“It was her time.” Alex turned to Locke, a solemn pledge in his voice. “I’ll do whatever you need. My mother would have been my only hesitation, and now she’s with my father.”
“Okay,” Locke said quietly. Before the phone call, he honestly couldn’t tell what the man would do. Now, he could see Alex disappearing into an alias with his woman and child. He had no reason to say no. Locke turned to Cassidy. “Where’s the other lady I saw you with?”
Taisia cut in. “Victoria. We have to make sure she gets help.”
“Did you start already?” Alex asked, nervous energy suddenly changing his move.
“Yes.”
“Taisia!”
“They are hidden. Safe.” She scowled. “I told you not to come. It’s an unexpected distraction.”
Locke didn’t need them fighting as he accounted for the many variables and inability to notify Delta. “They’re not on-site, then?”
“What were you going to do with them?” Alex said.
“I hadn’t figured that out yet. But Victoria…” Taisia cringed. “And then she was the first one they were removing off the property. I couldn’t do that anymore!”
“All right. Stop,” Locke said. Eventually, someone in the Mikhailov empire would realize that they were missing a bunch of girls. “We need to get you guys safe. The place with the fewest number of guards would be where?”
“My house,” Taisia said.
“Let’s go.”
“That connects to where the other girls are too.”
“Even better,” Locke said. “Not a lot of time. Let’s go.”
“Da.” Taisia led their group, hand in hand with Alex. The long, dark hallways opened to ones that Locke assumed were for people who weren’t trafficked and servants. Though bright, it held a chill that matched the mood of the mansion.
There was so much wealth. Beautiful drapes. Thick carpets. Things that he would never think about buying. Hell… Locke glanced at walls as they rushed past. The wallpaper and upholstery glinted as though gold had been woven into the fabric. He couldn’t wrap his mind around any of it—women as things to buy, sell, and trade, or décor fabrics made from gold.
The back of Cassidy’s hand grazed his, and Locke reached for it, threading his fingers with her much smaller, softer ones as they rounded a corner. He gave a squeeze, and she leaned closer as they silently trailed behind the odd couple in front of them.
“Where’s Jax?” she asked.
“Likely terrorizing the Mikhailov assholes who think he’s big money. They have to be nice to him.”
Her fingers tightened on his as she laughed. There was something comforting in holding Cassidy’s hand. His thumb dragged over her knuckles, his pad rough and scraped from a lifetime of living and working. He glanced down, and the only thing that came to mind was, Damn, that is my woman.
“Where’s Delta?” Cassidy asked, picking up the skirt as they moved down a staircase.
“No fucking clue.” By his estimation, Delta should have rolled through the door about fifteen minutes earlier. But since the moment they went back into the Mikhailov compound, he and Jax were blind on updates.
“Through here.” Taisia opened an exterior door that spilled onto a sidewalk and driveway as a large SUV with tinted windows rolled up.
Locke’s gut churned. That wasn’t Delta. Fucking hell. Was it Ivan?
He squinted into the daylight, and his chest tightened at the sight of a child jumping out under the protective shepherding of a bodyguard and nanny. Alex staggered to a standstill as the vehicle’s occupants noticed them.
“Mama!” The girl broke free of her gaggle, skipping forward to her mother.
The resemblance to Alex was uncanny. A cold shiver traveled down Locke’s back as Cassidy squeezed his hand. Taisia waved the group away, saying something in Russian that Locke assumed gave the others permission to head inside.
After a wayward glance from the guard, they listened, and everyone shivered as the girl bundled in a coat ran forward. Locke pulled Cassidy close, tucking her under his arm.
Taisia hugged her daughter, exchanging a brief greeting, as Alex put his hand on the mother’s back, then they rushed inside out of the cold. Locke stepped through the threshold, and just like the other mansion, the awesomeness and vastness was incredible.
“Welcome to my house,” Taisia said, holding the girl’s hand as Alex unabashedly gawked at his daughter.
Taisia’s house was more like a home than the other one. It was still a mansion, still ornate and regal, expensive and expansive, but was smaller than where they just came from. There were pictures on bureaus and portraits lining the walls. The drapes were drawn, and the house had a feeling that someone lived in it, even if it was heavily armed and guarded.
That was not the most remarkable thing, though. Alex emanated a depth of emotion that Locke couldn’t grasp as he watched the girl with a ponytail shuck off her coat. The moment seemed entirely too private to participate in, and even though Locke knew Delta was coming and there was so much to discuss with Alex, he wanted to give the man his time.
Even standing in the hall was intrusive. Locke dropped his gaze to Cassidy and saw that they were on the same page as they inched into the corner. The man was united with his woman and child. Locke wanted that—not the loss and recovery of someone he loved, but that joy. Wow…
The guard who’d arrived with the child walked into the foyer and paused, speaking with Taisia, and then he left.
“Everything okay?” Locke asked.
“My father is home now.” Taisia squared her shoulders. “I hope that what you said earlier is true. He”—she motioned to the man who left—“was called to meet with the others. I suspect, to discuss Alex’s arrival. And soon?” She shrugged. “Sooner or later, someone will find the girls are not there.”
Locke was blown away by the strength in her voice. “You’re not worried?”
She gave a flat smile. “Terrified. But it’s been set in motion. It will work out.”
Then her face brightened, and Locke couldn’t believe her faux grin and bright eyes as she squatted to eye level with the girl. Taisia had likely changed subjects. She had more important things to talk about than her father, and maybe that kind of abrupt change was something she was used to, living in that family.
The intimate conversation between mother and daughter was too much to watch, yet Locke couldn’t tear his eyes away.
Cassidy stepped in front of him, interrupting his trance. Locke pulled her to his chest, and they huddled in the corner. Her chin rested on his sternum, and staring down, he couldn’t help but think of her and the future. “Hey, Beauty.”
Cassidy’s dark-red hair was styled but falling loose, and her painted lips were foreign. But she whispered, “I missed you.”
Everything about her was his. Locke palmed her cheek, sweeping over the red rouge that marred her fair skin. “You have no idea how much.”
Taisia interrupted. “We should move someplace farther into the house.”
Locke’s head shot up. He’d been lost in Cassidy. Taisia’s eyelashes were tear-dampened, and she wore a smile that looked like it hadn’t seen real happiness in years. “Sure,” he said.
Alex put his hand on Taisia’s shoulder. “Then we will confirm everything you discussed before. You can have anything you need from me.”
Locke nodded—
The womp-womp-womp of a helicopter sounded as though it was right outside the house. Both Taisia and Cassidy turned toward the door.
“Time to move boots,” Locke said.
Delta had arrived.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Taisia and Alex’s daughter rushed around Locke and moved to a window, pulling the drapes back.
“Who is here?” the little girl asked, giddy with excitement as though a new friend might arrive.
Locke had to temper his reality with hers. She likely had helicopters arriving on a regular basis—doting billionaire guests with their gifts and
entertainment. The Mikhailovs probably used choppers the way Locke used a taxi. “Back away from the window, sweetheart.”
Taisia called her daughter too, and Locke turned to the mother. “Where can I get my hands on a weapon? And are you sure there are no other guards in the house?”
“There aren’t. This way.” Taisia took the little girl’s hand, and they moved up a grand marble staircase.
At the top of the landing, the hallway became expansive. Taisia pulled a set of keys from her skirt pocket, moving to a nearby door, and unlocked it. “Weapons.”
As she sidestepped, Locke clearly saw this was the bodyguard stash. He stepped in and grabbed two handguns, checked that they were already loaded, and found a tactical knife. He tucked the guns into his pants and secured the knife in his boot.
There were no protective vests that he could use for the group’s safety, and he didn’t feel as though he should hand a weapon over to anyone else at the moment. “You know how to fire a gun?” he asked the adults, and the curious child wandered away, unimpressed. What a crazy life that kid must have.
None said yes, and truthfully, that eased his mind somewhat. Alex and Taisia… he didn’t trust them one hundred percent. “Ready? Where are the women?” he asked.
The girl gasped and shrank back. Fear shook in her eyes, but her mother reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her close. “It’s okay. He is one of the people I told you could help.”
“Oh… oh.” The girl smiled hesitantly. “We hid them. We made the tunnel, and we hid them.”
Locke held out his fist, and she hopped forward, bumping hers to his. “You did a really good thing.” Cute kid. Badass too. But little badasses didn’t need to play in this kind of melee. Was there a chance the guard could find them? He glanced to Taisia. “Can you access where the women are hidden from both houses?”
“Yes, there are old passageways.”
He needed to check on them, make sure that Mikhailov guards weren’t using them as human shields or hostages. “Let’s go.” But again, he remembered the kid. “Do you have a safe room?”
Working with oligarchs and the megarich wasn’t his background, and Locke was pulling a safe-room reference straight from the movies. But it made sense, and the last thing he wanted to do was put their daughter anywhere near a danger zone.
“Yes,” Taisia said hesitantly.
Her body language was all over the place, and Locke realized that she’d been put in the position of choosing between leading him to the women and staying with her daughter.
“Taisia.” Locke stepped forward. “I don’t pretend to understand how you grew up or the threats you have lived with. But I trust Cassidy, and you trust Alex. They will be with your daughter in the safest place possible.”
Taisia blinked rapidly and didn’t speak, worry pinking her cheeks.
Locke tried again. “We don’t know what we’re going to find. I know you’ve been protecting your daughter since the day she was born. You’ve probably been by her side every moment. But this is the time Alex can be there for his daughter, and you need to come with me.”
Alex put his arm around Taisia’s shoulder, and she let out a breath that seemed to deflate her. “Yes, yes. We go this way first.”
Locke let out a breath. He wasn’t sure Taisia would agree.
She pivoted, changing the direction. “I will put you in, and then only you can get out from the inside.”
Cassidy grabbed Locke’s hand as they followed the family. He wanted her in there also, and he realized, as they moved through the expansive mansion, that Cassidy wouldn’t love the idea of the separation either.
They came to a large portrait and curio cabinet. Taisia easily moved it with the slide of a lever. A light came on automatically as the heavy door slid. She wrapped her daughter in a hug, whispering in her ear, and then sent her to follow Alex.
“I suppose this is a pit stop for me too.” Cassidy curled to his side, and he held her waist.
“It’d ease my mind.” Even in that silly dress, she still felt like his.
Her lips tightened, but she kept all protests to herself as though she knew he had no time.
“You mean the world to me.”
“That’s what I was going to say,” she said.
“No, it’s not.” Locke winked. “More like ‘I’m coming too.’”
“Fine.” Cassidy gazed to the side. “How about both? You mean the world to me, and I could come with…”
“Or you can stay in the safest place for you. Do this for me so I can work. Okay?” He kissed her forehead and then kissed her lips. Tearing himself away from Cassidy made his arms ache, but knowing that she was behind a door that was virtually indestructible soothed that hurt away. “In you go.”
“When I come out, I’d like a hot shower and new clothes,” Cassidy said. “And maybe a pizza.”
“Whatever you want, Beauty. But it’s time to rock and roll. Okay?”
“Okay,” Cassidy said, backing into the safe room.
“I’ll be back shortly,” Taisia added, blowing one last kiss to her family.
“See you.” He gave a quick wave, and his heart pounded. Damn. He was leaving her alone. Again.
Taisia showed them how to engage the door then stepped back to the hall as the steel frame shut. “My daughter is always by my side. Always. Whether she should have been or not.”
Locke wished there were some comfort to give her other than the truth, but there wasn’t. The truth would have to do. “Then you’ve already started giving her a better place in life.”
“And that’s what every mother dreams of,” Taisia said as she hurried away.
They came to a dead end in the hallway, and there was a door that blended in with the wall. He wouldn’t have noticed it if she hadn’t stopped.
Again, she took out her keys, and again, they slipped behind the hallway, much as they’d done in the main mansion. This one was smaller but just as dark, and the halls they went through seemed like servant passages. They descended to the first floor and then below that. The basement level was cold and dank. Somewhere along their trip, the hallway had changed. What was obviously used on a regular basis became cobweb covered.
“Does this path connect to your father’s house?” he asked.
“It does. But it’s abandoned. There’s another one still in use, but this one, not in ages.”
Locke stepped over a barrier that looked as though it had been recently hacked apart.
“Psss,” hissed someone quietly in front of them.
Taisia held out her hand for him to stop in the passageway. It had widened, but there was so little light by that point. The last of the sparsely hung, rudimentary lightbulbs had ended two-dozen feet back and—another face appeared next to Taisia. One of the women?
Locke’s eyes had barely adjusted to the new darkness. “I have a flashlight on my phone. I’m turning it on.”
He swiped the app and turned on the flashlight. The bright light didn’t go far enough but did its job and illuminated the woman’s face. She was the same one who had stood next to Cassidy upstairs and then disappeared.
“Hey.” Shifting the flashlight over her shoulder, Locke saw women sitting on the floor, lined up one next to the other, at least a dozen deep.
How long they had been there in the dark and cold? They had what looked like thin blankets but no access to food, water, or a bathroom. Damn. But now he’d make sure they were safe—
His skin prickled. Echoes of male voices slid from the far side of the passageway. Gasps fell from the line of women on the floor.
Fucking hell. “Easy, no worries.”
But he had a few concerns, and all ranged from not good to screwed. That was not how Delta would sound. Mikhailov might be trying to find an escape route. Whether they were aware of the missing women or not didn’t matter so much. What mattered more was how many of them were there and if they were out of bullets.
Locke killed the flashlight and put his hand on Tais
ia’s shoulder. “Who knows about this exit? How easy is it to find?”
“The old guards,” she whispered. “The ones that have worked with the family for years. Maybe their sons who were told about them by their fathers. That’s how I knew. My mother told me. And they’re not hard to find. If you can access the servants’ passages, you can access these.”
Not exactly what he wanted to hear.
Behind him, Locke heard a noise. He pivoted, his ear straining to make out what it was while still keeping tabs on the drifting Russians echoing on the other side. “How bad of a rat problem do you have down here?”
The woman from earlier touched his shoulder. “Not bad enough to have caused that sound.”
It was the first time he’d heard her speak. Interesting, an American.
The not-a-rat noise sounded down the halls, but not much closer. Was that Delta?
“That sounds like a person,” the other woman whispered.
The idea that another person was creeping behind them while others were pressing forward… fuck.
“Do you have a plan?” the American asked.
He didn’t, really. He couldn’t see anything and, strategically, didn’t have enough cover. His current plan was to take out whoever was quietly making noise and hope that the escaping bodyguards would choose a different hallway that ran straight into a flock of Delta. That was the plan at the moment. All in all, Locke deemed it a shitty plan.
“Are you armed?” she asked.
Who was this lady? He turned to her. “Are you?”
“No,” she hissed. “But it would be a lot better if I was. Because you could take the forward approach, and I could take whoever’s behind us and flank—”
He tried to figure out who she was. “I’m sorry, do you have some kind of background where you would feel comfortable doing this?”
Russian bounced off the walls, and he couldn’t tell how close they were. Dread curled in Locke’s stomach because they were closing in.
“Something like that, yeah. You don’t happen to have an extra gun on you, do you?”
Locke and Key (Titan Book 12) Page 28
