Arkady exhales softly, almost amused. “You’re overreacting.”
“No,” I reply. “I’m responding.”
Silence.
“You brought her into this,” I continue. “You crossed the line to test my authority.”
Arkady doesn’t interrupt.
“You don’t test me with leverage,” I add. “You test me with force.”
Arkady pauses, and his breathing deepens on the line.
“Ivan is useful,” Arkady says again, quieter this time.
“I don’t care how useful he is,” I tell him. “You involved him. You involved her. That makes this personal.”
“You’re letting emotion dictate strategy,” Arkady warns.
“I’m letting consequence dictate the outcome.”
The line goes quiet. Then, “You should think carefully.”
“I have,” I answer. “And when I find her, we’re going to have a different conversation. One that doesn’t involve phones.”
“You wouldn’t?—”
“I would.”
I end the call and lower the phone. Polina watches me from across the table. She doesn’t ask what was said, but her eyes communicate the question anyway.
“Arkady believes he’s in control,” I tell her.
Mikel returns to the room, rubbing the back of his neck. “The detainee cracked.”
My attention locks on him. “Details.”
Mikel steps closer. “The man confirmed Ivan has been meeting one of Arkady’s captains at off-grid properties. He also confirmed a relocation happened today. Two women were moved with a six-man escort.”
My chest tightens hard enough to make my breath hitch, but I don’t let it show.
“Where?” I demand.
Mikel shakes his head once. “He didn’t know the final destination. Only the starting point.”
“The starting point is still a point,” I reply.
Mikel slides a folded sheet of paper across the table, with an address scribbled on it. A storage complex. Not far from the train yard.
Polina raises an eyebrow. “That’s not where he’d keep them. That’s a pass-through.”
“Exactly.” I fold the paper and pocket it.
I look at the map one more time. I need confirmation, not a guess. I need to be sure before I send men through the doorwith weapons. Rowan can’t be caught between me and Arkady’s desperation.
I turn toward the room. “Move.”
The men disperse, Polina starts issuing orders, and Mikel remains at my side. I head toward the exit, the cold of the hallway meeting me again like an old enemy.
