I realize I hit the motherlode when Enrique’s jaw gains an involuntary tick. I thought his eyes were darkened with the protectiveness Isaac’s get any time my safety is on the rocks. Now I know without a doubt.
“Who is she?” I tap my finger on the redhead in the photograph. Other than Grayson’s assurance she’s pregnant, no other details about her have been unearthed. It is as if she is a ghost—much like Hugo once was.
I take a step back in shock when Enrique says, “Katie Byrne.”
“The girl who was abducted over a decade ago?” This question is from Ryan, not me, although you wouldn’t know with how high his tone is.
Enrique acts as if he isn’t in the room with us, but thankfully, that doesn’t stop him talking. “I’ve been following a paper trail the past month. Katie was abducted from Windsor Street at 5:59 in the evening.” He speaks as if he’s talking more from experience than second-hand reports. “Her abduction was reported within minutes of it occurring. An amber alert was sent out with partial plates, yet she was never found.”
When he stands, Ryan’s hand hovers over his gun. I don’t blame Ryan for being cautious. Enrique is tall, wide, and has a commanding aura that could rival Isaac’s, but I still signal for Ryan to stand down. If my assumptions are right, Enrique is just like Isaac. He doesn’t need a weapon to protect himself. If he wanted to take Ryan down, he’d already be down by now, so he has no reason to be cautious.
“There were three known Russian entities in the vicinity at the time of her abduction.” The map of Ravenshoe on the wall is outdated, but the towns surrounding it are still oddly similar. I guess that occurs when you don’t have a man like Isaac developing it. “Two were raided shortly after the amber alert was issued. One had a three-hour window to have her extracted.”
“Extracted?” I join Enrique near the map. My thighs are still shaky, but it’s more from adrenaline than fear. “They took her out of the country?”
Enrique notches up his chin. “The Petrovs have been in the traffic conglomerate for decades, but unlike their competitors, they offer an all-inclusive package.”
“All-inclusive?” Once again, this question is from Ryan, not me.
Enrique pivots around to face him. The shock in his tone is enough to have him acknowledging his presence for the first time. “They break their slaves until they don’t act, move, or speak without first asking permission. Once they conform, they sell them to clients needing more than a whore to warm their sheets.” He points to an airstrip that was decommissioned years ago. I know of its existence as Isaac has been considering it as a location for a new commercially-run airstrip. “The Petrovs had a cargo shipment flown out of Hopeton only two hours after Katie was abducted. Customs in Moscow cited a blank inventory.”
Ryan makes apfftnoise. “That’s not unusual. Officials are paid well to turn a blind eye.”
Enrique twists his lips, somewhat agreeing with Ryan’s assumption. “I thought the same thing until I discovered who the initial shipment was invoiced to. The Yurys don’t respond kindly to delayed shipments.”
My throat becomes dry. Even non-Russian affiliates know who the Yurys are. They’re one of the most feared Russian entities in the world, some would say on par with the Popovs.
“If this is true, why would Kirill bring Katie back here?” Unease jangles off my vocal cords. “Surely, he’d be paranoid someone would recognize her.”
“It’s a game for him. He wants Katie to be recognized, to prove not even her roots will have her disobeying him.” Enrique hooks his thumb over his shoulder. “He also wants to toy with him.”
When I crank my neck in the direction he’s pointing, my heart lurches into my throat. Not only is Grayson standing in the corridor glaring at me, so is Isaac.
21
Isabelle
Trust is a dangerous but worthwhile game.
Isaac’s steps are so furiously fast, I have to jog to keep up with him. Grayson allowed him to sit in on an interrogation he had no right to be a part of. He even allowed him to speak to Enrique alone, but he’s still fuming mad. Enrique wasn’t arrested by Ravenshoe PD for no reason. He went this route because he knew the officers on the beat wouldn’t be able to keep their mouths shut about the victorious arrest.
Word would spread that he had been detained, meaning it wouldn’t just reach my ears, it would spread to the Bureau’s as well. Enrique’s last contact had run dry, so he sought water from a new well—one he knew would serve him well since he knew the identity of an agent they had undercover, an agent who just happened to have the same blood as them.
Erik Monstrateo pleaded for Enrique not to go down this path, but with his desperation at an all-time high, Enrique ignored his advice. To free his wife from the dark and dangerous world of the Bratva, he made a deal with the devil, and he’s been paying for it ever since.
Enrique has proven time and time again that Vladimir’s crimes far exceed anything the Bureau has ever seen, yet it still isn’t enough for the Bureau to take his claims that Katie’s life is in jeopardy seriously. Grayson is listening. Alex is halfway over the fence, but the big bureaucrats at the top of the food chain aren’t budging on their stance that Katie’s life isn’t more valuable than the many they could save if they sit on their hands and watch.
That’s where I came in. Enrique advised Kirill had placed an advertisement for a nanny slash housekeeper to assist his wife in the months before and after the birth of their first child. It wasn’t a standard advertisement you’d find in the classified section of a newspaper. He wants a woman broken as effectively as his wife. One that wouldn’t ask any questions no matter the scenario. The ability to speak Russian was appreciated, and she had to be newly broken.
My Russian is poor, but my birthright makes me an ideal candidate. The Popovs are known for their disinclination for strong-willed women. If Vladimir can’t break them, he sends them to someone who can. I was sold, and as far as anyone in the underworld is concerned, I was to be tortured into submission.
The instant I suggested applying for the position, Isaac commenced removing me from Ravenshoe PD against my wishes. He has shown me I’m a strong, determined woman, but he’s not giving me a chance to prove it.
“I won’t be in any danger. If I’m shortlisted, Kirill will conduct his interviews in a public location. He’d never risk taking a stranger to his home, so what’s the worst that could happen?”
When Isaac continues dragging me down the corridor, not the least bit confronted by the number of gawks we’re getting from my fellow officers, I dig in my heels, endeavoring to slow him down. That would be a heap easier to do if he weren’t so strong and the flooring wasn’t done in glossy tiles.
“Isaac, please.”
