Page 179 of The Stalker

“So, where to?” Derek’s boss asked as she turned in the driver’s seat to look back at her, where she sat squished between Derek and one of his colleagues.

“Head west out of the city,” Tatiana told her.

Their car led the convoy of vehicles full of federal agents that were trailing behind them as they began their journey. The property was just east of Barksdale, not that she’d be telling them that until they reached the turnoff.

They’d been traveling along US-90 for roughly thirty minutes when her watch started buzzing on her wrist. She pressed the button to stop it vibrating and put her head in her hands to take a deep breath. She didn’t have the luxury of crying and wailing today, but she did allow herself this time to worry for Hayden.

You’re going to get him. You’ve done everything you can. He will be safe.

She knew that if she let herself think about the possible poor outcomes from this trip, she would lose her shit completely. She had to believe that they would find him safe and sound, but the fear that they wouldn’t suddenly ripped through her and shred her to her core. She couldn’t stop the image of a worst-case scenario where Hayden was killed during this mission from coming to her mind.

She inhaled deeply and blew it out slowly as Derek asked, “Are you okay, Tatiana?”

“Yes, I’m fine.” She gritted her teeth, though she was glad for the distraction, and she sat up. “Just felt a little carsick, that’s all.”

“Focus on the horizon,” Derek suggested.

“Yeah, good idea,” she agreed.

She looked into the distance and focused on the horizon. Every second that passed, she was getting closer to Hayden, one way or another.

She focused on the road ahead for the rest of the trip, giving directions to Derek’s boss, and telling her whenever each turn was coming up.

Finally, she gave in and said, “You should pull over so you can plan your approach.”

“Are we nearby?” Derek asked.

“Yes, the property is on the next road.”

His boss pulled the SUV to the side of the road and turned to look at Tatiana. “Will you give us the location now?”

“Yes, I will.” She knew they were close enough that she could make her way to the property on foot if she needed to.

The rest of the convoy stopped behind them, and everyone piled out to stand in a group. Tatiana gave them the address, then listened as they planned out their rescue mission.

They moved into full taskforce mode, bringing out computers to look at satellite imaging of the property and discussing their best course of action. Once they’d come up with a plan, Derek’s boss looked squarely at Tatiana.

“I expect you to stay in the vehicle with Derek. If you cause us any issues, I will take you into custody.”

Tatiana held her hands up in a placating gesture. “I’m just here to see my client’s safe return. I have no desire to get in your way, ma’am.”

“You’ll have to excuse me for being concerned about someone who held us over a barrel to come with us.”

“And now that I’m here, I’ve gotten what I want. I’ve given you the address and did it in advance so you could prepare. I hope you can see that I’m not trying to hinder your operation in any way.”

“Mmm,” she said noncommittally. “Anyway, let’s roll.”

They got back into their vehicles and continued onto the property. The vehicles were stopped just back from the clearing around a large log cabin. Derek’s boss and the rest of the agents filed out while she remained in the car with Derek.

Her heart pounded in her chest, and she felt nauseated. She’d been a part of retrieval operations before, but none had ever had stakes that were as high as this for her. She was finally getting a glimpse into the way that the terrified loved ones of her contracts had felt, and she hated it. Everything inside her wanted to run into the cabin where Hayden was, to lay herself down for him if she had to do it. She knew with certainty that if she had to take a bullet for him, she would, and certainly not just because it was a part of her job.

“I can’t believe I’m left on babysitting duty,” Derek huffed next to her.

Tatiana didn’t look away from the scene in front of her, where the agents were preparing to enter the cabin. “I think she suspects you gave me information. At the very least, she knows I was your contact with the information I used to get my way here. That makes me your fault.”

“Wasn’t this supposed to be some career-making case for me?” he asked.

“You’ll learn very quickly that career-making cases are rare. She’ll no doubt take the credit for finding Hayden, but even if she does, she knows you were useful. Your success is her success, and her success is your success. As she moves up the ladder, so do you.”

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