Makarovia! Yes, I Know Where That is! Sophomore Year - 7. Chapter 7

In the morning, I looked to see what else was sent only to see a message from Drew. “Cassie is away on assignment. More coming, I promise. It may be a few weeks.”

My reply was simple. “We’ll wait. A great job is being done.”

My grandmother was leaving again. We spent the whole Sunday afternoon together.

It was that Sunday night we were in the kitchen, Peter’s and my favorite room now. We had Boris and Yuri there often who joined us occasionally. I asked her privately about what was happening in Asheville. “Have you been bothered by this possible threat back in Asheville?”

Grandmother looked surprised. “Bothered? Most people wouldn’t dare.” She chuckled. “I’m the scary old lady.”

“Grandma,” I said chiding her lightly, “tell me the truth. This is important. I’m worried about you. I thought I’d considered all the ramifications, but…”

She shook her head. “No. I know. I’m fine. Really. The truth is…the ones that know who you are and how we’re connected are pretty close in friendships. The last names are what’s creating a safety net of sorts. I promise to let you know if there is.” She looked at me more intently. “There are problems. I know about the threats…is something else wrong? You said something about the house before.” She waved at the surroundings. “It’s beautiful.”

I told her what possible things Yuri was suspecting and investigating. She listened as she nodded.

“This is too good to be true.” She said understanding.

“A house suddenly available to us, perfect for our needs after the uranium was found and after Peter agrees to come to America,” I said throwing my arms out. “Which would be fine, if there was a clear deed or sale or lease or just a trail from someone about this house. Not this mystery person or group. There’s just too much mystery.”

Grandmother nodded understanding more. “If something comes up, I will let you know. I promise. I dodged the Russian KGB, those sneaky sons of bitches, no one can pull one over on me.”

I chuckled. “I suppose not.”

“Damned right.” She smiled confidently.

Monday, she flew back to Asheville but was coming back in a few weeks. Our weeks started again and we were busy. Yuri cautioned us to not go anywhere for now but to school, class, and back. We didn’t. He was now pretty sure who was responsible, but to confront this person now, would tell this person he was aware of them. It was a week before my birthday. Penny asked us again in her office if we were planning to respond to any of the invitations for appearances on shows or interviews. We told her when we had time. That’s when Yuri came into her office. He didn’t say excuse me or anything, but went over to her desk and yanked a cord from her computer and pulled, bringing up a laptop with it.

“What are you doing!?” Penny asked in shock. “You can’t do…”

“Yes! I can!!” Yuri shouted in accented English. He did have more of an accent when angry. “I am security!! In charge of security here!! This is a violation of that security!” He waved the computer at her.

Penny was now a little pale. “I’m sorry, but I need it for work! I didn’t think.”

“And has transmitted everything connected from your desktop to Nelson Carter!” Yuri said angrily as he turned to Peter and me. “Carter is a part of this group that bought the place and who we’re leasing from.”

Then I saw two other men come to the door, Makarovian men, and like all security, big and their faces were blank as they stepped in front of me and Peter blocking access to either of us.

“Who is your other contacts?” Yuri asked loud.

“I haven’t done anything,” Penny said weakly backing in her chair in shock.

“You have and are doing it now!” Yuri said holding up the laptop. “You’re connected to the house’s WiFi. You see? I’m not an idiot. I know this computer has WiFi access. The thing was, I was duped! I trusted you. King Olek trusted you. They,” Yuri waved at Peter and me, “trusted you and all this time you have been transmitting information by WiFi to Carter. That’s why I limited your access. The computer you’re using is basically a dummy. It’s connected limited to our system, limited by me. I send information to your computer that can be sent. You’ve done this for years!! You did it with King Olek telling things that King Olek told you in confidence to Carter! Jensen was just lucky. He invested and did make a lot of money, it was Carter that got him to default on the loan for an even better more lucrative payoff. Twice what he invested for this place!”

“Why?” I asked having heard it but didn’t understand.

Yuri nodded folding his arms over his chest. “Tell him!” He waited a few seconds. “Okay, I will. She is working with Nelson Carter, pretty intimately, if you get my meaning. When the uranium was found, Carter found out about it. He knew this is big money. He sent you, Ms. Baldwin to be that person King Olek needed. You ingratiated yourself to King Olek and won his trust. Then you would send what he was doing and where to Carter. He told you to stick with King Olek. If there was a way to exploit to find it. You did! He told you to make King Olek fall in love with you. You were to become the new Makarovian Queen!!”

“What!?” Peter said astounded.

“I didn’t!” Penny said, but her manner changed. Now it wasn’t as defensive, colder and more…cunning? This woman was devious.

“Bullshit!!!” Yuri shouted practically coming across the desk at her making her back up. “You did it four times by seducing him!! Paris, Zurich, Belin and in London you did it!” He waved toward his office. “I have your correspondences in my office!” He bounced the computer in his hand. “They make them so light now. And it’s a wonderful thing this Internet and everything we send out remains there. If you know where to look.” He waved the laptop again. “This told me where to look! You changed computers, you even changed the server and the webmail server, but with some digging, and my program to help track and find them. I got it all!” He reached in and plugged the computer back in. “Pull up your email. A message will come in…3…2…1…now.” He waved again. When she didn’t move, he leaned in again. “Do it!! LOOK!!!”

Penny opened the computer and typed. Even I couldn’t miss the message large enough to fill the whole screen.

WE KNOW

The emblem was Makarovian. The flag colors and the two dragons facing each other and shield with the lion.

“As Queen, she would have access to all Makarovia and the uranium and the money,” Yuri explained. “That plan to become queen failed. She didn’t even get pregnant, which she hoped might happen.” He chuckled. “She didn’t win the king’s heart, so on to plan B. The other thing this…consortium is good at is extortion and kidnapping!” He shook his head. “Those four times to get him to ask or you could force him to marry you got you nothing.” He said angrily. “I know because you said you didn’t! In your own words. I have it on my computer!”

Okay, I was just…what’s beyond shocked? That’s where I was. I remember meeting her that first day. She just…put me off with her comeatcha attitude. Remember? I just thought that was her personality, the go to it and be a direct approach. I like her fine, but…

“But this Carter guy is slick. He hardly ever does the dirty work himself.” Yuri said. “You still had King Olek’s trust, he wanted you here, with them.” He pointed at Peter and me again.

“Who? Me? Eric?” Peter asked. “Who would they take?”

“I guess whoever they can get,” Yuri said.

“But even if she had married Olek. He would never do that to Makarovia!” Peter argued. “The money isn’t his. The money belongs to Makarovia.”

Yuri nodded sadly. “Once the wedding was done. Olek is in the way.”

Peter’s and my eyes widened. “You mean kill him!?” Peter said astonished.

“You are so focused on getting what you want.” I shook my head. “You didn’t see Olek as a kind and hardworking man!? He’s a beautiful soul. He’s gorgeous! How can you do this?”

Penny laughed, but it was…I don’t know, what’s a good bad guy laugh? Maniacal? Evil? “This is a very entertaining story, Yuri.”

Yuri nodded. “I have pages of mail,” Yuri said. “I can back up everything I’ve said to you…including your plans to get pregnant when the king was sleeping with you! I’ll show you now and them. I have copies you can see.”

Penny nodded sitting straighter at her desk. “Let’s say you are right. A woman that clever wouldn’t sign her name or leave traces.”

Yuri smiled grew. “You’re good, but I’m better trained. See, that thing you carry around…it works both ways. You tap into what we’re doing and I have something that tapped into yours. Any email you’ve sent from this computer has the delivery date and IP Address it was sent to and from! You thought it was clever to delete it and histories after you sent it.” Yuri shook his head. “Don’t you know? It’s still in here.” He pulled the computer away again. “On the hard drive. Now, I had your computer…” he looked at me, “is cloned the right word in English? I mean, I had the whole thing copied.” Peter and I both shrugged. “I did whatever is needed.” He handed the computer to one of the two men. “To be sure, we’ll have this examined, but I have the destinations and intended recipients.” Yuri looked at her.

There was just something I saw in her eyes. “How do you trace it to me?” She frowned. “Anyone could have sent those, from my computer. None of this would point a finger at me. This is the United States and they have a hard time with crime, a harder time with crime on the Internet. There is nothing to connect this to me but speculation. Anyone with computer skills could have sent these messages, proving it was me is nearly impossible.”

Yuri nodded. “This is the United States we are in, but the crimes were committed while in Makarovia.” He waved at the house. “You’re in Makarovia now. It’s leased, but in the lease agreement, signed by the President of the United States clearly says crimes committed while on the grounds fall under our jurisdiction! That’s us. Enforcement of said laws, meaning ours, is to be handled by Makarovian enforcement, meaning me!” Yuri leaned over the desk. “I can hold you. I intend to hold you until after King Olek and Queen Alla arrive and we together will decide what to do with you.”

Her eyes narrowed looking at Yuri. “You can’t. There has to be a charge and trial in front of a judge.” She rose. “That is Makarovian law. I read it!”

Yuri nodded again. “Yes. That’s true, you will need a judge. Guess what? Olek can act as that judge…”

“He can’t! He will be personally involved.” Penny said angrily.

Yuri laughed again. “He most certainly would be.” He nodded. “You forget. HE’S THE KING!! Only his words can overstep those boundaries. That is also Makarovian LAW!! It’s still on the books which you apparently didn’t read. He can still order your execution!! It would be done. No real questions. It was left in during some rougher, harder times when our kings had to make life and death decisions and couldn’t wait for a trial.”

“That’s barbaric!!” Penny now realized she was…I’ll be blunt…she was in deep shit!

Yuri shrugged. “Perhaps, but…of course, he may feel he shouldn’t pass judgment and pass it to someone else.” He looked at Peter and me. “He could pass it to Queen Alla. She can be the judge as a member of the royal family.”

Peter smiled but shook his head. “Oh, I hope not. Mom is a nice lady. She can get quite angry.”

Yuri nodded smiling now. “Or pass it to you or Eric even as members of the royal family.”

“We can get quite angry, too.” I practically growled and shrugged. “I am now.”

“I demand a lawyer!” She said. “You have those.”

Yuri nodded. “Sure, we’ll get you one…in Makarovia. It will be over a week to get you there and find a lawyer available and willing to help…in Makarovia.”

“You can’t extradite me,” Penny said as her eyes darted and her tone she was thinking fast, trying hard to find some loophole.

“True, there would be problems with the extradition.” Yuri nodded. “If you were a citizen of the United States…which you are not! I’m working with my American counterpart who told me…at best, you could be released to us…best for us. Or you could be released and shipped to Great Britain and tried there. I’m sending information on what you did and reasons to them now including your Prime Minister! Like you yourself said before, England is on our side. They want the uranium and will protect Makarovia. I doubt they would see this favorably as you were stealing what England is helping us to get out of the ground!”

Yuri got closer to her and pulled out…handcuffs!? Did he carry those? Or did he just bring them for this special occasion?

“I have embarrassing stuff on Olek.” She said quickly hoping to buy time.

“I know,” Yuri said grabbing her right arm and pulling it back and grabbed her left arm to complete the putting on the cuffs. “Oh, and there are theses.” He tossed something on the desk. Some little device that blinked as it was to transmit…something. “That great group from Canada,” he looked at me and Peter, “remember me telling you that? They scanned the house for surveillance. They were good. We found them all.” He looked at me and Peter. “Not on our closed system, but put in prior to that, that’s why you needed the connection with the WifI, but everything was checked. Before King Olek and Queen Alla arrive, these will all be gone.” He assured then pushed her toward the two men and switched to Makarovian. “Take her to the room.”

“The room?” I asked in Makarovian.

Yuri shrugged. “Like your room and the others, it’s a safe room, but the panel is on the outside of the door. She’ll be comfortable. It has its own bath, but she can’t get out. There are bars on the windows if she can break the unbreakable glass. She won’t get out.”

“Let me go, faggot!” She spat as she pulled her arms to get away.

Yuri rolled his eyes. “Oh, yea, that always works. We bow to your demands. You throw that at men from a country where almost half the population are faggots.” Then he waved at the two men. “Can you handle her?” He asked in Makarovian.

Then I saw and heard the first response from one of the security. “She won’t be a problem. This faggot has got it.”

I had to smile at that. We did have a huge homosexual population!

After she was taken to this “room.” I had to ask a delicate question. “What embarrassing stuff does she have on Olek?”

Yuri smiled but was hesitant to admit it. “She recorded her times with King Olek.”

“Sex tapes!?” Peter asked a little worried.

Yuri nodded. “I’m afraid so. I saw them.” He hurried on. “I had to, to see what was on them.”

“Are they bad?” I asked.

Yuri shrugged a nod. “That depends on your perspective, you don’t see a lot of King Olek, but it’s clear what’s happening. There were a few good shots of King Olek’s ass, hardly anymore. A glimpse of his cock, but no erection. Mostly he was under the covers. Most of it was of it has her tits.” He shuddered remembering. “I felt like having my eyes soaked in bleach having to watch it. The camera angles weren’t that good.” He shook his head. “Straight people think what we do is weird!?” He griped. “It’s sex!” He shrugged.

I nodded. “Okay, so are they the only videos?”

“Her comments were that King Olek was so busy and won’t take the time,” Yuri said. “No, there shouldn’t be others, but I don’t know that. It’s not just on her computer. She complained that King Olek was…a gentleman.”

“Of course, he was!” I nodded. “He was lonely!” I said sadly. “And even lonely, he was a gentleman.” I smiled at the thought.

“Do you think King Olek will be terribly embarrassed?” Yuri asked.

Peter looked at me, but it was clear he wasn’t certain. “I don’t really know,” Peter said to me.

“Remember what Olek said before we went to that island? When I was worried someone could take a picture of him naked on the beach?” I asked Peter and nodded at Yuri. “To paraphrase Olek, he asked what exactly would that very thing prove? It will prove he’s human. He will be embarrassed, but more due to is lack of discretion when it comes to women. What he was doing was…” I shrugged, “human. Will it embarrass Makarovia?”

Yuri smiled. “Makarovia doesn’t look down on people for having sex. As you said, he’s human. It was consensual, that was clear. They will know that. If it does come out, they will just have that confirmed. It isn’t that bad. If you like straight sex…which I don’t. Ew!” He smiled at us. “I may be out of line, but…King Olek has a very nice ass.”

Peter rolled his eyes at that and I smiled at Yuri. “He would think that is a compliment,” I said. “Do you know where this Nelson Carter is?”

“He is supposed to meet her at a hotel in town,” Yuri said. “Also from her email. Law enforcement in the United States is there. They have him now.” He sighed. “I don’t know about that consortium he was with. A fancy name for a mob to me. They are overseas. I don’t know what they can or will do.”

“Should we warn Olek not to come?” Peter asked. “Mom?”

“I’ll talk to King Olek,” Yuri said sad at what he was going to have to say. “I’ll tell him all of it.”

Peter frowned. “Maybe we had better do it.”

“It won’t sound better, but…” I said.

“I’ll give you the files.” He really sounded relieved as we told him. “I have it on one of those USB Memory Drives,” Yuri said. “He needs to see…all of it.”

We went upstairs and connected our phones to the system and Peter called Olek, sitting in the same chair again.

“He should be home. It’s ten in the evening there.” Peter said. “It’s a weekday…”

“Peter?” Olek answered quickly.

“Hi, Olek…” Peter said quietly. “I’ve got some bad news.”

“Are you hurt? Is Eric okay?” Olek sounded a little panicked as he rushed the questions.

“I’m fine, Eric’s fine...” Peter said. “Can we make this a computer video call?”

“Sure, I’m downstairs in the office.” He said. “I’ll do it from here.”

It only took a few minutes before the computer dinged. We got the connection. Olek’s worried face came on the screen. I hated what we had to tell him.

“I’m sending you some things. Take your time, but you need to read and see them.” Peter said attaching the USB memory stick. Then called up the files and had it sent to Olek.

The next fifteen or twenty minutes, Olek read, more scanned, but he was understanding and I watched his face go from surprise to shock and now was red with fury. He began watching a video, and from the sounds, I knew what it was. “That BITCH!!” Suddenly his hands swiped everything from his desk. “That…WHORE!!”

“We know, Olek. She fooled everyone. Me. Eric, Yuri and you.” Peter said hoping Olek would understand that.

“Did you read this…shit?” Olek asked.

“We didn’t have to,” I said. “Yuri did and told us what was in them.”

“Did you see these videos?” Olek asked and he was now sounding hurt.

“No, Olek,” Peter said putting his tone to beg him to believe him. “We were told that you were a gentleman. She even said so. Would it matter if we had?”

Olek laid his head on the desk. “No.” He was hurting very badly. “I was lonely.”

“We know that, Olek,” I said. “You needed a human touch. There’s no shame what you did. What happened should never have happened…not that you had sex, but her taping it. That was private. You trusted her. She betrayed you. I am so sorry.”

“You didn’t fall in love with her, did you?” Peter asked.

Olek looked at him suddenly surprised. “Love!? No! I liked her as a friend, sort of, but…it couldn’t become more than that. She was a good secretary, efficient and…not that bad looking, but no…she and I would never work.” He grimaced. “She was too…” he thought of a word best to say, “much. She was always…right there.”

I chuckled. “We saw that in the first few seconds of meeting her.”

“I’m sorry you’re involved in this,” Olek said. “I thought she was trustworthy. I never would have sent her if I didn’t.”

Peter nodded. “We know that, Olek. Please, don’t take all the responsibility on yourself.” He looked as Olek did, moving his face closer, so it would be bigger on Olek’s side. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Nothing about you has been diminished in either Eric’s or my eyes. We love you, Olek…just as much now as before!”

Olek smiled at Peter’s words. “Thank you.”

“You may want to call off coming here,” I said. “It might be dangerous. Yuri said this consortium or mob is overseas…”

Olek pounded on his desk. “No!! If I change any plans or backdown…they win! They can’t do that. I won’t let them do that. We’re coming!”

“Okay.” Peter nodded.

“We look forward to seeing you,” I said sincerely. “We really miss you and Mom. We’ll be here.” Then I did what they did, I moved closer to the screen. “We’re behind you two hundred percent, Olek. It will be alright.”

Olek smiled at us. “Thank you, my brothers. I love you both so much.”

Peter nodded. “We know, Olek.”

“We love you, Olek,” I said.

He nodded and laughed lightly. “I know that. I’ll talk to Yuri tomorrow and thank him for doing such a great job for you two and for me.” He reached up. “Have a good day. See you soon.” He sighed and cut our connection.