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“I love you, too,” she wept. “But I’m so afraid. Please, Daddy—”
The screen went dark.
16
Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe
28 February
Wednesday, 7:17 a.m. local time
Aidan was hunched over his computer in the living room of the Penningtons’ suite, rapidly Googling for information on what he’d just heard, when Terri called.
“Kulen is a smoked sausage, spiced with paprika, and prepared primarily in the Slavonian region of Croatia,” she said, answering his unspoken question. “Slavonia is in the northeast corner of the country. Its size is four thousand eight hundred forty-eight square miles, and it’s approximately one hundred seventy-five miles east of Zagreb. Population-wise, it’s just over eight hundred thousand people. Osijek—which is its main city—is the fourth largest city in Croatia with an approximate population of one hundred and eight thousand. Having said that, Slavonia is predominantly agricultural, consisting of vast farmlands, which would lend themselves perfectly to holding a kidnapping victim. Those are the basic specs. Give me fifteen minutes and I’ll have a fully detailed dossier for the entire team.”
“I’ll give Philip and Marc a heads-up,” Aidan replied. “I’m calling them now and alerting them to the direction they’ll be taking.”
The Westin Zagreb
Zagreb, Croatia
28 February
Wednesday, 4:21 p.m. local time
Philip and Marc were seated around the coffee table in the living room of Philip’s suite, rereading and discussing the notes they’d compiled after the first two meetings with Danijel’s CIs. Marc had handled the first meeting, and Philip the second.
Danijel had provided them both with the names of the three Albanian organized crime groups who were still operational—to varying degrees—in Croatia. One group could be immediately eliminated, given that its leader was presently spending time in prison and his whole organization was in disarray. That left two plausible groups. Marc and Philip had used that knowledge as a foundation when they questioned the CIs and had managed to pick up a few enlightening details.
Now Marc spoke up first. “After what we’ve heard so far, my instincts tell me that the Sallaku OC family is the most likely to be involved in this. From what the CIs leaked, they have the greatest interest in increasing their criminal reach throughout Europe and perhaps even beyond. In addition to drug trafficking, human trafficking is high up on their list of specialties. And they’re smart, so it’s no surprise that they’ve been linked to other dealings with the Chinese.”
Philip’s brow was furrowed and he looked distinctly unhappy. “I agree with your assessment. And if that’s the group we’re looking at, there’s another ugly, unpleasant factor we need to address.”
“That they’re also the most violent of the three groups,” Marc supplied.
“Yes, with a total disregard for human life.”
“You don’t think the payment they’re receiving from the Chinese will be enough.”
“No, I don’t. Experience tells me that Albanian OC groups like this won’t be satisfied by just quietly collecting their money and handing over the victim. I’m willing to bet that the bloodshed has already begun. Their guy who hit on Lauren and was therefore a known commodity? I’m sure he was a cutout and is already dead. Anyone and everyone who’s a threat to them, they’ll slaughter.”
“Including Lauren,” Marc added, his expression grim. “Which blows Aidan’s theory to hell. He’s been focusing on the Chinese angle, knowing that it’s in their best interests to get Lauren home alive. But the Albanians are ruthless and don’t give a shit what the Chinese want. They’ll get their money and still slit Lauren’s throat, claiming she was trying to escape and they had no choice. The way they see it, the Chinese will have gotten what they wanted, which is all their next employer will focus on. Shit, Philip, we need to bring Aidan up to speed on this because this is going to clock him cold.”
Philip nodded. “We’ll call him in ten. First, let’s brainstorm tonight’s meeting, which you’ll be handling. That way we can give him a comprehensive overview.”
“Okay.” Marc agreed because the logic made sense. But he knew his brother—and his brother’s soft spot. A young woman—someone’s daughter. The very thought that Lauren could be collateral damage in all this rather than just a bargaining chip? This was going
to be a train wreck of a conversation.
Philip was already strategizing aloud. “Danijel says that the CI you’re meeting with tonight knows a hell of a lot and has the potential motive to share it. It’s up to you to convince him to do just that. To my way of thinking, we can’t keep soft-pedaling it the way Danijel wants, just handing over money and keeping it friendly. We’ve got to find a way to push this guy hard without shutting him down.”
“I totally agree.” A corner of Marc’s mouth lifted. “You know that big Rambo knife I have?”
“Actually, I was curious what that was for.”
“Just this type of situation. While Danijel is doing the questioning and translating, and before I pay the guy off, I’ll just stare him down, silently sharpening my blade with a stone. It never fails to loosen tongues. We already know this guy has info and motive, both of which might cause him to talk. I’ll help tilt the scales in our favor. Money is one incentive. Fear is another. Together, they’re lethal.”
Philip smiled. “So to hell with diplomacy alone. I agree. These informants are afraid to talk. They’ve got to be more afraid of us than they are of the people they know.”
