathrow at approximately eight P.M. tomorrow night.”
Emily never mentioned anyone else. “Who this other woman?” Karzi asked.
“Briana Latham and before you ask, we’re checking to see who she is.”
Karzi shrugged. “Not important. She mean nothing.” As far as he was concerned, killing two people would be no different than killing one. It just meant less room in his car for the bodies. Although he had said it wasn’t important who this other woman was, his curiosity was overriding his cavalier attitude. “When you find, I know first. Understand?”
“Yes, I understand perfectly. I will ring just as soon as I have the details. When can I expect my next payment?”
“Check fucking bank, bitch. Payment there now,” he said and hung up the phone. He hated dealing with the morons from Scotland Yard but he knew they were an important part of doing business successfully in London. Without them, the Vory would have no business.
“Goddamn bitches. Dogs all same,” he mumbled as he tossed the phone on the couch. His thoughts then turned to the women who were arriving tomorrow. He already had his people positioned at every major airport and a few of the smaller ones too, just in case.
This woman, this American author, she had no idea who she was dealing with and should have minded her own business. He would take care of her and her girlfriend, too. Maybe before he killed them, he would have some fun. He smiled at the thought. He had seen pictures of this woman and Vlad was right, their Middle-East customers would have paid big for someone like her.
It was such a shame they would not get payment for her but at least the problem Emily had made would be a problem no more. He was sure of that but he also knew he would have to take extra precautions where the American was concerned. The one thing he could not afford to forget is that she was CIA. She may have quit her job but he knew her type all too well. Once you were CIA, you were always CIA and that made her dangerous. She wasn’t all that different from him. He was Vory—once a Vor, always a Vor.
Just like at Briana’s house, Yalen had been up most of the night and had booked their flight, along with a hotel reservation in Camden Town, England. Afterward, she had thought about her phone call to Kramer and then spent the rest of her time doing more research and laying out her game plan. She wasn’t so naïve to think that her plan was perfect. She had learned a long time ago that it was okay to make plans as long as you didn’t plan the outcome. This outcome however, needed to be as close to perfect as possible because her life, as well as Briana’s would depend on it.
Just before she signed off her laptop, she had received the phone call from Rheyna. She had given Rheyna the details of her flight as well as the name of the hotel where she and Briana would be staying.
Rheyna had in turn informed her that she had spoken with her friend in London and that arrangements were already being made to get Yalen the supplies she needed. Rheyna had hung up saying she would be in touch once Yalen was in the U.K.
As Yalen was preparing, Kramer’s words kept echoing in her head and she would be lying if she said she wasn’t concerned, even a little afraid maybe. She would have no support. She would be totally on her own and that meant if things got out of control or if her life or god forbid, Briana’s life were in danger, she would have no back up. No one to call for help. There would be no one barging in to save the day like in the movies—she would be alone.
Briana had been on her mind since the moment her feet hit the floor when she climbed out of bed. She owed Briana some sort of explanation but the part of her brain that said everything was covert, was fighting back hard. For the first time in a long time, she was baffled about what she should say.
Her mind was in overdrive as she stood in front of the stove flipping pancakes. This is really ironic, she thought as she placed a stack of hotcakes on the plate. For the entire ten years that she and her partner had been together, she had kept her true occupation secret and she knew those secrets were the catalyst that ruined their relationship—it was her fault.
All the trips out of town, some on short notice, and some for extended lengths of time, the hushed phone calls, had all served to give seed to Susan’s suspicions. Not long after, the accusations started coming that Yalen was being unfaithful.
Every time Susan had cried, literally begging Yalen to talk to her, it had been fruitless. As much as it hurt Susan, and as much as it killed Yalen inside, she knew she couldn’t tell her the truth. In the end, Yalen loved Susan enough to let her go. Susan had deserved all the things that Yalen couldn’t give her, the one big thing was Yalen herself, at least not completely.
When Yalen looked back on it now, she was amazed they had made it as long as they did. Most officers in the field were lucky to have any type of serious relationship, let alone one that lasted more than five years.
“Mmm … I thought I smelled food,” Briana said from the doorway.
Yalen turned and looked at her. “I figure I owed you breakfast.”
Briana leaned against the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest in a defiant manner.
Uh oh, here it comes, Yalen thought as she watched Briana’s right eyebrow rise.
“I think you owe me a lot more than breakfast,” Briana said.
Yalen nodded. “You’re right, I do. She laid the spatula down on the counter and walked over to Briana. She reached out and grabbed both of Briana’s hands. “First thing I want to say is that I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, Briana. Honest to Dios, I have never thought for a moment that you were stupid or that you weren’t intelligent.”
“I know we’re like strangers. No, let me rephrase that. We are strangers and you have no reason to trust me nor do I you. I don’t trust easily but I know and don’t ask me why, that you are someone I can trust. If you weren’t, you would have never tracked me down or come to my house, and you damn sure wouldn’t have done the things you did to fix my laptop.” Briana stopped long enough to take a breath. “I know I’m rambling but if I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t have let you stay at my house and I damn sure wouldn’t be staying in yours.”
Yalen looked down at Briana’s hands, which she was still holding. There was just something about Briana that made her want to tell her things she had never told anyone else and she couldn’t explain why. This was new territory for her and she realized that all of this was even more so for Briana. She released Briana’s hands and walked back over to the stove. She picked up the spatula and turned to look at Briana. “How about we eat breakfast before it gets cold? We can talk and then when we’re finished, I have something I want to show you.”
“Okay, but I’m not going to let this go,” Briana said as she walked over to the counter and watched Yalen place the pancakes on another plate.
“I have no doubt about that,” Yalen laughed.
Briana grinned at her. “Where do you keep your forks and spoons?”
“Right in front of you,” Yalen said, nodding toward the drawer nearest Briana.
Briana grabbed two forks, the butter tub and syrup bottle that was sitting on the counter, and took them over to the table.
“I’m not a great cook, so I’m warning you ahead of time,” Yalen laughed as she sat the plates on the table.
“They’re pancakes, how bad could they be?” Briana chuckled.
“You haven’t tasted them, so you might want to hold that thought.”
Briana laughed as she smeared butter on the hotcakes and then drowned them with syrup. She painstakingly cut the hotcakes in small squares and then took a bite. She looked at Yalen, swallowed loudly, and then slowly laid her fork down on the table next to the plate.
“That bad, huh?” Yalen asked with a pained expression on her face. “I can run up to McDonalds or Wendy’s or someplace that serves breakfast.”
Briana busted out laughing. “Oh, my gosh, if you could have seen the look on your face.” She picked up her fork and took another bite. “They’re fine, silly. I don’t know what you were so worried about, hon,” Briana said, her Tennessee twang coming out more pronounced than usual.
Yalen shook her finger at Briana. “That was not even nice and you should be ashamed of yourself.”
“Oh, I am,” Briana laughed.
“Yeah, I can tell,” Yalen said, trying as hard as she could to keep from smiling but failing miserably. “Would you like some orange juice or milk?” she asked, sliding her chair back from the table.
“I’ll have whatever you’re having, thank you.”
When Yalen filled the two glasses with orange juice and set them down on the table, Briana was still grinning. “Pretty proud of yourself there, aren’t you?”
Briana shrugged. “I gotta find something to amuse myself and you just happen to make it so darn easy.”
“So, Ms. Latham, tell me, do you have any brothers or sisters?” Yalen asked between bites.
Briana pushed her plate away. “One of each. My sister Lindsay is two years older than me and my brother Josh is two years younger.”
“Do they live in Tennessee as well?”
“My sister lives less than a mile from my parents and me. My mom and dad have a place just up the street from my house and my brother lives in Wyoming.”
“Have you lived in Tennessee all your life?” Yalen asked as she wiped her mouth off.
Briana nodded. “I was born just outside of Knoxville as were my brother and sister. When I had my house built in Gatlinburg, my parents and sister both decided to move there, too.”
“Where did you go to college?”
“Uh … where do you think? University of Tennessee, of course,” Briana answered as if that was the stupidest question she had ever been asked.
“So you’re a Volunteer then?”
“Born and bred.” Briana leaned back in her chair, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Yalen. “Why do I feel like I’m being interrogated?”
Yalen had the decency to look embarrassed. “I’m sorry, I was just curious, that’s all.”
Briana crossed her arms over her chest. It was a move that Yalen was quickly getting used to seeing. “My turn. Tell me about you.”
“What do you want to know?”
“The same questions you just asked me. After all, turnabout is fair play.”
Great now look what I’ve gotten myself into, Yalen thought as she looked at Briana who was now looking at her expectantly. She took a deep breath. “Well, I have one sister and she’s four years older than me. Her name is Selena and she lives in San Jose, California. My mother, Maria and her husband Joe, my stepfather, live in Beavercreek, Ohio. My father passed away three years ago.”
“I’m sorry. Were the two of you close?” Briana asked, reaching across the table to squeeze Yalen’s hand.
Yalen looked down at her plate. “Thank you and yes, we were. Very close actually.”
“Maybe you can tell me about him some time.”
Yalen looked up at Briana and grinned. “Maybe I will.”
Briana took a sip of the orange juice and then sat the glass down. “Did you go to college?”
Yalen looked at Briana for several seconds. Her first instinct was to lie as she had done so many times over the years. She was tired of hiding, tired of lying. “Yes, I did go to college.”
“And?” Briana prodded.
“And I went to Cal Berkeley.”
Briana’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “I’m impressed. Are you going to tell me what you studied?”
“I have a Master’s degree in Computer Science.”
“I knew it,” Briana said, slamming her hand down on the table, causing Yalen to jump.
Yalen frowned. “What do you mean you knew it?”
“You telling me that computers were just a hobby of yours. I had a feeling there was more to it.”
If you only knew the half of it, Yalen thought to herself. “That was the truth though. Computers are a hobby of mine. I just happened to choose to study them in college.”
“Thank you,” Briana said, surprising Yalen.
“For what?”
Briana smiled. “For telling me the truth about your family and your education. I appreciate it.”
“How do you know I didn’t make all of that up?” Yalen asked, grinning slyly.
“I don’t know. I just do,” Briana said, shrugging. “By the way, I was up pretty late last night Googling.”
Yalen laughed. “Really, and just what exactly were you Googling?”
“The Russian Mafia,” Briana answered and then waited for Yalen’s reaction.
To say Briana’s answer was a shock was the understatement of the century. The woman was full of surprises. “Did you learn anything?” she finally asked after several seconds had passed.
“Yes, I did and before last night, I didn’t even know they existed. I mean, I knew of the mafia. Who doesn’t?” Briana shrugged.
Yalen laid her fork down on her plate. “Then you know how dangerous these people are and that this is not a game and that’s why I don’t want you to go with me. You could get hurt and if that happened, I’m not sure I could forgive myself.”
“I’m a big girl, Yalen, and I’m going and there is nothing you can do about it and yes, I know this is very serious.”
Yalen felt her temper flare a bit. There was plenty she could do about it if she really wanted to make sure Briana kept her feet firmly planted on American soil and she had come within a hair’s inch of telling her exactly that but thought better of it. When she spoke, she made every effort to keep the agitation out of her voice. “I know you’re a big girl. That’s quite obvious, and I don’t mean that in a bad way but these people don’t screw around. They won’t hesitate to kill anyone who gets in their way or who they think may be a threat to their business.”
Briana leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. “May I ask you a couple of questions and before you answer, just remember I was eavesdropping, so I know that you know the answers,” she said and then added, “and we’ll get to how you know the answers later.”
Yalen shook her head as she looked at Briana. Dios, what have I gotten myself into here, she thought. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “All right, fire away. Go ahead and ask your questions.”
“When I was reading about them, I saw several articles and they called themselves different names.”
Yalen frowned. “Called who different names?”
“The mafia. Sometimes they were called the Vor V Zakone, or Vor, or Vory, or Vory V Zakone, as well as the Red Mafia, and Russian Mafia. Which one of the damn names is correct?”
Yalen laughed. “Yeah, it can be confusing but the short answer to your question is all of those names are correct. Vor or Vory V Zakone is the Russian term for who they are and it means ‘Thiefs in law’.” Yalen got up from her chair and went over to the counter. She pulled two mugs out of the cabinet and filled them with coffee.
“Thank you,” Briana said as she took one of the offered mugs from Yalen.
“You’re welcome,” Yalen said as she sat back down at the table. She doctored her coffee and then slid the cream and sugar canister across the table to Briana. “How much do you know about the Mafia here in the U.S.?”
Briana shrugged. “Not a lot really, just what I hear on the news or have read in the paper. I’ve heard of John Gotti, does that count?” Briana laughed.
Yalen chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, that counts. I’ll give you a quick crash course. Have you heard the term La Cosa Nostra?”
Briana shook her head.
“La Cosa Nostra is the Italian name for the mafia here as well as in Italy and it means ‘This thing of ours’. As far as the Red Mafia or Russian Mafia goes, that’s just the term we English speaking people have given them. In most cases, you will likely hear the Russian Mafia called the Vor or Vory. There are major differences between the two mafias. One is that with La Cosa Nostra, you must be Italian in order to become part of the …,” Yalen paused and made finger quotes in the air with her fingers, “family and they have die-hard rules that must be followed.”
Yalen again, paused for several seconds as she thought of the best way to explain it. “One rule is that you never take out, or kill another family member without approval and you don’t run drugs. If you do either of those things, you sign your own death warrant. With the Vory, their only rules are that you must live a life of crime, and you must have served time in prison, the more trips to prison, the better and they don’t care what nationality you are. Anyone can be a Vor. As far as killing goes, they have no loyalty within their hierarchy, everyone is fair game.”
“I think I like La Cosa Nostra better,” Briana said, shaking her head.
Yalen laughed. “If I had a choice between the two, I would choose La Cosa Nostra as well.”
“Now the hard questions,” Briana laughed. “What did you do before you became a writer and please don’t insult my intelligence by telling me you worked in landscaping for your father. There is no way you could know so much about this stuff if there wasn’t more to it.”
Yalen knew it would come to this. Briana was smarter than she had first thought. So what’s it going to be, Yalen? Do you continue the deception, or for once in your life, you go the honesty route? Do you confide in this woman whom you have known for less than forty-eight hours? Is she worth the risk of opening yourself up to? What’s it going to be? Take the easy way out through more lies and deception, or do you take a giant ass leap of faith?
“Earth to Yalen, yoo hoo,” Briana said, waving her hands in front of Yalen’s face.
