Her Sweet Surrender: Billionaire Secrets - Book Four (7 page)

It was all she could do to hold back and let them complete their search without sending them both to Mafia hell. What she didn’t need was a siege of the plane or hostages being threatened in order to force her surrender. She let the men signal the all clear and leave the cabin before she slid back the well camouflaged hatch and dropped lightly to the floor.

She looked out a cabin window and saw no-one in the vicinity, but  one of Ruben's choppers was heading to Small Island. She checked her phone to see who was where and hissed a curse under her breath. Ruben was still on Big Island but Suzy and Nadia were on the chopper. It was a setback but not insurmountable. She was one of the very few people who knew this massive luxury compound like the back of her hand. Every gap in CCTV coverage was clear in her mind, every stairwell, doorway that could provide access without being seen. She would gain access, gain control and once Ruben was freed they would squeeze whoever was on that chopper with the two girls.

Within minutes she was in the main building, undetected, and arrived at the main security area where house cameras would give her visuals on intruders and hostages. There was one single guard inside who she dealt with swiftly, locking him into an unbreakable choke hold from behind. She had him gagged and secured within minutes and then went to the bank of screens. A quick scan reveal that all the action was taking place in the main living area. Guards were posted outside every entrance, four in total.

She needed a plan.

Checking her phone again she saw that Suzy and Nadia were nearly on Small Island, Louise was in the main dining area and Ruben was in another location, lower down in the building, probably in the basement.

Her course of action was clear.

Ruben was top priority. If she could free him then the odds would be tipped massively in their favor. With her police SWAT Team background and his Special Forces training they were a deadly combination. It had been a while since they had fought together and in part she was relishing the thought. She longed for that closeness and camaraderie with her boss again that only high stress, shoulder to shoulder combat could provide. In the early days they had often fought side by side, but since the company had exploded into a multinational juggernaut those days were long gone.

Without another thought she headed to the location in which she believed he was being held. In the basement under the main living area there Ruben had installed a high tech development lab where he worked on new ideas in his down time. It included an office area with satellite connections to the rest of the world to guarantee full telecommunications access between the island and the rest of the world.

There was a single guard outside the door.

Pathetic.
Candy sneered to herself.

She checked her choice of weapons; semi-automatic pistol, taser, dagger, knockout darts.

She selected the darts, after all, this was a hostage situation, not a war zone.

She took aim and hit the tall man in the side of his buttock. He looked around in shock and then slumped to the ground. Another man appeared in seconds and a second dart put him next to the first one.

Candy made ready to enter the office area. There was the sound of a brief struggle and by the time she got to the doorway the last guard was in a heap on the ground at Ruben's feet. Her calm, unbelievably cool boss was adjusting the cufflinks on his linen shirt.

"Excellent work Candy. Good--" He stopped himself, almost calling her a good girl. "Good work." he said.

"Not bad yourself Ruben, I mean… Mr. Mayweather." He had called her his good girl once before… just once.

He looked at her with that crazy, sexy half smile playing on her lips that had always driven her wild. Why she had ever agreed to work with him was beyond her sometimes.

He was a hopeless unattainable dream.

"Ground floor. Main living area. That's where they're holding--"

"The flight crew, security and domestic team. I know. There are four guards outside, I don’t know how many inside."

He gave her a tiny smile of approval that sent a rush through her. She loved it every time and hated herself at the same time for feeling it.

"Just three on the inside. Seven in total that we know of. What do you think Head of Security? Are you up for this?"

She held up a selection of weapons for him and smiled.

He smiled back but instead of choosing a weapon he leaned down and picked up the communications headset his guard had been holding.

"Thanks Candy, but you know how I like to operate. Use the enemy's own weapons against them. Besides, we won’t need guns for this. Tie up these hapless b-movie goons and then watch and learn. This is going to be fun."

It didn't take Candy long to bind and gag the three men and in the meantime Ruben had installed himself at his office command center. 

"I have excellent samples of Mitch's voice." He said. "I'll make an announcement via their communication system in his voice. You be ready to enter into the living area via the hidden floor entrance once those idiots have vacated the area. Prioritize security staff first so they can man the doors and prevent re-entry."

Candy nodded in awe. His absolute confidence was a turn on she couldn’t explain and she had never met a man like him in her entire life. If only he wasn't so screwed up in other ways.

She headed to the underground entrance to the living area bringing a headset with her and soon heard Mitch Albstrom's voice in her ear. Through the slight crackle of the radio it was a perfect match.

"This is Mitch. The mission is complete. We have Boyevik. Time to get the fuck out of here boys."

"Huh? Mitch, what you talking about? I don’t see no chopper." A confused voice responded.

"Don’t waste fuckin' time you moron, get the fuck out of there now. These rich pricks have back up on the way. We need to get Boyevik off this rock. I'm on the runway outside, now just fuckin' do it."

"What about hostages?"

"Fuck 'em. We got all we need. Over and fuckin' out."

He sounded exactly like the hard nose, foul-mouthed New Jersey Mafioso.

Candy heard the stamp of feet overhead, mixed with the cries and anxiety of staff.

As soon as things had settled down she scrambled up and made her entrance into the middle of the confused hostages There were cries of relief from all those who knew her. Her face amongst them meant that things were going to be alright.

"Get security free first." She barked. "Here, cut the cable ties with these." She had brought box cutters with her from the lab and soon all the security staff were free. In a moment Ruben was with them as well and there was a raucous cheer from all of his relieved staff. Their beloved boss was safe among them
and
he had rescued them himself.

But it wasn't the time for celebrations yet. 

"Security," he commanded, "man all five entrances including the floor." Men and women sprang to follow his orders as he handed out weapons to his staff.

"Candy, you come with me." He looked to Mark Stalhberg, his head of Big Island security. "I'll want a full explanation Mark." He said gravely. "This happened on your watch."

The man nodded, shamed, knowing how serious his failure had been.

"Keep these people safe." Ruben said to him and then disappeared down the stairwell. Candy glanced at Mark, a handsome man she had conducted a brief affair with. He was an excellent operative but this breach of perimeter was unforgivable. She couldn’t believe she had thought about him as possible relationship material.

Outside the building the remaining seven Mafiosi looked profoundly disoriented. They were down four men and there was no sign of Mitch anywhere. They were all staring up to the sky where a Gulf Stream jet was preparing to come in for a landing.

Ruben spoke into his mic.

"The Gulfstream is our getaway you fucking morons. Put your weapons away and get ready to board."

Candy watched as the seven men exchanged glances and then holstered their weapons to watch the Gulf Stream come in for a landing.

"Mr. Mayweather, do Dale and Clay know--"

Ruben put his hand over the mic. "I've contacted them already from my control room. They know exactly what's going on. Are you ready to take these idiots into custody?"

Candy smiled and nodded. She put her hand to Ruben's face and went to kiss him but he drew back, watching her with his dark, hooded eyes.

"I'm sorry Mr. Mayweather. Of course I am. Let's do this."

This was the closest she had ever come to reviving the past. He would let it slide.

"As soon as the plane lands." He said. "Follow my lead."

"Yes sir."

********************

The chopper came down next to a small enclosure on what was essentially a rock in the ocean. Everything was artificial, military grade survival materials to provide a bare existence under a relentlessly baking subtropical sun and whatever else the forces of nature could muster.

There was no sign of life.

Mitch jumped out of the plane and then dragged Nadia with him. She was still reduced to a state of uncontrollable sobbing.

"Mr. Boyevik, where are you? I have your daughter here. It's Mitch, Mitch Albstrom. We're here to take you off the island."

There was no response. Nadia stared around, her vision blurred by tears. Suzy stayed in the chopper, her heart and mind racing. She had only heard about this man, never seen him, never met him. He was the stuff of nightmares and she still couldn’t quite accept the idea that he was her friend's father and Louise's lover.

And Louise had betrayed them… she had known that kindly old lady most of her life, this was the hardest thing to fathom of all.

She stared out at the barren island and saw a bedraggled figure appear from behind a rock. He was half naked with leathery skin bronzed from the sun and a tangled mass of grey hair covering his head and face.

"Ah shit." Mitch hissed. "Boyevik, it's me - Mitch." It looked like the old man might have lost it during his brief but intense period of isolation.  "Your daughter is here." He said, but Boyevik walked straight past them, pushing Mitch to one side.

"What the fuck?"

He continued straight on until he reached the helicopter where Suzy sat transfixed.

"Is he coming over here?" She said, but there was no-one in the chopper who cared to answer her.

The intense old man kept walking until she could see every detail of his wrinkled body, covered in venous tattoos from his time in prison and in the military in Russia. He was covered from the neck down and the effect was hideous. A shudder went through her as he kept up his march, walking straight ahead until he was right up against the glass next to her and she could see his eyes.

Her breath froze.

These were the eyes of a psychopath, a born killer. Nadia had asked her to risk everything for… this? And she had dragged Ruben along with her. Who was more to blame here - Nadia or she herself?

The sickening individual pressed his face against the glass and peered inside as Suzy shrank backwards. A goon behind her pushed forwards again and her eyes locked onto the disgusting gaze of Mikhail Boyevik.

It was terror that froze the blood in her veins.

The wiry old man pulled the door of the chopper open and reached his hand in  towards her, placing it softly on her neck. She felt indescribably cold, as though she were going into shock.

"Mr. Boyevik, we have Nadia. You're daughter's over here Mr. B." Mitch called out.

The old man didn’t look around. Instead he kept his eyes fixed on the terrified young woman in front of him who locked her gaze down to the floor.

"Look at me." He slurred at her. She didn't move.

"I said look at me." He shouted with vitriolic rage. She darted her eyes up and then back down again, terrified to even hold his gaze for an instant.

He laughed harshly.

"I want this one." He rasped. "Well done Mitch, you fuck head. Now get me off fucking island already."

"What about this one, your uh, your daughter Mr. Boyevik, don't you want her?"

Mitch said with indicated the trembling Nadia with his gun. Boyevik glanced over his shoulder at his daughter.

"My little Nadia." He said. She looked at him, pleading for some sign of recognition, some sign of love.

"Keep her. Little bitch betray me twice already. She is not my daughter. When you finished with her, bring her to me. I decide what I do with whatever is left."

Nadia couldn't speak, couldn’t think. It had all been for this? The utter stupidity of it slammed into her like a bag of wet cement. Why hadn't she just taken the helicopter down when she had the chance?

Mitch pulled Nadia in close and hissed into her ear.

"Looks like your mine pretty girl. Be nice to me and I can be nice to you too."

She stared through him. They still had to get back to big island. They would be in the helicopter again. She glanced over to Suzy but she looked like a terrified animal trapped in the glare of a predator.