Page 31 of Savage Boss

“I need you to meet me. Got a pen?”

Vlad dug in his briefcase for a pen and pad of paper. “Da.”

“45268 Regency Drive.”

“Why am I writing down an address?” he asked, obediently taking it down.

“You’re going to meet me there.” She paused as if to prepare herself before giving bad news. “I found the guy who kidnapped his kids. I need confirmation of his identity before I can make the apprehension.”

Everything in Vlad told him to forbid her from going, but he also understood how momentous it was that she was making this call. She was meeting him halfway. He’d talked to her about his business interests and she was trusting him to allow her to do her job unhindered.

When he didn’t immediately answer, she started talking again in rapid sentences. “If you don’t have time, I’ll just… I can call Mack. I should take backup. Like you said.” She paused for a few seconds. “This was a bad idea, you’re probably too busy.”

“Jane, stop talking,” Vlad said calmly, reaching forward to hand his driver the note with the address. “I will be there.”

Twenty minutes later, he had his driver pull up behind Jane’s shiny black BMW. She was parked up the street from the address she’d given him. He climbed out of his SUV and watched in appreciation as Jane’s legs appeared one at a time in blue jeans and tan leather knee boots. Her shiny head popped out next and she stood next to her car wearing her short leather jacket, her hands stuffed in the pockets.

Vlad strode up to her, grabbed her by the lapels of her coat and pulled her up onto her toes for a lingering kiss. She smiled against his mouth and he chuckled at the strange sensation of her lips curling against his. It was odd, but the ceasefire he and Jane had declared was actually working. Far from the war their marriage had become, it now felt like a honeymoon.

“What are you thinking?” he asked huskily.

She backed up and put her business face back on. She was all private investigator now and Vlad had never been more attracted to her as she gave him a rundown of the client and property. “Two doors, one at the front of the house, one at the back. No basement, but there’s a rear bedroom with easy window access if things go bad. His wife is accusing him of kidnapping, but I found no evidence that he might be armed.”

“Doesn’t mean he can’t get his hands on a gun,” Vlad grunted. He knew exactly how easy it was to get a gun on the streets.

“Exactly,” she agreed and tapped her fingertips on the taser strapped to her belt.

Vlad reached into his holster and pulled his gun out. Though he knew it was loaded, he still checked. He tucked it back under his arm and strode to the SUV to speak to Leo who had caught up to them in his own vehicle. “Keep an eye on the back door. Be careful, my understanding is there are two children on the property. Under no circumstances are they to be harmed.”

He walked back to Jane and followed her up to the house. He ruthlessly clamped down on the urge to shove Jane behind him as she banged on the door and then took a step back, her legs spread, hand on her taser.

The door was jerked open and Vlad tensed, his own hand going beneath his jacket. A middle-aged man in sweatpants, a grey T-shirt and running shoes answered the door. He had a slim but muscular build, as though he’d enjoyed access to a gym. Though there was some strain around his eyes and mouth, he didn’t particularly look like a man who had kidnapped his kids and gone on the run.

“Robert Earnshaw?” Jane asked, her voice hard.

He sighed heavily and scrubbed a hand down his face, giving his head a nod. “Yeah, I’m him.” He looked at Jane, his face tired and drawn. “Heard she hired a PI to come looking for me.” His gaze travelled over Jane and then Vlad. “Not exactly what I was expecting.”

“Can we come in?” Jane asked. “I’d like to ask a few questions.”

Vlad frowned. He thought they were there to confirm the guy’s identity, which had been surprisingly easy to ascertain. The guy folded after only one question.

“Yeah, sure,” Robert said grimly. “Come in.”

“Where are the kids?” Jane asked as they followed Robert inside.

Tension thrummed through Vlad’s veins. It went against his every instinct to walk into the home of a man was involved in criminal activity but didn’t work for or with Vlad. He preferred to control all situations, which he did by controlling the people around him.

“I’d rather not answer that,” Robert said, finally answering in a way Vlad expected. “They’re safe though.”

He showed them into a small living room, filled with boxes. Only a TV and a battered couch made it look even remotely lived in. Robert dropped onto the couch, his elbows on his knees, his face in his hands.

“I’m so fucking tired,” he groaned, his body slumping in defeat.

“That’ll happen when you go on the run instead of dealing with your problems.” Jane’s voice held little sympathy as she dropped onto the couch next to him.

Vlad tensed. It took every ounce of self-control he had to not tear Jane off the couch and shove her out the front door then beat whatever answers she needed out of the guy. He was so distracted by the war going on within him, that he almost didn’t hear Jane’s first question.

“How much is the insurance policy worth?”

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