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Chapter 59
Andrei
The security guard allows the Rover to enter the construction site through the front gate. The protestors have thinned out to a couple of people holding signs. They barely glance up as the SUV drives by.
I nod to the guard, one of my soldiers assigned to keep the site in Montgomery safe. No one wants to live near a warehouse, but everyone orders something online. There was a time not long ago when Dmitri and I would’ve snuck in through a hole in the fence, but life has changed. Vasily may have acquired the business through shady means, but I intend to make the project legit. We need somewhere to hide the money.
We enter the trailer where Tony Nelson sits behind the desk, tapping on his laptop. I look up at the sign behind his desk. Nelson Construction. I may own it, but I needed a clean man to front it. Tony looks clean because heisclean. A stocky man with a thick New York accent, he wears a navy sweat jacket large enough to hide his paunch as he drinks bitter black coffee.
He looks nervous when we walk in. The usual smile and warm greeting are nowhere in sight. “Andrei, your mother is trying to reach you.”
I laugh. “It can wait.”
He shakes his head. “She’s been calling for the last thirty minutes. She’s demanding that you call home. She wouldn’t say more than that.”
The screen on my phone is plastered with missed calls. Mostly from the same number. As I look at my phone, Dmitri’s chimes, and he answers it. He speaks quietly as he backs slowly toward the door, preparing for a quick exit.
I extend my hand to Tony, and we shake. “We’ll try this again tomorrow.”
He smiles tightly. “I’ll be here, boss.”
I step outside the trailer and join Dmitri. He stares at me intently, and I grow agitated. At that moment, my phone chimes, and I take the call.
“Andrei?” Eva doesn’t wait for an answer. “I’ve been trying to call you. We can’t find Paige.”
Dmitri ends his call. “Natasha says they’re searching the grounds for her, but your car is missing.”
Eva continues, unaware of the interruption. “Sonya came to take her to lunch, and that’s when we discovered her missing. They’re searching the house, but they won’t find her.”
I want to shout, but I refuse to lose my temper, not here. Tony’s face appears at the window, watching and wondering what could be wrong. I have no intention of letting anyone know I don’t have my wife under control. I head back toward the Rover, my thumb swiping the tracker app. The GPS coordinates tell me that Paige is at home. Dmitri looks over my shoulder as I tap on the icon for her earrings. The same coordinates appear. My anger flares when I realize my wife is untraceable. Will Paige ever listen to me? Why won’t she accept that she’s in danger?
The rest of the appointments will wait as we jump into the Rover and head back toward Twin Rivers. She probably went to see her father, but why today? I don’t need to ask myself that question as dread takes hold of my gut. I waited too long, and now, Gerald Reyes is gone, along with the money. No guessing. I need facts. My phone links to the SUV, and I call Oleg’s number. He answers on the first ring.
“What’s your location?” I ask immediately. “Are you at the Reyes house?”
“I just pulled up,” he replies. “Something has happened, but I have few details. The house was empty when I arrived earlier. Stefan said an ambulance was outside early this morning, but by then, the girl had already left for school.”
“Are you sure the house is empty?” I ask.
“Wait. I see something.” Over the speaker, we hear the SUV engine cut off and the door slam. He lowers his voice. “There’s movement in the house.”
We listen as a door creaks open, and silence is replaced by soft music playing in the background. My ears strain to hear every sound, but it’s concealed by a mellow saxophone playing a tune I know but can’t name. Impatience gets the best of me, and I’m about to give an order. But the serenity is interrupted by the sound of gunfire crackling across the SUV speakers, and then the phone literally drops.
I shout Oleg’s name, willing him to reply. The phone is silent, and I hit redial. Not a single ring before the phone goes straight to voice mail.
***
As we pull up to the house, Dmitri calls for reinforcements, but I don’t wait. He shouts for me to stop as I rush the door. Guns ready, we enter together, and the house is eerily quiet, as if the occupants suddenly ran out the back.
A cold breakfast tray is placed on the recliner’s seat, and a laptop plays “Sailing Away” in the empty living room. The soothing vocals grate against my nerves as I aim my gun, waiting for a death-seeking intruder to appear.
Something has happened to Paige. Maybe it’s still happening.
Paige could be anywhere in this godforsaken shack. I want to call out to her, but my heart is in my throat. I want to scream at her for being so stubborn and then kiss her because she’s okay. She has to be okay. I bite my lips together; shouting would be a lethal thing to do. Instead, I creep through the house, ready to shoot anyone who comes between me and her.
Dmitri and I check each room before we finally enter the kitchen. Oleg’s body is on the floor, facedown in a pool of blood and a spray of bullet holes across his back. He looks as if he is resting, listening to the wistful love song playing in the background. He looks as if, if I demand it, he will stand up, but he won’t.
I’ve lost another good man, and my wife is missing.
