“Aleksándr’s men are on their way there as we speak. The car Quinn got shoved into is registered to an Olga Smith. Obviously, she’s not the one who kidnapped Quinn, but she might be able to lead us to who did.”
Ignoring the pounding in my head, I checked I had all my guns, making sure everything was in its place. I’d need them. “What’s her address?”
Vlad studied me. “No need for you to go. Aleksándr’s men will take care of it. They’ll let us know if they find anything. He won’t fail me. Not when I’m calling in my marker.”
Staring at him, I clutched the back of the chair.
Ignoring my puzzled expression and lack of answer, Vlad got up. “Quinn is like a daughter to me. And I will make sure those bastards that took her will regret ever setting eyes on her.”
Neither Jude nor Gabriel fared any better in hiding their surprise, all of us watching Vlad walk out of the room.
“Stop staring. It’s rude,” Freya said. “He’s a good guy, despite his family.”
Walking over to where Vlad left the tablet, I played the footage again. And again. Besides the license plate, there were no other clues as to who’d taken Quinn.
Vlad came back a few minutes later, carrying a machine gun over his shoulder while checking the magazine of a handgun. “They found something.”
Chairs scraped across the floor, and then everyone was rushing to the elevator.
We were in the car a few minutes later, Gabriel driving, Vlad in the front since he was too big to cram in the back. Jude was inthe middle seat, poking his elbows at me and Freya, ignoring our protests. “GPS says we’re twenty minutes away,” Vlad said.
“Try ten,” Gabriel growled, then flew out of the parking garage, barely waiting for the gate to open.
We pulled into an industrial estate that had a few residential areas scattered within. Vlad pointed to a small house nestled behind a white picket fence and pruned roses.
Gunner and Aleksándr’s men were stationed in various yards and sitting in cars. If I hadn’t known they were there, I would have missed them.
We parked in the alleyway, the closest meeting spot that wouldn’t give us away, to find Gunner and Aleksándr squaring up against each other. The two men oozed distrust in their postures and pinched expressions.
Aleksándr nodded at us when we approached. “There’s one person in the basement and five on the ground level. My men have covered every exit, so nobody gets in or out without us knowing. Gunner’s taking care of cutting any communications.”
“We’re going in through the back,” Gunner said, pulling Freya into his side, not missing a beat. “There’s a window to the basement.”
There was no way I’d stay behind, watching from the sidelines. “I’m coming along.”
Gunner nodded, handing me an earpiece. “I’ll get you closer.”
We made our way to the back of the house, lucking out that there was a narrow access road running behind the properties. Gunner left us at the gate leading into the backyard. “Good luck. As soon as you have her, we’ll go in.”
Looking though a gap in the fence, I saw the window he spoke of. It was small, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t try and squeeze through.
“I’ll be lookout,” Gabriel offered.
Glancing behind him, I realized we were missing someone. “Where’s Jude?”
Shrugging, Gabriel undid the latch. “No idea.”
Not wanting to waste time finding out what he was up to, I made my way to the house. Keeping hidden behind bushes, I was in front of the window within a few seconds without setting off any alarms.
The window looked even smaller up close. I nudged it, but the frame didn’t budge. But the lock looked old and rusty, and with a little bit of poking and prodding, it creaked open.
Making sure the house was still quiet, I put my legs through first. But once I made it to my belt line, I was stuck, unable to go any farther no matter how much I pushed. My suit ripped, and a rogue nail left a scratch down my side.
A body dropped down next to me. “Need some help?”
Jude had clearly been busy dressing up. He was covered in tactical gear and mud and had a black streak on each cheek.
“You look ridiculous.”
