Chapter 40
KNOX
Islammed open the door of the Wildcats Headquarters and barged into Tara’s office. Every single Wildcat was in attendance, including Hugh and a few of his men. I had to hurry. Tara was waiting for me.
I walked straight to Samaira. “What the fuck happened? I thought you had Tara’s back.”
Dominic immediately stood in front of Samaira, blocking my view of her, as he glared at me. “Watch your fucking tone, Steele. She’s just as worried about Tara. We all are.”
Samaira patted Dom’s back. “Thanks, Dom.” With that, she pushed him to the side and faced me head-on.
“I know a thing or two about being worried about the love of your life when some Russians kidnap them. I understand the anger. I also know that Vadim and Maxim will both be dead by sunrise tomorrow morning.”
Her words, although conciliatory, did nothing to the raging beast inside my chest. That demanded blood. Death. Torture. That needed Tara in his arms. Because she was taken from me.
I could see Naomi and Lena hug Sloane from the corner of my eye, but none of it mattered to me. It was almost midnight, and I was due to call fucking Vadim in ten minutes. I needed all the information. Because Tara was waiting for me.
“Where’s Maxim Orlov?” I asked.
Lena pulled out of the hug and, keeping her hand in Sloane’s, pointed her thumb toward the briefing area near the kitchen. “Tied to a chair, unconscious. Two of my girls are watching him.”
I nodded and turned to Hugh. “When was the last time you saw Tara?”
“When she and Mark entered the containers to get to the Russians. They were on aisle four. I had my drone monitoring them, but it got shot during the shoot-out.”
Sophie, Dominic’s sister, immediately piped in, “The two of us went inside the container. At least six of the containers were connected from the inside. It was like a mini train, with rooms, cages, and an open area. We took out several goons before we reached the container that held all the girls and Maxim. The fucker Greg pretended to be on our side. He even saved Tara and shot his own men. We never realized he was…fucking Vadim.”
Dominic had already updated them all after our call on the way to headquarters.
I turned back to Hugh. “Did you see any car, any fucking vehicle, leave from the area?”
“No. I have been constantly tracking every street camera in the area. He had to have escaped on foot. Somehow avoiding all the cameras. He has to be in that container lot.”
“How many containers?”
His eyes were somber. “Thousands. Tens of thousands.”
Lena walked up to me, her arms folded across her chest. “What are you thinking?”
I needed to hurry. Tara was waiting for me.
“About how to find Tara, kill Vadim, and then yell at her for not having enough backup.”
“So we’re all on the same page that we’re not handing over Maxim in exchange for Tara?” asked Sloane.
Everyone agreed. I met Lena’s eyes and shrugged. “We can use him as bait. The fucker is grasping at his last straw. He knows he’s fucked. The moment he hands me Tara, I’m going to kill him. Slowly.”
Sloane, who had been sitting on the chair, sipping a chocolate milkshake, piped in, “And I’m going to kill Maxim. Very slowly.”
I met her eyes and gave her a nod in solidarity. “Let’s wake up your guy, shall we?”
She gave a vicious smile and stood. I walked to his slumped form at the chair, and with every ounce of rage in my system, gave him a tight fucking slap. He jerked awake, fumbling.
Before he could realize where he was, I punched him square in the mouth. “Where the fuck is your brother hiding?”
He bent over, coughing up blood and spitting it at his feet. A hoarse chuckle escaped him. “You should’ve woken me earlier. I would've loved to see your face when you realized. Oh man, that was hilarious.”
I stopped myself from punching the fucker since I had to call his brother.
Couldn’t exactly risk my girl’s life. I pulled out my phone and dialed Vadim.
The fucker picked up on the first ring. His smug face appeared on the screen.
Now that I saw him as Vadim, I could see the similarities between him and Maxim in their eyes.
I turned the camera to his brother. “Your brother. Alive.”
He let out a growl. “He’s injured.”
I turned the camera back to me, glaring at the screen. “Of course he’s injured, you dumb fuck. You punched my girl. Did you really think I wouldn’t punch your brother?”
He let out a sigh. “Fine. Wait for me to send you the coordinates for the exchange. And of course, I don’t have to tell you, but I will. Come alone. Do not bring your cops. Do not bring those ladies. Only you and my brother. Otherwise, I will kill your girl. No matter the consequences.”
“Fine. When are you sending the fucking coordinates? Right after the call? In an hour? Two? A week?”
He growled. “Fuck you. I’ll send them when I want to. Until then, not a single scratch on my brother. Or I’ll cut up your bitch.”
“Call her a bitch, and your brother won’t have a dick when you meet him.”
“Last warning, Lieutenant. Don’t mess with me.”
“You’ve been warned as well, fucker.”
I ended the fucking call right after, not allowing him to speak. Maxim, having heard the entire conversation, relaxed in his fucking chair. I looked at Sloane, and she read my mind, because in the next moment, she kicked the fucker in the face, toppling his chair backward.
“Oww, fuck,” he groaned. “Did you not hear Vadim?”
She walked around the chair and pressed her shoe on his face. “Do I look like I care?”
With that, she swung her leg in a roundhouse kick at his face, rendering him unconscious again. “That should give us some peace to think over the next step.”
I needed to hurry. Tara was waiting for me.
I nodded at her and turned to everyone. “Alright. I’m not waiting for the fucker to send us the coordinates. That would just give him more time to prepare.”
“Agreed,” Samaira said. “Let’s go find the fucker now.”
I nodded. “He has to be somewhere around the container yard. Since he was going to escape with the girls on a ship, he wouldn’t venture out far from the dock area.”
Hugh nodded. “I agree. But how are we going to find him among thousands of containers? It’s like finding a needle in a haystack.”
My lips stretched in a victorious smile. “Not if we have one member in the Wildcats family who could find Tara anywhere, anytime, without needing fucking GPS coordinates.”
Naomi met my eyes and matched my smile. “Shadow.”
“Let’s fucking go,” I growled, whirling around to run to the Den where Tara had left Shadow.
I could hear Lena’s loud voice discussing the logistics of the next steps. Clearly, none of the four Wildcats were staying back. I trusted them to make the plan. I just knew that I would be the one in the lead, killing that fucker tonight. I just had to hurry. Tara was waiting for me.
The moment I opened the Den, Shadow lunged at me. “Hey, boy, you missed me, huh?”
He got on his two feet and tried to give me licks. I grabbed his collar and got on my knees, calming him down with a glare. “Shadow. Your mommy is missing. Tara is missing. We gotta find her.”
Shadow barked, lunging at me again, growling furiously, as if he understood what I was saying. As if his fury matched mine. I grabbed him in my arms and carried him to our apartment. I quickly grabbed his leash, Tara’s T-shirt in case Shadow didn’t understand me, and a few treats for him.
When I got back to the headquarters, the four women were ready for battle. Dominic carried the unconscious Maxim over his shoulder. “You coming with us?” I asked in surprise.
Samaira snorted. “He’s just dropping us off at the chopper. I told him I could carry one guy.”
Dominic growled. “You’re not touching another man, let alone carrying him over your shoulders, when I’m right fucking here.”
“Who do you think is going to carry him once we reach there?” Samaira retorted.
Lena was the one who answered, “Nobody. He’s staying handcuffed in the chopper. We’re finishing this up and getting them both before Vadim tries something.”
Samaira nodded.
Naomi had a first-aid kit in her hand. When I noticed it with a frown on my face, she gave me a kind smile. “It’s just in case. I carry it in every mission.”
I pressed my lips and hit the elevator button as Shadow circled everyone, whining and growling, probably looking for his mom. I didn’t want to think about anything happening to my little fairy tale.
Once we reached the rooftop, the five of us climbed inside the chopper.
Dominic threw Maxim at our feet and pulled Samaira in for a kiss.
He seemed to say something in her ear, and before I could snap at the lovebirds that we needed to hurry because Tara was waiting for me, Samaira gave him another blistering kiss and climbed inside.
I pulled Shadow between my legs the moment the chopper took off.
We reached the container lot, the exact spot where Samaira had last seen Tara, in twenty minutes.
Shadow and I ran ahead with the four Wildcats right on my tail.
All of us entered the container where Tara had disappeared.
I took in the toppled barrels, the bullets stuck in the walls, and the significant number of cages.
Vadim was right. The auction was merely a distraction. His original plan was to run off with his brother and the women rescued tonight. Shadow started barking and circling a spot closer to the door we entered.
My eyes met the ladies, who were looking at Shadow. “You think this is where he took Tara?”
Samaira nodded. “Looks like it.”
I dropped to my knees and gave Shadow a little treat. “Good boy. Now, let’s find Tara, shall we?” I pulled out her T-shirt from the back of my pocket for Shadow to sniff. He barely gave a whiff. Apparently, he didn’t need a scent to find his mom.
“Alright, Shadow. Let’s go find Tara.”