Page 77 of Her Courage

I moved to stand beside Kaleb, slipping my hand into his. He squeezed it so tight my fingers ached, but I didn't pull away.

Colby stood on his other side, a solid presence. Andrei paced, his phone in hand, no doubt communicating with Mikhail.

Five minutes passed. Then ten.

"She's accessing the account," Marshall said suddenly. "The FBI is—yes. Yes, I understand." A pause. "Warrants are signed. Officers are en route to the Lake Oswego address."

Andrei's phone buzzed. He read the message, then looked up. "Mikhail confirms police approach. He's in position to extract Keeley the moment they breach."

My heart hammered against my ribs. This was it. This was actually happening.

"How long?" Kaleb asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Minutes," Andrei confirmed. "Just minutes now."

The longest minutes of my life.

We stood together in Kaleb's living room, the four of us bound by love and fear and desperate hope. My free hand found Colby's. He laced our fingers together, creating a chain.

Andrei's phone rang. He answered immediately, his expression intense. "Da?"

Rapid Russian filled the room. I couldn't understand the words, but I watched Andrei's face transform from tense to relieved.

"They have her," he said, ending the call. "Police arrested Patrice. Mikhail has Keeley. She's safe."

The room erupted.

Kaleb's knees gave out. I caught him, Colby supporting his other side as relief and emotion overwhelmed him. Tears streamed down his face—great, heaving sobs that shook his entire frame.

"She's safe," he choked out. "She's safe. She's safe."

"She's safe," I confirmed, my own tears falling freely. "Sierra's baby girl is safe, Daddy K."

Colby pulled us both into his arms, his own eyes suspiciously bright. Even Andrei's stoic mask cracked, raw emotion breaking through.

Kaleb's phone rang. Sierra.

He answered with shaking hands, putting it on speaker. "Sierra⁠—"

"They're bringing her home," Sierra sobbed. "Oh my God, Kaleb, they're bringing my baby home."

"I know. I know, honey." Kaleb's voice broke. "She's okay. She's coming back to you."

"Thank you," Sierra gasped. "Thank you, thank you, thank you⁠—"

Monica's voice cut in, steadier. "The police are bringing her to the house. They want statements from all of us. Can you come?"

"We're on our way," Kaleb confirmed.

He ended the call, looking at each of us in turn. "Let's go bring Keeley home."

We piled into the Audi, Oscar already waiting. The drive to Sierra's felt simultaneously endless and too short. My mind raced with everything that had just happened.

Patrice arrested. Keeley safe. The nightmare finally over.

When we pulled up to Sierra's house, police cars lined the street. But I didn't care about them. All I saw was Sierra on the front porch, Keeley in her arms. Mikhail held them both, Sierra leaning on the imposing Russian for strength.

The little girl was crying, but she was whole. Unharmed.