Page 77 of Captivated By the Bratva

“You have proof?”

He huffed. “On me?” He emphasized a glance at his blanketed spot. “I’m under cover. I don’t have a fucking phone on me.”

“And I’m supposed to take your word?”

I wanted help. I was desperate for clues to get to Nadia, but I couldn’t be hasty and err in judgment. This could be a trap. Another setup or sting.

“Ask your IT staff to go hack into the feed of the building there.” He tipped his head, indicating another building. “The florist shop. A uniformed man moved a garbage can out on a cart at 8:42 yesterday morning. She was in it, dumped into a van that my partner was already tailing.”

“Oh, yeah?” I got my phone out and called Henry, then I had this man repeat what this so-called agent said.

“Call me.” I disconnected for Henry to do his work inside.

“My partner called it in to another agent.” He frowned. “Avilov’s moving in soon by water. And he’ll disappear again. Help me get to him, and it’ll get you to your girl.”

“That’s it? We help each other and look the other way?”

“That’s it. I want Avilov. I don’t give a shit what you Valkovs do. Not my jurisdiction, and I don’t think anyone can top the crimes against humanity Avilov has had his hands in.”

“If you have a partner, why do you need my help?”

“They found him watching the warehouse. His cover was blown. He’s dead.”

His sober expression didn’t lie.

My phone pinged with a text from Henry.

Henry:He’s correct. This is the plate.

Attached was a still shot of Erik Avilov dumping Nadia into a van.

“Fuck.”

“See?” He shook his head and stood. “We’re running out of time. He’ll ship out and be harder to find. It seems he wants your woman. She’s bringing him close to land. Work with me. Please.”

“You go for Lev, and you look the other way.”

He rose to his full height, not leaning or limping with any handicap or weakness. “I want nothing to do with the Valkov Bratva. We team up—just for this—and no interference will follow.”

I felt like I was either selling myself short or giving my soul to the devil, but I stared at his outstretched hand and hesitated.

“I have no backup. I only need to get there, as quickly as possible, before the fucker is gone again.”

I gritted my teeth and shook his hand, finding his grip firm. “You got a name?”

He revealed his badge. “Tom Buttune.”

“Let’s go.”

He ran with me to the closest car in the garage. When a member of security prepared to follow us, I waved off the backup. “I’ve given Henry the location. He’ll send forces nearby, but they can’t have a whole team coming.”

Tom nodded. “I agree. The quicker we go and with fewer to detect, the better.”

My men planned to follow, at a distance, and I sped toward the address Tom input into the navigation. It wasn’t too far from here, and while the workday had already begun, traffic didn’t hold us back.

Tom filled me in on his career of hunting down Avilov. He listed the crimes he was determined to make Lev Avilov pay for. Justice, according to this older agent, would be coming.

“Just make sure?—”

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