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Louis had extracted as much as he could from Lysander Wolfson, which is that he got paid a hell of a lot of money to be a lackey for Turner. He’s adamant that the goal was never to hurt Ana. The threats were meant to draw her father out.
A lawyer showed up for Wolfson about an hour after I left. Whatever Lysander Wolfson got paid, he better hope it’s enough to cover all the criminal charges coming his way.
“Let me know if you find anything else on Turner. Family connections, real estate assets, business deals. I have to call Sergei and tell him we have eyes on Ana.”
Sergei answers after one ring. “Jesus, it took you long enough.”
“We found her. She’s alive and uninjured,” I say by way of answer.
He releases a shaky breath and a muffled “Thank god.”
“We’re tracking everything and as far as I can see, there’s no harm aside from the abduction,” I say, watching Ana cross her leg and bob her foot up and down like she’s waiting in the airport instead of facing down her captor. She’s got her arms crossed, her chin high, her shoulders stiffer than a board.
Christ, my girl is tough.
But she’s also grazing her neck and wincing. I’m guessing that’s the site of the injection. Her muscles must be sore from being roughly hauled around, her mind fuzzy after being rendered unconscious.
Yet Ana’s countenance is as composed as any security agent under pressure I have ever seen through the years. Pride enables a calmness that I’ll need to operate effectively.
I’ve always wanted to protect her. And I’ll spend my life doing it. But my desire to shelter the woman I love doesn’t detract from her own abilities and strengths and smarts in taking care of herself. She’s an incredible woman holding her own in an impossible situation.
“She’s not injured. Although her kidnapper is in the same room, they are in a hotel suite with plenty of distance between them. She’s generally left alone.”
“You have eyes on her and can see the layout. Get a SWAT team or something!”
“Sergei, if I thought I could bomb the place down and pull her out alive, I’d fucking do it. But that’s not the best course of action right now.”
I share Sergei’s compulsion to barge in there, but the risk assessment is clear. There’s no harm to waiting, so we wait.
“Also, there’s another explosive planted in the shipyard. If we storm in before the arranged meeting, it will be detonated,” I explain further. “The Petrov Shipping security people and law enforcement are searching for it, but nothing has come up. Even if I could help in the search for a bomb, I’m not detracting my resources from Ana.”
“What if something happens to her before tomorrow’s meeting?”
“I have some of my best agents on their way to Virginia. We’ll be gathered outside the hotel for immediate response if necessary. Turner’s got no more than a handful of men on this operation. I’ve got nearly double that number of agents coming.” The private cargo plane from Phoenix should land in Norfolk soon.
“My father took the company’s long-range jet from Sheremetyevo International Airport. It should get him to Norfolk International in the morning.”
“Good. How is the security at your place?” I ask. “The kids and Maeve?”
“Everyone is at the house. We’re on lock down with extra guards. Your parents are here, too.”
“Thank you, Sergei.”
“That’s what family is for.”
We pause for a bit, and I have to say what’s in my chest. My security team understands the gravity of this operation, but Sergei is the one person who comprehends how crucial the next few hours will be.
Ana isn’t merely the goal or the client. She’s the woman I love. “She’s everything to me. I won’t let her down this time,” I say past the knot in my throat.
“Just get her back, Bryce.”
I want to say I’ll die before I lose her again, but what’s the point of words? All my energy and brain power have to be dedicated to the job, not to emoting like a helpless, lovesick fool.
There’s movement in the suite. Ana is presented with a dinner plate which she looks at disdainfully.
“I’ve gotta go,” I tell Sergei, wanting to focus on the interaction unfolding on the screen.
“If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t need to administer poison via ravioli, Ana,” Turner says.
