Page 7 of Radar (Iniquus Certified Cerberus Tactical K9 #2)

“Okay. And again, shit . If the Zorics own their own nation, they make their own rules,” Xander said.

Medved’ Zoric had his own tiny country? That was exactly the kind of crown jewel that the patriarch of the Zoric family would covet.

Now that it was in Zoric hands, Medved’ would probably rename the island and declare himself king.

“When did that handover happen?” Xander asked to get a handle on the timeline. This was all news to him.

“About this time last year, right after the fake pirating debacle. I bet Medved’ decided not to wait but just nabbed the island while the anger was ripe.

The yacht incident, coupled with Karl Davidson’s arrest and William’s wife being shot in the head and recovering from a coma—Daddy Davidson was a beaten-down man.

The wife thing was a separate incident and not pertinent here, except that it was part of Davidson’s psychological stress.

Yeah, from what I can tell, Davidson didn’t put up much fuss when Medved’ came a-knockin’.

” Anna pulled her lips tight. “Surely, Davidson Realm has terrible memories, and Daddy Davidson was glad to just hand it over. At that point, Orest took over preparations to make the island into a Zoric sanctuary. This year, the main event was the installation of a vertical farm, along with stocking up on pharmaceuticals and medical supplies. I’ve been keeping a close eye on Orest’s progress as a means of calculating timing for their big event. ”

“And?” Xander realized he was holding his breath.

“From watching Orest get the systems up and going, in particular his vertical farm, I thought our team had another two to five years to figure out this mess and stop it cold.”

Now. It’s happening now. We’re out of time. Xander’s blood thrummed at his temples.

“Interior vertical farming,” Xander was struck by the decadence and luxury of a fresh tomato in the apocalypse.

“Food is a main priority. Orest is a food snob and doesn’t enjoy the consistency of the freeze-dried foods that Davidson stored there.

And I quote, ‘I’d rather die than eat powdered eggs.

’ Orest’s motivation in preparing the island is all about ensuring that he has a plentiful supply of fresh food. That and satin sheets.”

Anna sounded nonchalant about all this. But she’d been processing it for a long time. To Xander, it was a blow. In his mind, the fact that the Zorics had to breathe the air and drink the water like everyone else constrained their plots.

This news disabused him of that notion.

The countdown clock on Armageddon was ticking.

“You’re easily read,” Anna said with a deep frown.

“How’s that?”

“You’re wondering how I can make light of our circumstances, joking about powdered eggs.

I can assure you that I’m painted in hives and haven’t slept for the last two weeks—not since I got my invitation to go to Singapore as the migration began.

” Her frown was deep. “At night, I wake up so terrified that I have to jump out of bed and pace my room with a pillow to muffle my screams.”

Xander reached for her hands, and they were icy cold. “We’re not out of the fight yet, Anna.” He caught her eye and waited for her to focus fully on him and nod her head. “The other Zorics are going east, and Kalinsky is going west. Why?” Xander asked.

“I don’t know. But I’m hoping Orest is the weakest link, and we can get some information about what sparked the sudden migration to Singapore.”

Xander didn’t believe that for a minute. “Does it make sense in terms of role and personality that Orest is out there on his own?” Xander asked.

Anna looked off in thought, then said, “I think he’s working on some task that supersedes his jumping on the first plane to Singapore.

Since he’s tight with Medved’, we think—hope—that as long as Orest is out and about, things aren’t imminent.

It’s one of the reasons we need to keep not just tabs on the man but eyes on to see if, in fact, Orest is finalizing things at the Realm from afar.

When he heads to Singapore, zero hour is approaching. ”

It was Xander’s turn to look out the window and scan. The street was as bleak and empty as it had been before the thugs had jumped him. Xander shifted his attention back to Anna. “Where is Kalinsky, the Harbinger of Doom, right now?”

“Home in Paris. He’s flying to D.C. tomorrow and will spend the whole day in Washington. The morning after, he’s flying to Alaska.”

“Alaska.” Xander scowled. “Alaska? That wasn’t on my bingo card.”

Anna flipped a hand through the air. “That’s a nothing burger. He owns sled dogs as a hobby. They’re competing in the Iditarod next week. The team’s up there training now, and Orest wants to check in on their progress. It’s his passion.”

“So, Alaska has nothing to do with Doomsday,” Xander said it as a statement.

“We have to assume he feels like he has enough time to—” Anna swung her head toward the click-clacking on the stairs.

Xander lifted his chair and turned it to the table behind him, scooping up all four shot glasses and taking them with him. He crossed his arms on the table and drooped his head down.

Anna used the sleeve of her shirt to wipe up the dew left by the glasses.

As a woman emerged from behind the door, she cooed as she approached Anna, “Here you are. Of course, you are. Always so punctual.”

Xander heard the scrape of a chair followed by the smacking sound of traditional cheek kisses.

The woman continued speaking English with a Russian accent. “You are better than a clock.”

“I’m always excited to see you, so tell me …”