The Upper Floor of the Alexander They give us the entire upper floor—not for our security, not exactly, but because some payments clear faster than others and Tarmo’s account opens doors in Yerevan as smoothly as in Zurich. The hall breathes polished wood and hotel stillness; staff ghosts glide past with silver carts, and the…
Tag: Romance
The COMC Files Book V chapter 42
The Pass Minutes later, we descend toward the others—Sandi walking between Mitra and me, shivering but alive. Each step feels borrowed, the weight of the mountain pressing on our shoulders, reminding us how quickly luck can vanish. Below, the wolf—Asdar—stands braced against the wind. His eyes sweep the high slopes, searching for any sign of…
The COMC Files chapter 41
The Exchange — Kandovan We gathered in the lee of the rock wall, wind scraping frost across our boots. Sandi stood at the center, pale but steady, flanked by Tarmo and Mitra. The captors held back, watching. Every rifle lowered but not forgotten. I hung back with Asdar, my hand unconsciously pressed to my belly…
The COMCO Files Book V chapter 39
Ardabil Road — Mitra & Karim The codes sit at the base of Karim’s pack, wrapped in leather that feels older than it should. We haven’t spoken for half an hour, mountain air cutting thin, the silence thick with certainty of pursuit. Karim finally breaks it. “Whoever that was in the alley—they had Turkish military…
The COMC Files Book V chapter 36
The Dark Wagon The horses carry us long enough that Tehran fades into a dusty shimmer. I sit tall in the saddle, wind pushing hair across my mouth, laughing at Asdar’s teasing shout, the nomads’ voices rough and bright in the cold morning. We stop at the rail siding, where steel lines cut east across…
The COMC Files Book V chapter 35
Wrong Street, Wrong Men The city is loud in the way only a place under watch can be—traffic snared into queues, market calls strangled to half-volume. I read it the way I read a balance sheet: numbers off, pressure lines exposed. Too many stalls closing early for bad weather. Shutters fall with the quiet finality…
The COMC Files Book V chapter 32
The fire from the night before had collapsed into a ring of muted coals, their last warmth leaking into the cold ground. Mist clung to the low scrub, blurring the line between land and sky. Somewhere beyond the silence, a hawk sliced the air. They moved without wasted words. Bedrolls bound tight, tents dismantled and…
The COMC Files Book V chapter 31
Embers, Rumours, and Rescue Plans The fire pops, laughter fills the air, and Asdar leans in, finally ready to stitch together the threads — Romani hospitality, protection, their centuries-old role as keepers of stories and music, and the deal he cut to trade stigma for safe passage. For once, I’m content to listen — blond…
The COMC Files Book V chapter 30
“ENOUGH!”* My breath stops. That grunt—familiar. The blindfold is torn off in one motion. Light stabs my eyes. I blink, heart hammering, searching the crowd for the shape behind the voice. For a beat, no one moves—Romani faces flickering between suspicion and relief, Azerbaijani bystanders holding back. Somewhere in the tangle, I know the wolf…
The COMC Files Book V chapter 22
Tehran – Hana Boutique Hotel Real destination next. Mikael’s text is succinct: shaman in Maranjab. Not caravanserai—but past salt lake, dunes eating horizon under star-vault. Tarmo: linen shirt, loose trousers, scarred boots. Downstairs, the Land Cruiser idled, Mikael door-side. Lean man: battered leather jacket, scarf, night-chill doubled. “Reza,” Mikael said. “Ja’far’s pick. Knows desert beyond…
The Memory Cartographer 