She’s exactly the type of woman I would’ve gladly fucked before meeting Nora. Unfortunately for Yulia, her pale beauty does nothing for me now. The only woman I want in my bed is the dark-haired girl who’s currently several thousand miles away.

“Thanks for the invitation,” I say, giving Yulia a cool smile. “But we’ll be leaving soon, and I’m afraid I’m too exhausted to do your town justice tonight.”

“Of course.” Yulia smiles back, unfazed by my rejection. She clearly has enough self-confidence not to be offended. “If you change your mind, you know where to find me.” And as the car rolls to a halt in front of the subway stop, she gracefully climbs out, leaving behind a faint trail of expensive perfume.

As the car begins moving again, Lucas turns around to face me. “If you don’t want her, I’d be happy to entertain her tonight,” he offers casually. “If that’s all right with you, of course.”

I grin. Hot blondes have always been Lucas’s weakness. “Why not,” I say. “She’s all yours if you want her.” We don’t fly out until tomorrow morning, and I have plenty of security in place. If Lucas wants to spend the night fucking our interpreter, I’m not about to deny him that pleasure.

As for me, I plan to use my fist in the shower while thinking of Nora, and then get a good night’s rest.

Tomorrow is going to be an eventful day.

The flight to Tajikistan from Moscow is supposed to take a little over six hours in my Boeing C-17. It’s one of the three military airplanes that I own, and it’s big enough for this mission, easily fitting in all of my men and our equipment.

Everyone, myself included, is dressed in the latest combat gear. Our suits are bulletproof and flame-retardant, and we’re fully armed with assault rifles, grenades, and explosives. It may be overkill, but I’m not taking chances with my men’s lives. I enjoy danger, but I’m not suicidal, and all the risks I take in my business are carefully calculated. Nora’s rescue in Thailand was probably the most perilous operation I’ve been involved with in recent years, and I wouldn’t have done it for anyone else.

Only for her.

I spend the majority of the flight going through the manufacturing specifications for a new factory in Malaysia. If all goes well, I may shift missile production there from its current location in Indonesia. The local officials in the latter region are getting too greedy, demanding higher bribes each month, and I’m not inclined to indulge them for much longer. I also answer a few questions from my Chicago-based portfolio manager; he’s working on setting up a fund-of-funds through one of my subsidiaries and needs me to give him some investment parameters.

We’re flying over Uzbekistan, just a few hundred miles from our destination, when I decide to check in with Lucas, who’s piloting the plane.

He turns toward me as soon as I enter the cabin. “We’re on track to get there in about an hour and a half,” he says without my asking. “There is some ice on the landing strip, so they’re de-icing it for us right now. The helicopters are already fueled up and ready to go.”