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Joel studied the road. “You think he’s headed to Stockholm?”
“When we were cooped up here, he couldn’t take it,” Adrían said. “He would always leave and head over to Gothenburg or up to Stockholm.”
Joel stared at the map as though he could psychically will himself to find Ayesha’s location. “So, what you’re saying is he likes the draw of the larger cities. Bigger city, more places to hide.”
“More like more to do. Lavigne’s not a house mouse. If he’s cooped up for too long, he’ll start to lose it. It’s happened many times on assignment.”
“‘Lose it’ meaning, what?” He needed to know whether it was behavior that would increase the likelihood of Ayesha’s death. If it was, they would have to alter their timeline.
Adrían tapped the side of his head. “It’s not a state that necessarily makes him more dangerous. There’s a rumor that he was locked up as a child and had to spend years in his bedroom.”
“Eesh can use that.”
They all looked at him.
“How?” Mike asked.
“She’s smart.” For the first time in days, he didn’t have to fake his optimism. “The brain, the mind? Who knows them better than my girl? Without Lavigne going all ‘traumatic childhood,’ she could still break him apart like Legos. If he buckles, and she gets a chance…she’ll take it.”
A renewed vigor went around the room, so potent he felt the change ripple over his skin. They were so worried about finding her that they forgot how strong she was. Ayesha could buy them the time they needed, but she couldn’t do that if he lost faith in her ability to take care of herself.
As much as he wanted her back in his arms, she wanted to be back in his arms. She wanted to come home for him, Josiah, Theo, and the little one they hadn’t yet met.
She would fight.
He knew she would.
Julien looked at the ceiling, eyes darting from left to right. “Based on the boat’s trajectory, and if we’re assuming he’s traveling by car headed north, with the average speed on 73, there’s a thirty-five percent chance he’s already made it to Stockholm. But he wouldn’t keep Ayesha in the city. Not in the city, but not far from it.”
Dez drew a line from one location to another. “Far as in Nykvarn? That would take us a couple of days to cover, at least, and that’s with SÄPO and Interpol’s help. Then Interpol’s more focused on finding Lavigne than Ayesha. If they grab him before we do…”
“He might never talk,” Joel finished.
Adrían stepped closer to the map. “Nykvarn’s too far. Lavigne doesn’t cook. He’ll need a shorter ride to restaurants. That’s his thing—restaurants. The fancier, the better. The kind of establishments most of us only dreamed we could step inside as children. If you ever see him eating fast food, it’s his last days.”
“I’ll pick up a burger for him on the way, then,” Joel said.
Mike looked at Giorgio. “Familiar with any high-end restaurants in Stockholm, big guy?”
Giorgio didn’t respond.
Giorgio had barely said two words since Ayesha was taken, so they’d been relegated to reading his body language and the changes in the air to get a feel for his mood.
“So we’ll start with a five-kilometer perimeter around the city center,” Gage instructed. “We’ll pair off. Gano, I’m sending you with Joel and Giorgio.”
Adrían nodded. “Got it.”
* * *
Every day, they searched a new area. Every day, they failed to find any sign of Ayesha or Lavigne.
Slowly, Joel’s renewed optimism dissolved.
Promising Josiah he would find her only went so far before even Josiah started breaking down as severely as Theo. Then, after searching until his body tapped out, sleep never came. All he saw was Ayesha sitting in that chair and the smile she gave him, his memory holding onto the image as though it would be his last.
None of the people they spoke to saw anyone fitting Lavigne’s description in the area. Julien hacked into street cameras, public Wi-Fi networks, cell phones. Their team, SÄPO, Interpol—all of them searching and nothing.
Their latest search brought them to a park where people swam and relaxed on the shore of a large lake. Without having to say the words out loud, he knew they’d stopped in the area to check for a body in the water.
