Page 57 of Exacting Vengeance

The front door of the building opened. The woman who’d delivered the flowers came down the stairs, got back into the van, and drove off. A few seconds later, the door opened again. Yuri sat up straighter, staring in disbelief.

Motherfucker! Kyle Gates jogged down the steps and got into the Explorer. He watched it pull from the curb and tear off down the street. Olga Lebedev had warned him Alex Tarankov had been fucking Vika. He hadn’t believed her then. Now he knew it was true.

“Blyat, blyat, blyat!” Yuri pounded the wheel again and again until his wrist ached. Sweat dripped down his forehead, and his heart raced faster than a jackrabbit fleeing a wolf. He blew out a few slow breaths, trying to calm his heart rate and cool his sizzling nerve endings.

The same SUV he’d seen drive past the building twice already squared the block again. No matter. He’d already figured out how to get in and out.

Tomorrow was a special day for Vika. The start of a new life for them…

And a final ending for FBI Special Agent Kyle Gates.

Chapter Twenty-Four

The door to Kyle’s boss’s office was open. Jack and Deke were already there. Jack wore jeans and a sweatshirt, but Deke was dressed to party, Hawaiian shirt and all. The second he grabbed a seat opposite the desk, Mike punched in a number on his cell phone and put the call on speaker.

“I am getting closer,” the CI said when he answered. That’s why Mike had called Kyle earlier. His CI had texted, saying he had information on the accountant. “Word is he left Chicago around the same time Yuri was arrested.”

“How do you know this?” As much as he wanted to believe everything the man said, he was skeptical. CI’s could be the key to cracking a case wide open, but they also had their own motivation. Money.

“After the Kolbyev trial, Nikki reached out to Sergei Karamazov.” Karamazov had slid into Novikov’s role as head of the Chicago Bratva after Novikov went to prison. “Nikki was pissed at Yuri for not taking out Kolbayev’s wife before she could testify. He thinks Yuri did it intentionally, so he could take Kolbayev’s place. Nikki doesn’t know if he can trust him anymore. If Yuri goes down, he worries he’ll blab about the kidnapping scheme they had going on.”

Kyle leaned closer to the phone. “What does this have to do with the accountant?”

“Nikki told Karamazov it’s Yuri’s fault for not knowing you—Alex Tarankov—were an FBI agent, and for the FBI taking all his money. So Yuri owes him. He wants him to give up half his share from the kidnappings, and he thinks he knows who has it.”

“The accountant,” Deke said.

“Yeah, but I still don’t have a name,” the CI said. “What I do have are rumors that Yuri and Nikki bought property somewhere outside Chicago. There’s a lake on the property, and that’s why they bought it.”

“Sounds like a good place to dispose of bodies,” Kyle said. “Any idea where this property is?”

“You’re kidding, yes?” The CI chuckled. “Illinois. That’s all I got. Look, Nikki and me go way back. Not as far back as Yuri, but let me work on it. I’ve been thinking of taking the wife to New York City for a little sightseeing. Nikki might talk more in person.”

“Get on a plane first thing tomorrow,” Mike ordered. “If this pans out, we’ll make it worth your while.”

“I’ll get back to you.”

The line went dead.

“Think he’ll come through?” Jack asked.

“He’s motivated.” Kyle sat back. “He’s already made a lot of FBI money over the years. If this works, he’ll get even more.” And both Yuri and Nikki would be back behind bars. This time, for life.

“Illinois is a big state,” Jack said. “Lotsa water.”

“Yeah.” Kyle nodded, mulling over possible strategies. “Even if we had an address, we’d still need a warrant, and we don’t have probable cause. We couldn’t even do an infrared flyover without a warrant. Not only is it too invasive, those bodies would be nothing more than skeletons after ten years of being submerged. They wouldn’t emit heat signals anymore.”

“Then we’ve still got nothing,” Mike said.

“That it, Boss?” When Mike nodded, Deke stood. “Gotta go.”

“Make good choices, bro,” Jack called out as Deke headed for the door.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Deke held up his hand before disappearing around a corner.

“He plays hard.” Kyle envied his younger brother for being able to flip a switch and turn off the job at the end of the work week.

“He’s also a hard worker,” Mike said. “Did you know he was here until midnight almost every day last week?”