“Looks like I have seven hours to work with.”
“And her town is—”
“About thirty minutes outside of Stockholm.” I finished his sentence. “But my intel guy suggests a different route into Solsidan other than the most direct route from Stockholm. He said Solsidan is rural and only has a few hundred people there. They’re closely knit. He’s suggesting the longer route into town so the rental car isn’t easily remembered by people who travel the road between Stockholm and Solsidan.”
“That makes sense. How long is the longer route?”
“Could take hours with the lakes and bridges.”
“Great.”
“I take the longer route in and then the most direct route out back to Stockholm.”
“Okay, I like that plan. What else has your intel guy in the region come up with?”
“Since learning of this trip a few days ago, I’ve had Daniel doing some surveillance on Wade and the house.”
“And?”
“Wade goes into Stockholm daily, and he meets with a few Russians. He said Wade sometimes returns home quickly, and other times he’s delayed hours. There’s no schedule to it, it seems.”
“Wait, Wade Sorenson is meeting with the fucking Russians?” Michael asked.
“Yeah. That’s what my guy says.”
“So, what… Am I fucking with the goddamned Russian mafia now?”
“Wade isn’t Russian mafia, but he does meet with Russians; whether they are affiliated with the Russian mafia has yet to be determined.”
“You know, Aria mentioned that her father had threatened to ship her and her siblings off to Russia if they didn’t behave.” Michael sat quietly for a moment, but his eyes moved around the room as he thought. “Fuck. I wish your guy could find out more on her dad.”
“He found out quite a bit on Layton and his connection to Wade.”
“Well, he needs to get us more.”
“He’s working on it. This stuff isn’t always quick, Michael.”
“I know. I’m sorry. This is just pissing me off. Aria’s worried and upset.”
“I’m going to bring her family back. I promise.”
Michael nodded and braced his elbows on his knees.
“I’ll get Aria to help me today, and we’ll book you a hotel for the night you arrive and a car. You should be able to get some sleep before you head to Solsidan.”
“I’ll be pretty hyped up and eager to go get them.”
“Hopefully Jensen will be back when you get there. Aria’s mother knows you’re coming and will have the essentials packed in a single bag.”
“Essentials such as birth certificates? Remember, those are going to be crucial over here.”
“I know, Sawyer.”
“What if Jensen isn’t there?” I asked the million-dollar question. I needed to know what my plan was going to be before I ended up with a carload of her family, minus one.
“I told Aria that you’ll do everything you can to bring all of them back.” Michael looked in the direction of the closed bedroom door. “If he’s not there, though, don’t waste time. Just get who you have and yourself back on the jet. Vin said there’s a small window of time that the jet can sit on the tarmac without a flight plan and schedule.”
Got it. Leave the kid behind.
