Page 48 of Knight Watch

The agent gave her a side look. “As if I was the only one taken! I saw you with that little one. You fell in love, Sydney, don’t deny it.”

Sydney sighed. “I did, but with my current situation, having a pet isn’t a good idea. I see the value of these dogs. They need to be trained like Killian, not spend their lives following me around with nothing to do.”

“You’re right, but maybe there’s another way. What do you think about helping me with my venture?”

Sydney blinked a couple of times before understanding what Caitlin was trying to say. “You want me to help you with your K-9 unit?” Just saying the words made her heart thump in excitement.

“The first few weeks, I’ll need a lot of help. That’ll give you time to see if you like it or not. I could teach you what I know. It will give you time to decide if you want it to be a more permanent thing while enjoying a couple of puppies. And it will give me a much-needed hand. What do you think?”

The possibility of having a purpose, not just surviving life, filled her with joy. Also, the chance of working closely with Kingsley was a fantastic bonus. “I would love that.” But too soon she remembered the mess she was in. “If I can get out of this manhunt and be free of my crazy uncle alive.”

Caitlin’s friendly features turned fierce. “You will. We’re all working to stop him. And I’ll be working extra hard because now I have someone to help me scoop puppy poo!”

Just like that, Caitlin turned a bleak situation into laughter. When she lifted her hand for a high five, Sydney couldn’t help but feel blessed.

“Phone your man to tell him we’re on our way back. It may take longer depending on traffic.”

Sydney took her phone out, but when she tried to dial, there was no service. “My phone doesn’t have a signal, can I borrow yours?”

Frowning, Caitlin took out her phone. “Mine doesn’t have service either. I know we’re in the country, but not that deep. We’ll try again when will we reach the main road.”

The way the mood inside the cab turned from joyous to glacial, confirmed how serious the situation could become. They had confirmation that something was going on when they hit the main road, as several police cars blocked the way with their lights flashing.

Caitlin reached for her hand and squeezed it. “I’m tempted to turn around and make a run for it, but I think they’re legit.”

Sydney hung onto her like a lifeline. “How did they find us?”

“Probably via our cell phones. Some devices can track cell phone signals, and some can scramble the signal. That’s probably why our phones aren’t working.”

One the verge of panicking, Sydney swallowed. “What should I do?”

“I’ll do the talking. But if it can’t be helped, I want you to go with them without resisting. As soon as I can, I’ll contact the team and Frida. Even if they have a warrant, I doubt it will hold against her.”

“I can’t go back to my uncle, Caitlin. I won’t survive it.”

“We won’t let that happen, Sydney. I swear we won’t.”

* * *

Kingsley knewthey were close to finding answers. He could feel it in his bones. The more the team dug, the closer the eastern connections were getting to the western ones. It was as the old saying went, ‘always follow the money’. He doubted Rutherford would do anything without a ton of it.

James stretched in front of his computer. “Can’t we just beat the guy into a bloody pulp so he never bothers Sydney again instead? My eyes are bleeding from staring at this screen for so long.”

If it was an option, Kingsley would have been first in line. And the last to see the scumbag alive. However, he wanted a life with Sydney, and that entailed using legitimate methods to get the information they wanted and put Rutherford behind bars.

Malco pushed a coffee into Mercy’s hand and sighed. “Where is the money? We’ve tracked every account, every source.”

Cain scoffed. “As if he’s stupid enough to use legal means or accounts.”

Mercy nodded. “Too bad illegal accounts don’t have flashing lights. They would be easier to find. Don’t despair, it’s not as if the money is ever lying there in plain sight.”

The words made Kingsley blink. In plain sight. “Why would Rutherford kidnap Sydney and keep her hidden? Why did he try to break her, and why is he trying to get her declared incompetent so he can get guardianship of her? She’s a grown adult in her thirties, not a lost teenager. Again, it doesn’t make sense.”

One by one, each team member around the conference table looked up.

Alex cursed under his breath, and Kingsley knew that the counter-intelligence specialist was connecting the dots as he spoke. “Sydney is the key. Damn, I should have realized. It’s common practice in terrorist groups to hide money under relative’s names, especially wives and children. I didn’t think of it because I thought Rutherford would have relied on an off-shore account instead, or some sort of scheme to hide the money. We have to find anything related to Sydney—deeds, accounts, funds, life insurances… It’s hidden under her name somewhere.”

Kingsley’s hands were almost shaking as he felt he was getting closer to his primary goal of making sure Sydney was safe.