“Damn straight you will,” Leo replied. “Your time spent in the hell hole was of your own making. As I stated, we don’t negotiate with terrorists. You killed our brother. You blackmailed Catherine by threatening her child, to keep her married to you. By your own admission, you hurt her. Not to mention how you destroyed Ragu’s career and split the team. You knew Whiskey lived and left your teammate to suffer the unthinkable. No matter what happens here, you’ll be turned over to authorities to pay for your crimes. I’ve already spoken with Rebecca Rhodes. She has questions for you as well. You might negotiate something with her if you’re willing to name your contacts in the military.”
Leo jerked his head for Shadow to take Ash into the conference room. He didn't say a word as Chase followed him into his office.
“Victoria ordered her men to surround the mountain. Ivan has fifty men at your disposal. Once Matthew pinpoints the location, Ivan will send the men there. Ivan and Victoria didn’t return to Russia. He didn’t say where they were, but they’re bringing us transport and will arrive within the hour. They await your orders.” Chase informed him as he put the phone down. He poured two fingers of whiskey as his friend followed a patch of sticky notes on his desk. “Do you think Ash told the truth?”
Leo shook his head. “I don't know. Catherine never told me. If Ash is telling the truth, why did Catherine keep Melody from me? If he threatened her child, my child…why didn’t she come to me? I don’t trust Ash to tell the truth, he hates me, you heard him.”
“You'll have time to ask her the specifics when we rescue them,” Chase assured him. “Don’t rush to judgement, my friend. Look how long it took for Kassie to tell me the truth about Emma. You know these women. Their children come first.”
“I don't understand why you're calm and collected.” Leo turned to his friend. “Not so long ago, I remember telling you to keep your shit together over PITA.”
“Oh, I'm worried. I'm worried Rahimi doesn't realize he took two stubborn redheads, and Kassie has access to Ivan and Victoria's families on top of us. The man will regret his decision soon enough,” Chase chimed in. “I’m not happy Kassie left, but she protected her friend. I guess I realized my wife is no fragile flower, and I need to accept the strong woman she’s become. Her and Catherine have a lot in common.”
Leo hit a button on the side of his desk. “Everyone to the conference room. Our girls need us.” He walked out of the office and opened the door to the meeting place. “Get that tracker out of Ash. By the way, PITA really did think of everything.”
Chase nodded as he turned down the hall. “I expected no less.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
Catherine waited in the cold, dark room. She listened to every creak of the boards and the whistling of the wind through the trees outside. It appeared the men brought them to an abandoned farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. Catherine’s heart lurched in her stomach as she shivered. When they arrived, they separated her and Kassie. She held her sleeping child tightly to her body. When they shoved Catherine into the empty room, one of the men pried her hands off Melody. He broke two of her fingers before he managed to loosen her grip on the child. Melody's cries mixed with hers as they pushed Catherine into the corner and carried Melody out.
Catherine sniffed as she stood and walked to the boarded windows. She tugged at the wood and braced her arms around them, trying to pry them off the frame. It proved a useless endeavor. Where did they take Melody? Catherine squeezed her eyes shut as she thought about all the hurtful things she slung at Kassie, yet her friend placed her body in front of Melody and her to protect them. Their fight no longer mattered. When they managed to get out of this mess, she needed to tell Kassie how much she meant to her and thank her for protecting her daughter.
From what she gathered, Kassie spent her time on the mountain learning how to defend herself from James Stanton and his enemies. Instead of wallowing in grief, Kassie continued to hold faith in the team. Protecting her child and herself became her priority. Under Ivan and Victoria’s tutelage, Kassie became a competent opponent. When they figured out how to get home, Catherine decided to ask if Kassie minded showing her a few things too. Even little Emma held some tricks up her sleeve, and Catherine regretted the fact Melody had none. She wondered if Kassie told the truth about Chase and the team. How would they find them in the middle of nowhere?
The rattle of a doorknob and a key turning in the lock grabbed her attention. She stood in the corner of the room and waited. “Your husband owes us money. We watched you take it from the bank. What did you do with it?” The man's heavily accented English came out slowly as he enunciated each word.
“I put it in my bag,” she answered.
“How much?” The man slowly walked toward her.
Catherine sunk further into the corner of the room. “Two hundred fifty thousand. You can have all of it. Let my daughter and friend go,” she bargained.
The man held a flashlight in her face, making her squint. She held up her good hand to shield her eyes while she tucked the injured digits closer to her middle.
The man chuckled as if she said something funny. “We'll be taking more than the cash.” He grabbed her hair and dragged her from the room. Catherine's heart pounded as she struggled against the man. He slapped her hard, making her head reel back from her neck, yet she fought with all her might. The promise of the man's statement filled her veins with terror.
When they approached the landing, the kidnapper shoved her. Catherine tried to catch herself as she reached out for the railing. She missed and tumbled down the stairs. She groaned as her body bounced off the last step onto the floor. A pair of black boots kicked her in the ribs.
“Where is your husband?” One of the men questioned as Catherine lay on the floor struggling to catch her breath. A sharp pain zipped through her ankle and caused her to wince. Her shoulder pounded in pain. Two men reached down under her arms and dragged her to a chair set in the middle of a living room.
“I don't know.” she cried. If she ever found Ash, she’d shoot him on sight.
“Where would his friends take him?” One of the men shoved pictures of the team on his phone in her throbbing face.
The first one showed Chase holding a door open to her house. The second snapshot held an image of Leo walking behind Ash. He frowned as he watched Ash walking in front of him. Catherine took in Leo's big arms and broad chest. She ached for him to wrap them around her and assure her this was only a nightmare. A hard slap across her face jolted Catherine back to her surroundings. The metallic taste of blood from her split lip touched her tongue.
“I don't know. The only place Ash visited was Serenity Mountain. He didn't go anywhere else. I'll give you the money. Let us go, and we can arrange some sort of payment plan. I don't know what Ash promised you, but I’ll get it,” she begged.
A few minutes later, two men dragged Kassie into the room. Her shirt ripped , her hair disheveled, and a bruise formed on her cheek. One of the men sported a black eye, and the other bent over slightly.
Kassie's mouth bled, yet she smiled at Catherine reassuringly. The leader of the men sauntered in Kassie's direction. Catherine watched as Kassie's chin tilted upward, and she faced the man head-on. Her expression remained blank as he got closer.
“My men said you own the mountain where her husband goes. There's a team of men working there. Do they hold her husband?” The man attempted to intimidate Kassie as he picked up one of her curls and wound it around his hand. Kassie smiled wider, bloody teeth and all.
“Why do you smile? I assure you my leader isn't happy,” the man pulled on the curl harder.
“I smile because you should fear the men coming from the mountain. They won't rest until we’re found. They will contact Ivan Rostova and Victoria Stanton. You made a mistake by taking us. Then you underestimated your strength when you took me. Victoria won't stand for you hurting a child. God help you when she finds us.” Kassie's face went bland once more.