Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 70370 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70370 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Two things became abundantly clear. He’d had work done, so his face was unrecognizable from the few pictures I could find. His hair color had been changed as well. The skillful hands of a plastic surgeon had made him able to hide in the open.
It didn’t change his evil nature.
A lot of the files were encrypted. A lot of the prompts led to dead ends. Damien would be able to open them with his HJ connections. But what I was able to find made me ill. Murders, trafficking, drugs, arms. Anyone who crossed him ended up missing. Obviously dead.
And he had my Sofia. I had to tamp down my terror, focus on the end goal, which was to get her back alive.
Even if I died in the attempt. Damien would look after her.
I used the phone in the darkness of the Elite office to call Leo and make sure he was safe. I spoke with Warren, who assured me he and his wife would not return to the building that housed the perfume factory and were already at the airport. I checked on Mack, advising him to remain vigilant. I doubted they would go after him, but in case, I told him to get Cindy and take a trip on me. He could choose the destination, as long as they left immediately. He paused. “Is that necessary, Egan?”
“There are elements of my past that seem to be catching up to me. I have no idea how far this might go, but I would rather be safe than sorry. Please go away for a few days.”
He was silent for a moment. “I always knew there was more to you than a gym owner. Okay. We’ll pack now and be gone before the morning. I have a friend with a place where we can stay.”
I scrubbed my face, relieved he had accepted my brief explanation. “Good.”
Then I returned home, pacing, waiting. Anxious. I needed them to make contact. I needed Damien here to help me find her.
I sat on the bed, lifting Sofia’s pillow, inhaling the scent of her. It filled my lungs, relaxing me for a moment. I could pretend she was in my arms, not at the mercy of a psychopath.
Worries and fears hit me one after another.
Where was she? Was she being mistreated? Had she been hurt?
The thought of her frightened and being manhandled or worse made me ill. I felt an ache in my chest, a helplessness I was trying to fight. I now understood how Damien and Julian had felt when their women had been taken.
I wanted to raze the city and burn it down to find her.
Instead, I had to wait for them.
Silently, I made a vow to myself and to Sofia. I would repay every bruise, every injury, and every moment of her fear tenfold. I would figure out how to beat this Ivan Petrov at his own game.
And I would get Sofia back.
Then I would take her to the island where I knew she would be safe.
My phone buzzed in my hand, and I sat up, shaking my head. I had fallen asleep holding Sofia’s pillow, my exhaustion outweighing my anxiety. I glanced at the screen, seeing I had been asleep for two hours. I slid my thumb over the screen to a brief message.
[encrypted]
In the workshop
Using the stairwell, I went to the basement. At the very back of the building was the place I used to plan, create, and build my bombs. It had been designed and built to my specifications. If something went wrong, the explosion was self-contained. If someone tried to bomb their way in, it would fail. It was so secret, only a handful of people knew it was there. I had never even told Sofia. The door was hidden, and there was a passage to an entry into the building no one knew about except the same few who knew about the room. It was located in a garage on the street behind the complex. Marcus had discovered it when he purchased the warehouse, then purchased that property as well and converted it. We made good use of it often. Anyone watching the building wouldn’t see someone enter or suspect it was there. If Ivan had eyes on me, he would have no idea I had backup.
Using the code, I slipped in the door and was greeted with a surprise. I expected Damien, but they were all there. Marcus, Julian, and Matteo. Their tired, concerned eyes met mine.
Damien stepped forward, pulling me in for a hug, slapping me on the back.
“I brought reinforcements.”
I hugged them all, beyond grateful. “I wasn’t expecting this.”
Julian shook his head. “You helped me get Tally back. I owe you.”
Marcus met my gaze. “You put yourself on the line for me over and over. Of course I’m here.”