A pause. “I’m working with the security team here, tracking cameras. I’ll make this right.”
“Do it,” I say.
“Understood.”
I’m furious, but Andrei has taken a bullet for my child. A touch of grace is warranted.
I press the end call button on my phone. Silence falls over the room. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Kyle shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
“Roman,” he says slowly. “I never told Max to contact her. In fact, I specifically told him to stay away from her.”
I turn and face him.
“Whatever he’s doing, he’s doing it without the approval of the CPD.”
“You said he was helping you, did you not?”
He shakes his head. “No. I said hewantedto help. Trust me, he’s been pestering me nonstop to get his hands on this case.”
“And what did you tell him?”
“I told him to stay in his goddamn lane. He’s not looped in. And he sure as hell doesn’t have the authority to move a civilian, especially not a child.”
Something inside my chest feels like it’s on the verge of tearing loose.
“Max lied to her,” I say.
Kyle’s jaw tightens. “Yeah. He did.”
Anger crosses his features. “I’m calling this in. If Max took my pregnant sister and your son, there will be hell to pay.”
“You are not calling this in,” I tell him. “Not yet.”
“And why the hell not?”
“Because the police move too slowly. And if I employ my forces, the presence of police will simply complicate matters.”
Kyle’s mouth forms into a hard line. I can practically see him doing the moral calculus of following protocol versus working with a criminal like me.
“I will find them” I say. “And I will bring them home alive. Unharmed. After that, you’re more than welcome to arrest whoever is still alive. Including me.”
He studies me for a long moment. Then, reluctantly, he nods. “Okay. But you’re out of your goddamn mind if you think I’m not going to help you.”
I grin. That I’ll accept.
I turn my attention to the crime board, my eyes moving along the red string connecting the pictures, Post It notes, and various documentation.
Max is a fool, a man who thinks he can worm his way back into Amalie’s heart. I’m becoming more and more convinced he’s involved in what’s been happening. There’s still not a goddamn doubt in my mind that Garin’s the one pulling the strings. So how does Max Russo fit in?
I snatch my jacket from the back of my chair and prepare to leave.
Kyle nods.
We move.
I stand against the far wall of the Intelligence Unit bullpen, arms crossed, silent. I let Kyle work while I listen. He’s going over the information that could save my family’s life.
Kyle’s eyes burn with focus. Two analysts sit at adjacent desks, screens glowing. They’re pulling up whatever information they can find on Max.
