by Katie Reus
They’d have to be to do something like this in broad daylight. Andre’s lunch trip had been unplanned. Which meant somehow they’d been watching and waiting for him. Or they had an inside source. Even thinking of the second option made Declan see red. “Where’s Andre now?”
“He’s with the other team.”
“Is there a chance the woman was involved?” He ignored Nika’s inhalation of breath next to him. She’d be starting to figure out part of his conversation by now.
“Anything’s possible but I don’t think so. She was injured, bleeding. She was unconscious but breathing. It sounded like they planned to ransom her or…” He didn’t finish and Declan didn’t need him to.
Alena Brennan was a beautiful woman. These shitheads could have taken her for any number of reasons. Shit, shit, shit.
“Shit boss, I’m fucking sorry.”
“We’ll discuss this later.” He wouldn’t blame two guys for not being able to take on an assault team, but Declan wanted to know why his team hadn’t called him to let him know the change of plans. That was unacceptable protocol and he ran a tighter ship than that. He reined the question in for now. There’d be time enough for that later. “We’re on our way.”
“What the hell is going on? My sister’s gone? Where’s Andre? Is she hurt? Who took her? We need to help her!” She machine-gun fired words at him, her grip on his arm tight and unforgiving as her short nails dug into his skin.
“I need you to be quiet,” he said calmly. “I’m going to find out who took her but I need fucking quiet while I track…” He trailed off as he got to work. He was good at tuning people out and right now he had to ignore her. As he’d been talking to Kevin, he’d retrieved his tablet and had already pulled up his company’s GPS program. Declan logged the location of Kevin’s vehicle. His men were on a deserted stretch of road that ran parallel to I-95. Ethan had been the lead driver. Why the hell had he even gone that way? They’d been sitting ducks. “They’re here.” Declan held out the device for Clay, who simply nodded and took a sharp turn toward the nearest exit.
He started to call the team protecting Andre when a tight grip on his arm stopped him.
“What the hell is going on?” Nika’s voice was softer now, but a raw, thrumming panic threaded through each word. When he faced her, she stared at him without her sunglasses as a barrier. Fear was clear in her startling green eyes, sharp against her caramel skin. Whatever her and her sister’s plan—if they even had one—this hadn’t been part of it. He’d seen enough terror on the battlefield to know that hers was real. She loved her sister and was worried for her. He definitely understood that kind of love and loyalty.
A momentary wrench of compassion squeezed his heart. He had a job to do and comforting her wasn’t part of it. But he covered her hand with his and squeezed. “Someone ambushed the vehicle your sister was in. She was kidnapped but she wasn’t their main target so it’s likely they don’t want to hurt her. They were wearing masks, which is definitely a good sign. It means they want to keep their faces hidden from her because they’re not planning to kill her.” He couldn’t be absolutely sure, but for now he’d lie to Nika. “They said they’d be in touch, which is also a good sign. They’ll likely want to ransom her.” At least he hoped so. “I’m going to do whatever it takes to get her back.”
“You swear?” Her voice cracked, sending an arrow straight through his heart.
“Yeah, I swear.” Somehow he squeezed the words out even as he wrapped an arm around her shaking shoulders. Never make promises you can’t keep, son. That was something his father had taught him years ago. Long before he’d joined The Agency. Emotional entanglements could get him killed. Something he knew, something he lived by. For some reason it was hard to give a shit when he looked into the most beautiful, haunted green eyes he’d ever seen.
God, she felt so fragile in his arms and he hated it. To his surprise she hugged him back, her arms going around him in a tight grip for just a second before she pulled away and straightened. “Please find her.” Her voice cracked again.
“I will.”
Chapter 7
Nika paced along the plush carpet of one of Andre’s guest bedrooms. Oh God, her sister was gone.
Taken.
And they hadn’t called the police. She thought she might understand why but she needed to talk to Declan about that. She scrubbed a hand over her face, hating this feeling of powerlessness. Alena had been taken for who knew what purpose and was out there right now. Her sister had been trained by their uncle but still, she had to be scared. Anything could be happening to her right now.
Iciness flooded through Nika. They needed to find her. Declan had sworn he would.
Then he’d dumped her in this room. She didn’t know who he was exactly, but she knew there was more to him than met the eye. A lot more. It couldn’t be a coincidence that the man haunting her dreams looked exactly like the head of Andre’s Miami security team.
Everything about him was the same, right down to the slightly crooked bottom tooth and the almost invisible scar near his left eye. The man was even better looking in person—in an edgy, rough sort of way—and that in itself was unnerving. Dark hair, espresso colored eyes, pronounced cheekbones, broad jaw, and even broader shoulders.
But his stare. God, his stare was enough to make her nerve endings sizzle with the memory of what he’d done to her with those full lips and strong hands. Their last encounter had been more than intense. An unwanted shiver rolled over her skin. She shouldn’t even be thinking about that when her sister was missing.
Oh God, her sister.
Clasping her hands against her stomach, Nika forced herself to stop pacing and to think. She couldn’t have a breakdown right now. Not when Alena needed her most. It seemed impossible, insane even, that Alena had been kidnapped, but unless her sister had planned another operation without telling her, they had a very serious problem. In her heart, Nika knew her sister would never put her through this torture. Since they were kids Alena had gone out of her way to look out for her. No, this was a real kidnapping.
Well, she wasn’t going to sit here and do nothing. Shrugging out of her leather jacket, she tossed it onto the bed and opened the door. One of the security guys was at one end of the hallway with his back to her.
Luckily for her, the palatial two-story villa would be easy to get lost in. If Andre and his men thought they could keep her cooped up while her sister was fighting for her life, they were out of their minds. She was going to be kept in the loop on everything that happened.
Keeping her eye on the security guard, she rushed to the other end and disappeared around the corner only to find another hallway that looked exactly the same. Oversized gold-framed paintings hung along the walls and a string of dark wood doors lined the corridor.
Last she’d seen, Andre and the head of his security had been downstairs arguing. If she could find out what was going on or something about Andre’s father, now would be the time to do it. For all she knew that bastard Yasha was behind this. Maybe he’d figured out who they were. That seemed like a stretch, but she couldn’t disregard anything at this point.
Her heart pounded against her chest as she tried the first door. It quietly swung open into an obviously unused guest bedroom. The next door opened just as silently but that room wasn’t empty. Oops.
The sexy, powerful looking security guy stood at the end of a large bed, cell phone in hand. When their gazes connected, his dark eyes immediately narrowed. “I’ll call you back,” Declan growled into the phone before touching the screen. “What the hell are you doing?” he demanded.
Nika had learned that sometimes the best thing to do was go on the offensive. “No one’s telling me anything and I want to know where my sister is and what’s being done to find her!” She felt a little crazy yelling, but couldn’t stop herself. She’d shout this whole house down to get answers.
He rubbed a hand over his face and his voice was much softer when he spoke again. “We�
�re doing everything we can to locate her.”
Forcing herself to remain calm, she took a deep breath. “I want to know what’s going on. No one is telling me anything and I’m not going to sit by and do nothing. If you don’t tell me, I’m calling the police. In fact, why haven’t you called the police yet? Or the FBI. Don’t they handle kidnappings?” She wasn’t actually sure what the laws were but on TV that’s usually what happened. And yeah, the fact that she was using television as a guide was ridiculous, but it was all she had at this point.
“We’re not involving the police. The kidnappers have already made contact with strict instructions and I’m going to follow them. I’ve handled this type of situation before. They’re calling back in half an hour with their demands.”
Her heart rate kicked up at the news. “They’ve made contact?” And no one had thought to inform her? “Alena’s okay?”
“Yes, she’s okay.” Sighing, he walked past her and shut the door. “Sit.”
“What?” She edged away from him, trying to avoid any contact. Being this close to him she felt exposed, both emotionally and physically. Even though it had only been in her dreams, the man had touched and kissed every inch of her. And she’d freely let him. Maybe she should feel shame, but the only shame she experienced was that she was even thinking about it while her sister was possibly hurt somewhere.
He pointed toward the bed. “Sit and listen. Please.”
The please surprised her so she did as he instructed. Sinking onto the gold duvet, she wrapped her arms around herself and stared at him. “Well?”
“I’m only going to ask this once. Are you or your sister involved in this in any way?”
Anger punched through her like a physical blow. Her hands balled into fists, but she answered, understanding that he probably needed to ask for protocol. “No.”
“I had to ask. I’m sorry.” He didn’t sound the least bit apologetic. He glanced at his watch, then back up at her. His dark eyes locked with hers, silently probing. “I’m meeting my team downstairs in less than a minute so listen carefully. We are not contacting the authorities in any capacity. If you do, you’ll be putting your sister in danger. I’m a trained negotiator and two of my men are former members of the FBI’s HRT. Ah, Hostage Rescue Team. Like I told you earlier, the men who took your sister wore masks, which likely means they don’t plan to kill her. They wouldn’t have bothered hiding their faces otherwise. As soon as they make contact again, we’re going to start the negotiating phase. From this point forward, it’s all about who has the most bargaining power. If I let you listen in on their call, do you promise to keep quiet?”
“Yes.” She knew if she didn’t, he’d kick her out and probably lock her in a room somewhere. She hated feeling helpless and wanted to be kept part of this as much as he’d let her. Unfortunately she realized he held all the power right now.
Something unreadable flashed in his dark eyes, but just as quickly, it was gone. “I need to make a private call. It’s why I’m up here in the first place. Wait in the hall for me and I’ll escort you downstairs in a moment.”
Wordlessly she nodded and headed for the door. Even though his demeanor was rough and abrupt and more than a little rude, his deep voice had a strange soothing effect on her. After the door shut behind her, she sagged against the wall and closed her eyes. The man seemed so certain that the men who’d taken her sister wouldn’t harm her. But he couldn’t know that for sure.
* * *
Declan pulled out his cell phone and called Vernon Nash again. It went straight to voicemail.
Again.
He’d been calling non-stop since they’d arrived at Andre’s villa and the FBI director hadn’t picked up once. If this had been part of Vernon’s plan, there was going to be hell to pay.
Frowning at the lack of response from the man, Declan slipped his phone into his pants pocket and opened his bedroom door. Her eyes widened with a fraction of hope when she saw him, as if she thought he’d learned something in the last sixty seconds. But she didn’t say anything, just watched him carefully. She was skittish, but all his instincts told him she had no knowledge of her sister’s kidnapping.
Still, she might have an ulterior motive for being here and the fact that he’d caught her sneaking into his room didn’t look good. Until he could prove it, however, she was simply a concerned family member and he was going to operate under that assumption. And for all he knew, she remembered those damn dreams and she was wary of him. Or worse, afraid. He frowned at that thought.
“Do you have an idea who might have done this?” she asked as they headed for the stairs.
“Not yet.” But he was damn sure going to find out.
“Andre has to have a lot of enemies. Don’t you have any hunches or leads?”
“Until we start any sort of dialogue, I know as much as you do. We’ll get your sister back.” God, he hoped that was true. He placed a hand at the small of her back as they walked. It was stupid to touch her, but he didn’t remove his hand. Touching her felt instinctive and natural and if he was honest, he liked it a little too much. He needed to protect this woman on a primal level.
Nika bit her bottom lip as he held open the door to Andre’s office. He tried to ignore how vulnerable and tired she looked, but it was damn near impossible to push back the unwanted protective urges she brought out in him.
The two desks had been pushed together and they’d brought in another table to complete the triangle. Their laptops and tracking system had been set up. Now all they needed was for the kidnappers to make contact. If they’d waited for the Feds to get involved it would have taken too long and in his experience, Alena had a better chance of surviving without their involvement. No fucking politics or anything else getting in the way.
“Why don’t you sit here?” Gently taking Nika’s elbow—and trying to ignore the heat in his abdomen—Declan guided her to an unoccupied chaise lounge by one of the windows.
Andre was clearly surprised by Nika’s presence, but didn’t protest it so Declan assumed the man was fine with her here.
Wordlessly she did as he asked, but the fear shining in her eyes was bright. Even though what they’d shared was only in their dreams, he had an undeniable yet primitive urge to take her in his arms and comfort her. All his instincts told him not to trust her but he still couldn’t shake that protective feeling.
“It’s going to be okay. I promise.” The second the words were out of his mouth, he wanted to take them back, but it was too late. He needed to stop with the fucking promises. If he couldn’t keep them… The thought made him want to rip his heart out.
Surprise flared in her eyes, but it was obviously what she needed to hear. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Forcing his legs to move, he joined Andre by one of the desks.
“How’s Nika holding up?” Andre asked low enough for his ears only.
“She’s genuinely scared. I could be wrong, but she’s not involved in this.”
Andre scrubbed a hand over his face. “I can’t imagine either one of them being involved. It doesn’t fit with their financial or personal profile.”
Declan nodded in agreement. When the phone rang, he put in his ear piece and glanced back at Nika. He placed his forefinger over his mouth and she nodded. The last thing he needed was her going irate or saying anything at all.
“This is it guys.” He answered on the third ring. “Andre Makarov’s residence.”
A mechanical voice came over the line. “Who is this?”
“My name is Declan Gallagher. I’ve been hired by Mr. Makarov to negotiate.”
“I said no police.”
“I’m not the authorities. I own Gallagher Security. We’re a private firm with no ties to local law enforcement. You must know who I am since you took Alena Brennan from my guys.” Something he was beyond pissed about. He should have been there with her and Andre. And his guys should have known better than to take the route they had. It didn’t make sense. Right now he cou
ldn’t question the lead driver since he was in the damn hospital.
A slight pause followed. “Our demands are simple. We want twenty million dollars. Half in bonds, the other in small, unmarked bills. Mr. Makarov has twenty-four hours to get the money.”
Declan glanced at Andre, but his expression was neutral. He was remaining quiet as they’d discussed. “You want twenty million for a woman he’s dating? A woman you obviously kidnapped by mistake?”
“Unless Mr. Makarov wants her murdered like his late wife, he’ll have the money. Tell him to check his personal email. Twenty-four hours, not a second more. I’ll be in touch the same time tomorrow.”
“We need proof of life—”
The phone disconnected before Declan could finish. “Damn it…Did we get a trace?”
Odell Dunn, a genius with computers, shook his head. “Sorry boss. He or they have some serious encryption. I thought I was getting close, but…you don’t care about the details. I wasn’t able to trace it. I’m going to see what I can do with the number, see if I can locate it now and find out who it belongs to, but if I’m guessing, he’ll take the battery out immediately and guaranteed it’s a burner.”
Declan gritted his teeth, but nodded. He’d expected as much. Now he focused on Andre, whose face was pale, but the man looked pissed. “You need to pull up your email, Andre.”
Odell moved from his seat and let the man sit. Declan looked away as Andre typed in his password. There was one new message from a sender called Mr. X.
Real clever.
“There’s an attachment,” Andre said quietly, as he clicked on it.
Declan’s gut twisted as he imagined what they could have sent. The fact that the man had mentioned Andre’s dead wife might signify that this was personal. At least on some level. It also meant they’d done their homework. It wouldn’t be hard to find out his wife was dead, but not many people other than immediate family knew the circumstances surrounding her murder. They’d kept it very private. Declan knew because he’d made it his business to know.
