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“Your father. I need him on my phone as soon as possible. Make sure he calls me, Sergei. I can go through certain channels to obtain his number, but it’s faster if you do it. Call him right fucking now. I need to get some answers.”
“Update me on everything you learn, when you learn it.”
“You’ve got my word.”
I hang up and swerve just in time to avoid a truck slowing down for no fucking reason.
My Bluetooth rings. Tristan.
“There’s no gray area in activating a goddamn illegal program, Bryce,” my uncle and co-owner declares. “This could shut us down.”
He’s right. When I made the order for NeoGen, I realized the risks.
At the very minimum, new technology of this caliber requires compliance of industry standards, proof of cybersecurity adherence, and a consumer protection study. Needless to say, we would fail all of these regulatory barriers today. The program is in place, but the legality is far from secured.
“It’s Ana.” What else is there to say?
“Jesus. How are you?” Tristan has watched me up close for the last ten years. He gets it.
“How do you think I am? I’m barely keeping it together, Tristan. Get her on that screen or I’ll bust into the hotel by myself.”
“OK, OK, take it easy.”
My phone pings. “I have to take this,” I say. “The second NeoGen finds her, stream it into the Suburban, you hear me?”
I hang up and take a deep breath.
“Mr. Petrov,” I answer.
“What happened to Ana? Who is responsible for this!” His voice is shaky, like he’d rather roar in anger but can only manage a rattling yell.
“I’ll know more in a few minutes. She was abducted on her way to the dry dock. You need to take the soonest flight out of Moscow. The kidnapper is using Ana to get to you. I believe she’ll be safe if we can meet their demands.”
“These people want money. How much? Tell them I’ll double the ransom. Whatever it takes.”
“If there’s any way to make this about money, we’ll enter negotiations. Just in case it doesn’t work, I need you stateside.”
“Yes, yes of course.”
“Mr. Petrov, who wants to see you here? Who would benefit from you leaving Moscow?”
“Many people. I can’t even begin to narrow it down.”
Something occurs to me.
“Is there something recently that’s changed? If this person wants access to you, why make the move now and not before? Or later, for that matter. Ana has been in Norfolk for two years. Why amp up the threats now? Why make the move today?”
“I… I don’t know.”
“Think about it while you get on a plane. The meetup is tomorrow.”
“What if she’s hurt? What if they—”
“The sooner you get here, the sooner we can plan a meeting that’s safe for you and for Ana. Get on that plane.”
I hang up.
I wake up on a bed and immediately wrap my arms around my front, a futile attempt to protect myself. My clothes are dirty and disheveled, but the small consolation is that everything is intact. Nothing indicates that they did anything except transport me while I was unconscious.
