Axel Wulf: A Romance Crime Action Thriller

Chapter 24

The strength of the pack is the alpha wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack. ~Rudyard Kipling

Axel

In interrogation room three, on my second set of push-ups, I spring to my feet and sniff my pits when Stillman’s supervisor, Deputy Director Trescher enters.

“Sit.” His sixtyish face skews at the ripe stench and I smirk as I grab my dress shirt off the back of my chair.

After I button it up, I ease my ass down, stretch my legs long, and cross my arms. “I don’t suppose you brought air freshener?”

“McGee pled guilty to everything.” Ignoring my smart mouth, he eases his apple-shaped butt onto the resin seat.

“Huh.” My eyes shift to where he drums his short, manicured fingernails on the tabletop.

While the liar waits for me to say more, I mimic his unblinking stare. Unlike him, I have no problem letting the silence drag out.

The clock ticks sixty more seconds, a drop of sweat appears on his forehead, and he clears his throat. “She conspired with her husband Farid, who took their daughter and escaped to London.” Unlike the first, he believes this statement to be true.

“I’d like to see the travel consent form.” I’m not buying what he’s selling.

“And I’d like to see you fired. We can’t always get what we want.”

But you can get what you need. Is he trying to tell me something?

“Does the name Ledbetter mean anything to you?” he asks. With his back to the two-way mirror, he flicks his gaze up at the camera and sends me a silent signal.

Because of it, I decide to play it safe. “No. Why?”

“No reason. Just asking.” Like two high-stakes poker players, we place our elbows on the table and try to read each other’s tells.

“The girl played you for a sap.” His brown eyes narrow while mine remain neutral.

“Respectfully, sir. The woman would never allow her ex to take her kid outside the country.”

“You’re too close to the situation. Go home, Wulf. Before you leave, upload everything to the cloud. I’ll give you access until noon.”

I’ve kept my reports current, and he, of all people, would be aware of this fact. Also, my network access should be revoked by now. Does he want me to continue working on this case? If so, I bet my right nut there’s a VIP behind the mirror that he wants to keep in the dark.

Back at my cube, I log onto my laptop and find Abigail Parisi’s travel documentation. When I zoom in on Gwen’s signature and compare it to her driver’s license, I curse.

As I suspected, they’re not the same. With the results in hand, I walk back to Trescher”s office. “He’s kidnapped the girl. Once she’s in Iran, we can’t get her back.”

“I’m quite aware of the custodial laws in Islamic countries. Now, get lost.” He hands me a plain manilla envelope.

“Yessir.” Outside the building, I press speed dial. “Gwen’s husband took her kid.”

The Aussie ex-SEAL sounds out of breath. “Quinn told us. We’re already on it. Where are you? We’ll pick you up.”

As his car door slams, I’m torn between going after the child or clearing the air with her mom. “Where’s Gwen?”

“Lockup. Quinn says he’ll have her out shortly.” As his engine roars in the background, I clench my fists.

Fucking Stillman. He may have the upper hand now, but I am going to take him down. “Does she know about Abbie?”

“She’s using the bitcoin drive to foot the bill. She hired us all to do whatever it takes to get her back.” By all, I take it to mean Patten Securities.

There’s no team better suited to retrieve that cute little girl. “I’m in, and unofficially, so is the US Government.”

He chuckles. “Figured as much, mate.”