“That’s not true,” I said, though I barely knew my dad at all. “And even if he doesn’t come, my mom will. And Jake. They’ll find me.”
“Jake?” My grandfather raised an eyebrow. “The rancher? What is he to you?”
I lifted my chin. “He’s my friend. And he’s really good at finding things.”
That seemed funny to him. “A rancher from Alberta against the Russian mafia?” He laughed again, longer this time. “Your faith is touching but misplaced. By some miracle, if any of them awaken and they discover you’re gone, we’ll be in Russian airspace. And once we’re there, not even Interpol can touch us.”
His phone rang, and he answered it on the first ring, speaking Russian. He talked for no more than a few seconds, then looked at me. “You’re in luck. We will be staying in Canada for a bit longer, thanks to an approaching blizzard.”
I closed my eyes and rested my head against the window. At least now my family would have a chance at finding me… if they only knew where to look.
Chapter 22
Jake
Iwas dreaming of Ella when the alarm jolted me awake, not the blaring electronic kind, but the nearly silent vibration of my phone against the nightstand. Snatching it up, I saw it was 3:42 AM. I squinted at the screen, recognizing the security alert code—motion detected at the barn.
Probably just a deer, I thought, but years of ranch life had taught me to check everything. I glanced at Ella, still peacefully asleep beside me, her hair spread across my pillow. I slipped out of bed without waking her, pulled on my jeans, and grabbed my gun from the lockbox.
The house was quiet as I moved downstairs. Rory was asleep on the couch, snoring softly. I pulled on my boots and coat by the back door, then stepped into the frigid night air.
The snow crunched beneath my boots as I made my way toward the barn, scanning the darkness. The moon was bright enough to cast shadows, andI could see footprints in the fresh snow—small footprints, heading toward the barn.
My heart rate kicked up. Not a deer.
I broke into a run, following the tracks. The barn door was ajar, spilling warm light into the yard. I drew my weapon and approached cautiously, listening for any sound inside.
“Hello?” I called, pushing the door open wider. “Anyone in here?”
The horses nickered softly in response, but otherwise, the barn was silent. I moved down the central aisle, checking each stall. When I reached the one where the barn cat had her kittens, I found them all present—but I could tell from the way the straw was kicked around that someone small had been sitting there recently.
More concerning was the second set of footprints—large, adult-sized—overlapping the smaller ones.
“Nora?” I called, my voice echoing in the empty barn. “Are you in here?”
Nothing. I circled back to the entrance, following both sets of prints outside. They led away from the barn, toward the driveway, where they disappeared right where a running vehicle had been parked. I knew it had been running from the way the snow had melted from a running engine.
Cold dread settled in my stomach. I sprinted back to the house, taking the porch steps two at a time.Inside, I hit the emergency alarm switch by the door, sending a piercing wail through the house.
Rory was on his feet instantly, weapon drawn. “What happened?” he demanded.
“Need to check Nora’s room,” I yelled, already taking the stairs three at a time.
I burst into the guest room where Nora had been sleeping. The bed was empty, covers thrown back. “She’s not here,” I called, my voice tight with fear. “Rory, check to see if her coat and boots are gone from the mudroom!”
Ella appeared in the hallway, her eyes wide with alarm. “Jake? What’s happening?”
“Nora’s missing,” I said, moving toward her. “I found footprints leading to the barn, then to the driveway. Adult footprints alongside hers.”
The blood drained from her face. “No,” she whispered. “No, no, no.”
Declan and Kane appeared behind her, both armed and alert. “The perimeter alarm didn’t trigger,” Declan said. “How the hell did someone get in?”
“Check the security feed,” I ordered, even as I guided Ella toward our room. “Get dressed,” I told her gently. “We’ll find her.”
She moved mechanically, pulling on clothes with shaking hands. “Alexei,” she said, her voice hollow. “It has to be him.”
Mikhail burst into the room without knocking, his face a mask of fury and fear. “Where is she?” he demanded. “Where’s my daughter?”
