by Rachel Dylan
Kip couldn’t believe it. Had Agent Maynard brought Artur with him? “Why did you bring him?”
“He says he wants to help. He also has some information you’re going to want to hear. I can’t discuss it over this line.”
“Understood. We’re using a cabin of one of the local police officers as our operating base. I’ll text you the address.”
Loud barking caught Kip’s attention. He hung up on Agent Maynard and saw Zoe pawing at the back door.
Barry ran toward the door. “Zoe,” he yelled as he opened the door. The dog limped into the room and nuzzled Barry’s hand before lying down at his feet. Barry looked close to tears. Had Zoe left Sadie, or had they been forced apart? Kip got a sick feeling in his stomach and prayed for Sadie’s safety. Barry had said that once he gave the guard command that Zoe would never leave Sadie voluntarily. He believed in his dog, and Kip really had no reason to doubt him.
“How’s she look?” Kip asked, crouching down near Zoe.
“A little banged up. But seems she will be walking just fine after a little rest. I think she’s just dehydrated and has muscle fatigue. I’ll clean her up and check for any other injuries.”
“I’ll help.” Kip needed something to take his mind off the endless waiting. Everyone was in plan-of-attack mode. Not attack mode. Kip just wanted to get out there again and keep looking for Sadie. But the clues were limited at best. And the woods were beyond expansive. No one really knew what Igor’s endgame was. Except that it was most likely deadly.
After he’d assisted in cleaning up Zoe and helping check her out, he felt pretty sure that she would be fine. Brad walked over to him. “Can we talk?” he asked in a low tone.
Kip nodded. They walked into one of the guest rooms.
“I’ve got a lot to say to you. I know this isn’t the time. But given the circumstances maybe it is.” Brad closed his eyes for a second and then opened them back up making direct eye contact.
“I love Lacy. I’m not going to apologize for that. And I love my baby. But what I did to you was wrong. Absolutely one-hundred percent. I take the blame. It wasn’t her fault. It was all mine.”
Kip shook his head. “It takes two,” Kip said softly.
“But I was the man. I was the one to pursue. You should know that I’ve changed a lot about my life. I’ve found Christ. I started going to church, and I asked God to forgive me. I know you’ll probably never forgive me. But I do ask for your forgiveness. You’re a better man than I’ll ever be.”
As he looked into Brad’s dark eyes and saw the pain, he was moved. Because his own pain and concern for Sadie was so great. “I’ll do my best. Thanks for coming out here to help.”
“It was the least I could do.” He paused. “But there’s one more thing that I have to get off my chest. It’s been eating at me. No matter how much I pray—I can’t shake it. The guilt is bad, Kip. It’s never ending.” He hung his head low. “You were right. About the village operation in Iraq. We should’ve done something to stop that massacre. I made the wrong call. I was weak. And afraid. I’ve never thought of myself as a weak man. I’ve always prided myself on being tough and macho. But that tour in Iraq, when I had to see the devastation and know that we could’ve at least done something to make it better—if we’d all committed to it and gone in—I don’t know that I will ever get over it. But I wanted to make sure that you knew that I take the responsibility for that. You fought for us to go in. So much so that you made some enemies on the team. You were in the right. And if I could do everything over, I would’ve listened to you.”
Kip’s heart broke listening to Brad’s normally strong voice shaking. Tears welled up in Brad’s eyes. Kip wanted to harbor anger and resentment. But at that moment he simply couldn’t. This man was hurting just like he was. Yeah, he’d done wrong by him with Lacy. No doubt. The look on Brad’s face while talking about the operation in Iraq hit him hard. Brad hadn’t forgotten and moved on. Just like him, Brad was carrying around a boatload of guilt. And most importantly, Brad had found Christ.
“Brad, we all have to carry the burden of what happened there. It’s not just on you,” Kip said.
“But it should be,” he whispered.
“No. We went in there as a team. We left as a team. And we shoulder responsibility as a team.”
“I appreciate you saying that.”
“I mean it. And you’re right. It’s been hard to forgive you. Almost impossible, but I’m trying. You see, I’ve moved on. I love another woman now. And that’s what I want to focus on. I just want to find Sadie.”
“We’ll do everything we can.” Brad gave Kip a bear hug and patted him on the back.
They heard Zoe barking. “That must be Agent Maynard and Artur. This should be interesting.”
* * *
Sadie woke up, and her mouth was dry. Her head was throbbing, and her left eye was swollen shut. She almost wished she’d stayed unconscious longer. The pain was horrendous. Cautiously, she looked around and didn’t see Igor. He was probably out there somewhere planning his next move. He wanted Kip to pay with his life. This was all her fault. She’d put Kip in grave danger.
She closed her eyes and wondered how this had all happened. It was bad enough that she already had a second identity. To now hear that she was also someone else entirely shook her to the core. And her mother! An FBI agent having a relationship with Sergei Vladimir. Had her mother loved Sergei? Had her mother loved the man Sadie had thought was her biological father?
She sighed knowing that she’d probably never know the full truth of what happened. She racked her brain to remember details about her mother. She had fond memories of her. Thinking back to her mom reading to her at the library. Though she wasn’t a librarian, but an FBI agent. At least according to Igor. Why would he make up a story like that? She couldn’t help but feel a moment of anger toward her mother. Her job had gotten both her parents killed. And she could’ve been killed too.
Everything made sense now, though. Why the FBI was so involved in her case. The FBI agent she blamed all these years was probably perfectly innocent. It was her mother who had put her entire family in danger. She’d made so many faulty assumptions about the FBI, about her father—and obviously now about her mother. She’d painted her mother as an innocent bystander for the last twenty years. Knowing the truth was difficult but also liberating. She’d wanted answers, and now she had them.
She also had to face the very real possibility that Igor could succeed in his murderous plot. She prayed that God would keep her and Kip safe. If it was her time, she would be okay with that. But she couldn’t let Kip pay the price for her desire for revenge.
Igor—her half brother. The implication of that was mind-boggling. Sergei Vladimir was her biological father. She took in a breath just thinking about it. Did her adoptive parents know? The FBI probably kept it from them, too.
She felt incredibly woozy. The sharp cutting pain in her head was too much. She had to close her eyes. Even though she knew she probably shouldn’t if she had a concussion. But the pain took over.
* * *
Kip eyed Agent Maynard and Artur with skepticism. Now standing under the cabin lights, he got his first good look at the pair. Agent Maynard was tall with shaggy dark hair and a full beard. He didn’t look like a typical suit. The DEA types often went undercover, and his look was consistent with that. Kip was struck again by how different Artur looked from his brother Igor.
After everyone made introductions, the men gathered around the dining room table, pulling up extra chairs. Barry passed around the coffeepot, and everyone filled up their cups. It was going to be a long day ahead. Zoe had taken a real liking to him, and she’d curled up right by his feet. The poor dog was exhausted after her trauma in the woods.
“Before we jump into our search efforts, Artur has something to explain. We should all be aware of these additional
facts because I’m sure they impact Igor’s strategy and plans.”
Kip’s gut clenched in worry. What could Artur know? He felt as if he wasn’t going to like it. He braced himself for the worst.
“There’s no easy way to explain this,” Artur said. “So, I’ll just say it. Sadie is my half sister.”
“What?” Kip heard himself ask loudly.
Artur nodded. “It is true. Sadie’s mother worked for the FBI. But she developed a personal relationship with my father. That’s when she became pregnant with Sadie. But instead of staying with my father, she ended up leaving him and marrying Sadie’s father. Years later, though, after she gained more experience with the FBI, Sadie’s mother gave our father an ultimatum—turn himself in to the FBI or she would do it. Igor found out about this. He saw Sadie’s mother as a traitor—not just to our father but to our whole family. So he killed both Sadie’s mother and her father that night. That’s when Igor found out from Sadie’s mom that eight-year-old Sadie was actually Sergei’s child. Igor spared her life. But after everything that has happened, I am certain he will try to kill her now.”
Kip couldn’t stay seated. He stood up and started pacing back and forth behind the dining room table, furiously trying to make sense of everything he was hearing. Zoe started whining down by his legs. He kneeled, soothing Zoe by saying, “It’s okay, girl.” But the words he said were a lie. He didn’t believe them one bit. Zoe cocked her head to the side as if she were able to read his mind.
“Everyone needs to stay calm,” Agent Maynard said. “This is valuable information. And Igor probably doesn’t realize that we know this. We can use that to our advantage. Based on this set of facts, I agree that Sadie is in grave danger.”
Kip returned to the table and took a seat. “What are we going to do about it? We are running out of time. He may have already killed her.” His voice was strained. He was thinking with his heart right now, not his head.
Brad stood up. “We should expand our quadrant search. Break into teams and search this mountain piece by piece.”
“And what if he’s taken her somewhere else?”
“Then we’ll hear about it. Because if his goal was just to kill her, he could do that here on the mountain. If he moves her, that means he’s looking for something else.”
Kip was grateful that Brad was thinking clearly. “Brad’s right. Let’s break into teams and start searching. We need to use every ounce of daylight we have. Any updates on Val from the hospital?”
“She’s in surgery. It’s touch and go,” Barry said. “He really did a number on her. And no one has been able to make contact with Jay. We can only assume that Igor or his men got to him.”
The men broke into two-man teams—except that Kip insisted on Zoe going with him as his partner. Zoe was used to working with different handlers because she was often used as a training dog. They were well stocked on high-tech equipment; Kip had his top-of-the-line GPS with him. But he felt that Zoe might be his best asset. She might be able to track Sadie’s scent.
“Everyone has their cell phone. Let’s stay in touch. Check in every hour, on the hour, with home base. Barry will stay here at the cabin with Artur in case there are any developments,” Agent Maynard said. “Understand?”
Everyone knew what they had to do. Kip was ready. He had his search grid, but he would deviate if Zoe gave him any indication that she was on to something. He checked his watch. Seven a.m. A full day ahead as the sun peaked through the clouds. If they didn’t find her today, he was worried they never would. At least not alive. He didn’t know where that feeling was coming from, but he couldn’t deny it. He prayed that she was hunkered down somewhere. Safe. And waiting for rescue. He knew that wasn’t the most likely option.
Pulling on his backpack of supplies, he was ready to move. He had plenty of water for him and Zoe, plus food for them both. “Okay, Zoe. Find Sadie,” he said. Dear Lord, I know I’ve turned away from You for far too long. Sadie helped show me the way back to You. Now I need You to help me find my way to her. Please keep her safe from harm.
Zoe took off, and he was right behind. He gave her enough room to work, but kept her in his sights. After a couple of hours, his frustration was mounting. He felt like Zoe was starting to wander in circles. He was about to take over and have her follow him, when Zoe stopped. She just sat there sniffing into the air. Given her top physical condition, he didn’t think she was too tired.
“What is it, girl?”
Then she sprinted away—as if she was on a mission of her very own. There was no way she was getting away from him. He ran as fast as he could to close the gap. Then he saw what Zoe was running toward. A small cabin!
Could Sadie be in there? Was this what he’d been praying for? Knowing he couldn’t get emotional, he called Zoe back with as light of a voice as he could. They couldn’t just run in there and bust the door down—as much as he wanted to. This may be their only shot. He pulled out his phone and started to text the coordinates to the team.
“I’d put that down if you ever want to see Sadie alive again, Agent Moore.”
Igor. He’d know that voice anywhere. Slowly, he turned and saw the monster staring at him with a wide, sinister grin and a gun pointed at his chest.
“I knew you’d come for her,” he said while looking at Zoe, then turned his attention back to Kip. “I thought it was a nice touch sending the dog back. She led you to me. I thought you’d stick close to the dog because you knew that would be your best hope of tracking Sadie.”
“Igor, it’s over. We’ve got an entire team of federal agents swarming this mountain. Turn yourself in now. Before it’s too late.”
Igor laughed loudly.
“How did you find Sadie here?”
“You’re in no position to be asking questions. It’s irrelevant to your current predicament. Although Sadie’s agent did refuse to give up her location. I was impressed by that. The fool made the mistake of bringing his sister here—thinking she could protect Sadie if he couldn’t. That didn’t turn out too well for them did it? How is she doing by the way? Did she end up like her brother? He had a pretty nasty gunshot wound. Will either of them even survive?”
“You really are pure evil.” Igor disgusted him. How could he rationalize with a person who had no conscience and absolutely no moral compass?
“I take that as a compliment.” Igor paused and bobbed his gun up and down. “I said, drop the phone.”
He knew he had no choice. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zoe backing away. Dear God, please don’t let him hurt the innocent dog. Zoe looked over at Kip, and he nodded. Saying another prayer. “Go, Zoe, Go!” Zoe sprinted away from them back into the woods. Igor had to make the choice. Take his gun off of Kip to shoot at Zoe, or keep his gun on Kip. Kip knew exactly what he would have to do. Igor couldn’t risk Kip getting to his weapon.
Igor cursed. “They will never find us in time. So it won’t matter if she leads anyone back here. Now slowly remove your gun and place it on the ground.”
Kip needed to buy every second he could. While Igor might not think Zoe could lead help back in time, he had faith in her. Especially if she ran into any of the other teams on the way.
“What’s your real goal here, Igor?”
“Enough stalling. Put the gun down. Now.”
Kip didn’t want to push Igor too hard, but he felt he had some leverage. Igor obviously didn’t want to kill him this second. He could’ve done that by now. He feared that Igor had a plan involving both him and Sadie. He had to stop him before he could hurt her.
“Where’s Sadie?”
“Are you trying to get shot?” Igor asked.
“Not particularly. I’ve been shot before. It’s not the greatest feeling.”
Igor’s nose flared in anger. “Now!” he yelled.
Kip slowly reached for his gun.
He pulled it from his holster and then knelt down to the ground placing it there.
“Let’s move inside.”
Igor pointed the gun at him, and Kip started walking. He was afraid of what he was going to see behind that door.
They walked up the steps, and Igor pushed the gun into his back. “Open the door slowly,” he instructed.
He did as he was told and took a cautious step through the front door. Then his heart dropped. In the tiny living room sat Sadie. Tied to a chair and handcuffed. She was badly beaten. One of her eyes was black and swollen, and there was blood all over her face. Her eye widened when she saw him, but she didn’t speak.
He wanted to kill Igor right then with his bare hands. He would’ve risked it if it was just his own life. But he couldn’t take the chance that Sadie would get shot in the process.
“We have a little reunion of sorts.” Igor tipped his head to the side. He pulled another chair from across the room and placed it directly across from Sadie. “See, Sadie’s going to watch as I make you pay. Then I’ll deal with her long after you’re dead.”
This was even worse than he’d feared. He had to find a way to stall. Seconds could be lifesaving. God, please let Zoe lead help here before it’s too late. His heart broke into a million pieces as he looked at Sadie. She was trying to keep it together, but he could tell she was in great distress. He had to do something.
“Igor, don’t be so melodramatic.”
Igor raised an eyebrow at him.
“You really think Sadie cares about me? She just used me to get to you. I know that now. Why would I care what happens to her?” He prayed that Sadie knew he was just putting on an act.
“And you expect me to believe that? If you didn’t care for her then why would you have come after her?”
Kip laughed. “I wasn’t coming after her, Igor. I was coming after you.” Kip could see the wheels churning in Igor’s brain. He’d at least put a shred of doubt into his mind. “You’re a wanted man. By multiple government agencies. I plan to bring you in. I’m going to take the credit for this bust. It will be the biggest of my career.”
