“We don’t know yet,” I said, forcing my voice to stay calm. “But we’re going to find out. Right now.”
We headed to my office, where Rory had already pulled up the security footage. “The cameras went dark at 2:30 AM,” he reported. “All of them, simultaneously. Came back online at 3:41 AM.”
“That’s when my alarm went off,” I said. “Someone knew exactly what they were doing.”
“The furnace,” Kane called from the hallway. “Someone blocked the exhaust pipe—carbon monoxide. Another hour and we all could have been dead.”
“Get everyone outside,” I ordered. “Clear the house.”
As we moved to the front porch, I caught Ella’s arm. “Did Nora say anything yesterday? Give any indication she might go to the barn?”
Ella shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “No, but—the kittens. She’s been asking to see them for days. I think she might have gone on her own, and then...”
“And then Alexei’s men found her,” Mikhail finished, his voice ice-cold. “They were waiting for an opportunity.”
My phone rang—Connor, from Ella’s house nextdoor. “Jake, cameras show that we had movement on the main road at 3:43. Black SUV, no plates, it headed east about 15 minutes ago. Mia’s following at a distance.”
“That’s them,” I said. “Tell her not to lose them, but don’t engage. We’re on our way.”
I turned to the group assembled on my porch. “Alexei has Nora. We have maybe an hour before they reach whatever extraction point they’re headed for.”
“Airport,” Mikhail said immediately. “Private airfield, most likely. My father keeps a jet on standby for emergencies wherever he is.”
“There’s a small airstrip about forty miles east of here,” Declan said. “We used it at Christmas time.”
“That’s where they’re going,” Mikhail agreed. “We need to move now.”
“Declan, Kane, you’re with me,” I said, already moving toward my truck. “Rory, stay with Ella—”
“I’m coming with you,” Ella interrupted, her voice leaving no room for argument. “She’s my daughter.”
“Our daughter,” Mikhail corrected, his expression equally determined.
I nodded, knowing better than to waste time arguing. “Fine. But you stay in the vehicle until we figure out the situation.” I turned to Rory. “Call the local police, but don’t mention Alexei. Just reporta child abduction. And get Connor to send the coordinates from Mia’s tracker.”
Within minutes, we were speeding down the highway, my truck in the lead with Ella beside me and Mikhail in the back seat. Declan and Kane followed in Declan’s truck, with Rory coordinating from the ranch.
“How did he find us?” Ella asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“He’s been one step ahead this whole time,” Mikhail said grimly. “He probably had men watching the ranch since we arrived.”
“But the security system—” I began.
“My father employs former KGB agents,” Mikhail cut in. “They’re experts at bypassing security.”
My hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Well, they’re not experts at outrunning me on my own roads.” I pressed the accelerator harder, the truck’s engine roaring as we sped through the darkness.
My phone buzzed with a text from Mia: “Airstrip confirmed. Two SUVs, approx. 8 men. They have the girl. Jet on runway, warming up.”
I relayed the information to the others, then called Connor. “We need a distraction,” I said. “Something to delay takeoff.”
“On it,” he replied without hesitation.
Ella reached for my free hand, her fingers ice-cold. “We’ll get her back,” I promised. “Whatever it takes.”
“If anything happens to her...” She couldn’t finish the sentence.
“Nothing will happen to her,” Mikhail said from the back seat, his voice hard with conviction. “My father won’t harm her. She’s his legacy now.”
