Page 77 of Triplet Babies
He nods. His expression is still impassive, but I’m sure he finally accepts the depths of my feelings for her and understands I’ll risk everything to bring her back to me safely. I don’t care if it obliterates my empire or costs my life to ensure she’s safe.
My phone buzzes with updates from the security team. Three men are alreadyen routeto warehouse 17, with two more following five minutes behind. It’s not an army, but it’s enough to handle one obsessive ex-boyfriend and whatever backup he might have brought.
At least, I hope it’s enough.
The warehouse district comes into view, a maze of industrial buildings and empty lots that looks abandoned in the dusk. Warehouse 17 sits at the end of a dead-end street, surrounded by other buildings that could provide cover for an ambush or escape routes for someone who planned this carefully.
Sarah’s car sits in front of the warehouse, driver’s door still open like she left in a hurry. The sight of it makes something cold and deadly settle inside me. She’s here, or at least she was here, which means we’re not too late.
I park behind her car and check my weapon one more time. Valentin does the same, his movements precise and professional despite the unusual circumstances. We’ve handled hostage situations before, but never when the hostage was someone who mattered to me personally.
The warehouse door stands slightly ajar, which immediately puts me on alert. Either Alex is careless, or this is an invitation. Given that he went to the trouble of impersonating Valentin to lure Sarah here, I doubt he’s careless. I signal Valentin to take the side entrance while I approach from the front. The first rule of tactical rescue is to avoid giving the hostage-taker a single point of defense. If Alex is watching the front door, he won’t see Valentin coming from the side.
I push open the warehouse door slowly, letting my vision adjust to the dim interior. The space is cavernous and filled with shipping containers and wooden crates that create a maze of potential hiding spots. Security lights cast pools of harsh illumination, but most of the warehouse remains in shadow. “Sarah?” I call out, my voice echoing off the high ceiling.
No response. The silence feels wrong and too complete for a space that should contain at least two people. I move deeper into the warehouse, weapon drawn while checking each potential hiding spot methodically.
That’s when I see a small object sitting in a circle of light near the center of the warehouse, placed deliberately where it would be visible from the entrance. It’s Sarah’s phone.
I approach it carefully, scanning for any signs of a trap or additional clues. The phone sits undamaged on the concrete floor, its screen dark and silent. There’s no blood, no signs of a struggle, and no indication of what happened to the woman who owns it.
The careful placement tells me this was intentional. Alex wanted me to find the phone and wanted me to know Sarah was here but is now gone. It’s a message, a taunt, and proof that he has something I want while I can’t do anything about it.
Valentin appears from the side entrance, his expression grim as he takes in the empty warehouse and the phone sitting like an artfully arranged piece of art in a gallery, lit just so. “Anything?”
I shake my head, cold fury building with each second that passes without finding Sarah. “He was here but took her somewhere else.”
“The phone could be a distraction. Maybe they’re still in the building.”
We spend the next ten minutes searching every corner of the warehouse, our later arrivals joining in as they walk through the door. We check the small office spaces and storage areas, looking for any sign that Sarah might still be here, but the building is empty except for dust and shadows.
When our backup arrives, I’m standing in the center of the warehouse holding Sarah’s phone and trying not to let the rage consume my ability to think strategically. She’s been taken by a man who has a history of psychological and physical abuse, and I have no idea where they’ve gone.
Mikhail, one of my most experienced men, approaches with urgency to deliver bad news. “We checked the surrounding buildings. There are no signs of additional vehicles or foot traffic. Just Miss Clark’s car in the parking lot.”
“Security cameras?”
He shakes his head. “Most of them are broken or haven’t been operational in years. This area is basically abandoned after five p.m.”
Which explains why Alex chose it and a meeting time of 7 p.m. The warehouse district provides privacy for whatever he’splanning to do to Sarah, while the isolated location means no witnesses and no immediate help if she manages to escape.
I close my hand around Sarah’s phone, the plastic case warming under my grip. Somewhere in this city, the woman I love is being held by a man who has already proven he’s willing to hurt her. Every minute that passes gives him more time to escalate and more time to do permanent damage.
I turn to Valentin, my voice carrying all the deadly certainty I’ve learned in twenty years of violence. “I want every man we have. I want every contact, every favor, and every piece of information we can gather. I want to know every property Alex has access to, every associate he’s worked with, and every place he might take her.”
Valentin nods, already pulling out his phone to start making calls. “What about the Nikitins? If we pull all our resources for this?—”
“Let them come.” I pocket Sarah’s phone and head toward the warehouse exit, my mind already shifting into the focused calm I need for what’s coming. “I’m going to find her, and I’m going to end him. If the Nikitins want to use that as an excuse to start a war, then we’ll fight that war too.”
The next few minutes pass in a blur of phone calls and strategic planning. Valentin coordinates with our security team to deploy our drones to search the surrounding area while I mentally catalog every resource we have available, including money, weapons, manpower, and information networks. I want all of it focused on the objective of finding Sarah before Alex can do whatever he’s planning.
In less than twenty minutes, I have twelve men mobilizing and three different information sources working to track down Alex’s possible locations. It’s not nearly enough, but it’s a start. The war with the Nikitins will have to wait. Right now, there’s only one battle that matters, and I refuse to lose it.
25
Sarah
Iwake to the taste of copper in my mouth and a sharp ache in my skull. My wrists burn where rope binds them in front of me, tight enough to restrict circulation but loose enough to avoid permanent damage. Someone who knows what they’re doing tied these knots.
