Run This Town By Jay, feat Rihana

Edgar flew to St. Petersburg, Russia, after he made his way over to a bulletproof armored Mercedes Benz, and the chauffeur opened the door for him as he slid into the back seat. The chauffeur closed the door behind him, walked over to the driver's side and got in. He had never been to Russia before, but when a powerful Russian oligarch invites his dacha, you don't turn it down, and it is his boss. After passing by some old buildings from the past and the future,

After a while, they arrived at the sprawling estate, a two-story mansion in the countryside. Driving up to the security gate, I lay in wait to capture a flicker of movement. Russian special forces patrolled the massive, properly armed MP5 Submachine clutched in their grip. Counter-snipers patrolled the rooftop, toting their ghost-black ORSIS T-500 sniper rifles and peering through their scope.

The gate opened as they drove through and parked outside a long curing hill with a marble pathway leading up to the marble, golden palace. The chauffeur stepped out, grabbing the back door for Edgar, and he climbed out. The chief of security walked over to him. They made up the winding path to the entrance of the mansion.

The butler strode over to the door and opened it as they entered the imperial, stylish interior of the mansion. He closed the door behind them. They headed for the den, where Dragunov's office was.

Dragunov rose from his desk in an impeccably tailored European suit as he spoke. "Welcome to Russia, Edgar. A problem has arisen from the past, threatening our gun-running business and also threatening to try to kill Emilia."

"We must deal with this problem right away, or she will deal with it after all; she is the Red Assassin," Edgar stated.

"Yes, Edgar, we'll deal with it; I promise you that. First, we'll have a sip of Vodka for old-time sake, then we have some business to discuss, Dragunov said in his native Russian accent as he walked over to the bar counter and opened the cupboard, removing a chilled bottle of Vodka.

He grabbed two shot glasses and poured them some vodka as he handed them over to Edgar. He snatched and took a literal sip, enjoying the cold liquid that slid down his throat and warmed his chest.

"What about this journalist Damon Bryant, he s' becoming a bigger problem, Mr.Dragunov," Edgar inquired in a skeptical tone.

"Don't worry, Elizabeth is taking care of that loose end for us," Dragunov told Edgar as he took a sip of his vodka.

Placing his glass on his desk, he made his way over to the painting hung on the wall, gently removed it, and placed it on the desk. Then he entered the passcode, the sensor turned green, and the door opened. Reaching in, he grabbed a neat stack of twelve thousand dollars and placed it on the table, as he said. "Here's your share of our profit from the gunrunning we did in Iraq."

Edgar picked up the stack of dollar bills, feeling it with his fingers, he loved the feel and the smell of money this was all about. The more pressing matter is who would be threatening his daughter; that's what he wanted to know, and he was sure his boss had the answers for him.

He walked over to his safe, reached and pulled out a vanilla-thick envelope, and placed it on the desk as he said, " One of my men followed Thomas McMartin to a hotel where he met Ambassador Ignitus."

Edgar snatched up the envelope and pulled out a photograph as he snarled. " I knew I couldn't trust Thomas at all. I suggest scrubbing him, Aleski."

"Emilia is contracted to kill the Ambassador and McMartin," Drangunov told Edgar.

"I always wondered, Aleski, how you got where you are now," Edgar asked, looking around the den at all the Russian paintings and relics on the shelves.

"After the KGB was dismantled and the Berlin Wall was removed, I worked freelance for a lot of Russian oligarchs, getting insight into how they run their operations. When the time came, I saw my opportunity, and when he walked out, he double-tapped in the head. After I took over his business,

"Very impressive Alseki," Edgar stated.

"But with that comes the price of enemies you have to deal with," Dragunov said, as he sat behind his desk.

"Do You think the ambassador was behind the attempt on Emilia," Edgar asked.

"If he was behind the attempted hit on your daughter, he must know about the contract out on him then," Dragunov explained to him.

Ambassador Ignitus and McMartin working together, was Thomas, a member of the knights of Malta, Edgar thought to himself. There had to be more to it. 

Dragunov grabbed a briefcase from the floor, placed it on his desk, and says. " You put all your money in here. We'll worry about McMartin tomorrow, tonight enjoy the culture of our city and relax."

Edgar liked the idea. He needed to relax, there was no better way to relax to do it  then to explore the city and take in the sights and then he would start to plan how they would track down McMartin and the Ambassador. He placed his bundle of dollars bills in the briefcase and closed it. They walked out of the office, heading down the corridor, and exited through the entrance.

They made their way over to the Mercedes Benz as the chauffeur opened the door for them; They slid into the back and the driver closed behind them. He got in as he closed his door behind him.

As they drove through the city, Edgar thought about his daughter knowing that McMartin and Ingitus wouldn't stop, and Plus he knew that she could handle herself.

They arrived at the Opera Theatre as the chauffeur stepped and opened the door for them. They climbed out in stylish tuxedos and made their way in through the doors of the theatre, after they walked up a winding staircase as Edgar grabbed a program to take with him. They headed for a private booth that overlooked the stage.

They entered through the curtains and sat down in their seats. As everyone stormed to take their seats, the lights started to dim down. "what do we know about ambassador ignitus," Edgar inquired

"Not a lot, only that he has been after me for a long time, and wants to bring down the people behind the gun running," Aleski whispers.

After the opera was over, they rose from their seats, made their way down the winding carpeted staircase, and exited out the doors. They walked over to the Mercedes Benz as the chauffeur grabbed the door for them. They slid into the back seat. The driver closed the door behind them and then got in closing his door.

"But why work with McMartin? What could he possibly gain from that?" Edgar asked.

"Maybe they have done business with each other before or McMartin wants to take over the gun running himself," Aleski told him.

A little while later, they were at The Heritage Winter Palace museum and parked outside. They stepped out into the cold September air. They walked up the marble steps to the entrance as Aleski said. "This one of the biggest treasures in Russia. I remember my parents telling me about the Romanovs when I was a child."

They entered through the entrance as they strode along with the tour guide, explaining to them the history of the Winter Palace, paintings, and relics from the past. Although this was very interesting, Edgar couldn't wonder if Thomas might have someone in the Russian Federal Security Bureau waiting to ambush them somewhere in the alleyway.

The only thing that made sense to Dragunov; was that Ambassador Ingitus had hired an assassin to kill them before they could warn Emilia about McMartin? The assassin bolted toward them with the barrel of his gun aimed at them. Edgar pushed the door open as the alarm sounded as they raced out.

The assassin looked vaguely familiar to him, Dragunov thought to himself. Where had he seen him before? It finally dawned on him, of course, at the Embassy waiting for someone. He had never seen the assassin before  that wasn't not until today. His worst fears had been confirmed now, which meant Ignitus wanted him dead for a reason, whatever it was.

They strode back over to the Mercedes Benz, the chauffeur opened the door for them, as they climbed inside and then he closed the door behind them. Things were starting to heat up now. They knew they needed to get back to the mansion and regroup, figure out who was on the other end of the burner they now had. If McMartin and Ingitus had become allies with their allies they had to think quickly.