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how the bodyguards would help him personally, versus ensuring the safety of the
company as a whole. Have you heard about our new security technology? she asked.
He rubbed his chin. Yes, the SOS device. That has me intrigued. I wonder how we
can benefit from your technology. I ve tried to bring Papa into the twenty-first century,
but he is set in his ways. He relies on a physical presence for security. I try to explain
there s a whole digital world that can work better than the old methods.
At least he wasn t as dumb and useless as he d first appeared.
Tell me more about this SOS tracker you have, he invited.
Mindy launched into an animated portrayal of all the ways the device could increase
security on all levels of the Markov s empire. Riveted, Marcus lingered on her every word.
Finally she felt her confidence returning.
This device, you have it with you? I d like to see it, test it for myself.
Sure, she said brightly, reaching for her purse. She rummaged and them rampaged
through her purse searching for the thumb drive.
Then it struck her. She d packed the darn thing in her suitcase her lost suitcase. She
froze in mortification. How could she have pulled such a stupid move? God, as if this
scenario couldn t get any worse. Yet it had.
I m sorry, I left it in my luggage.
Marcus s face fell and he looked almost annoyed. Well. That s a shame. He pulled
his phone out of his pocket and answered it brusquely. Excuse me, he said to everyone
at the table, I have to take this call.
He didn t return. She glanced around and saw that the other men, including Isaac,
appeared to be wrapping up for the evening. She d accomplished nothing. Absolutely
nothing. What a supreme failure.
The men made plans to meet again the next night to discuss more information and a
possible deal. Isaac seemed pleased as they left the restaurant and entered their
chauffeured car. On the way back to the hotel, he brought her up to speed on the
discussions he d had in Russian with the other three Markovs. He d made very good
progress toward the sale.
She sat quietly, nodding at the appropriate moments, congratulating him on how well
he d done. While she inwardly berated herself for adding nothing of value whatsoever.
Depressed, she dodged raindrops into the lobby and they took the elevator to their
floor. He paused outside her door. Everything okay? he asked with concern in his voice.
Fine, she said. Like I proved earlier, I m just really tired.
Remember, I m just on the other side of this wall. If you need anything, he said,
pointing at the barrier separating them, I mean anything, knock. I ll answer.
Thanks.
After she shut her door, she heard his door close, and she found herself on the other
side of the wall from where she wanted to be next to Isaac. She walked further into her
room then realized she hadn t left the light on or any light on for that matter. The only
illumination came from streetlights below, adding a dim gloominess to the space.
Suddenly, a meaty hand clamped over her mouth. She tried to scream but couldn t.
She struggled. A second man approached her with menace. Tell us where it is.
Frantic, she shook her head. The muscular jerk holding her hostage wrenched her
neck, and she squealed in protest.
The man before her sporting a thin moustache, wearing a crimson beret, sneered at
her. All we want is the device. Give it to us, and we ll let you go.
I don t know what you want, she said in a pleading voice. Then she realized what
they meant. Oh, God. They wanted the SOS device, the thumb drive& and it was packed
far away from her in some lost and found storage facility. I don t have it.
As her captor dropped his beefy hand, the mustached man backhanded her across the
face. You know where it is. Tell me now, or I ll dispose of you.
The stinging in her cheek was nothing compared to her potential outcome as a slain
woman dumped into a trash bin in a foreign country where she knew no one. Using the
moment to her advantage, she screamed, ISAAC!
Within two second, she heard a fist beating at her door. Mindy, are you okay? Answer
me, honey.
Without regard, her captor flung her against the wall. Her head hit hard, and she
slumped down. The two escaped out the window to the fire escape.
Holding her head, she whimpered, Isaac?
A second later, the door crashed in. Mindy?
I m here.
Oh, God. He crouched beside her, brushing her hair from her red cheek. Oh, hell.
What happened? It took him three seconds to figure it out. He glared at the window
where her curtains blustered. Those sons of bitches.
Isaac lunged for the open window and swooped down the fire escape after them. But
they had too much of a head start on him. He watched them escape down the alleyway,
knowing he had two choices. Go after them. Or go to Mindy.
Without knowledge of how Russian authorities worked, having only lived in the
country the first six years of his life, he chose Mindy. He climbed back up the fire escape
and crawled through her open window.
Oh. She flinched, hunching against the wall.
It s okay, sweetheart. It s me, Isaac. They can t hurt you now.
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