Chapter 53
CHAPTER
FIFTY-THREE
Hudson woke to sunlight streaming through unfamiliar windows.
The immediate awareness hit him: Today was the day everything would either come together or fall completely apart.
Thursday. The shipment was arriving tonight.
That meant eighteen hours until this was over.
Just the remembrance made his adrenaline start pumping.
He still had a few hours before brunch. He spent that time corresponding with his team and reviewing everything they knew.
Then he showered and dressed in clothes from the overnight bag he’d brought—casual but presentable.
When he descended to the dining room, Natalie was already seated at the table. Her father sat at the head reading something on his tablet. The morning paper lay folded beside his coffee cup, and brunch had been laid out—fresh fruit, pastries, eggs, bacon.
The picture of domestic normalcy.
Except for the armed security guard visible through the window and the tension radiating off Natalie like heat waves.
“Good morning.” Hudson took the seat beside her, acting as if everything was normal, like they weren’t playing a deadly game.
“Timothy.” Ravenscroft set down his tablet and peered at him over the top of his reading glasses. “Sleep well?”
“Very well, thank you. Your hospitality is appreciated.”
“Of course. Coffee?”
The small talk felt surreal, but Hudson knew it was necessary.
He accepted a cup from the silent server and tried to read Ravenscroft’s body language.
The man seemed . . . calm. Too calm for someone whose daughter had been attacked twice in as many days.
Unless he already had a plan.
“I’ve been thinking,” Ravenscroft said as he buttered a croissant. “After everything that’s happened, Natalie needs a break. Some time away from all this danger and stress.”
Natalie looked up, alarm in her gaze. “What do you mean?”
“I think you should get away for a while.”
“Dad, I can’t just leave. I have work—”
“Work can wait. Your safety can’t.” Ravenscroft’s tone brooked no argument. “I’m taking you out of the country for a few days. Somewhere Volkov’s people can’t reach you.”
Hudson’s instincts screamed warning.
Out of the country meant far away from backup. It meant being somewhere impossible to extract if things went wrong.
Too many things could go wrong.
Natalie would be in too much danger.
But how could he stop this without drawing too much attention to himself?
“Where were you thinking?” Hudson kept his tone carefully concerned as he turned toward Mr. Ravenscroft.
“Italy. My friend has a villa in Tuscany. It’s secure, private, beautiful this time of year.” Ravenscroft smiled at Natalie. “You always said you wanted to see Florence. We could leave this afternoon, be there by tomorrow morning.”
“Dad . . .” Natalie started with a disapproving frown.
But Hudson’s mind remained on Ravenscroft’s words.
He wanted to leave this afternoon. Hours before the raid. Before authorities could seize the shipment and arrest everyone involved.
“That’s very considerate,” Hudson said, knowing Natalie’s father was waiting for his response. “But do you really think Natalie should travel right now? What if those men are watching the airports?”
“I have a private jet. No commercial terminals, no public exposure.” Ravenscroft’s gaze darkened. “And, of course, you’re welcome to join us, Timothy. I’d feel better knowing Natalie has additional protection.”
The offer sounded genuine.
It also sounded like a trap.
Plus, if he left town, how could he help stop this attack? Because that’s why Ravenscroft wanted to leave, right? To get himself and his daughter away from the coming danger? He supposed he shouldn’t be surprised.
“I appreciate that, sir, but I have client obligations this week,” he said. “I can’t just leave the country on short notice.”
“Surely your clients would understand given the circumstances?” He raised his eyebrows and waited for Hudson’s response.
“You can’t ask him to rearrange his schedule last minute, Dad.” Natalie gave her father a look. “Normal people don’t work for their fathers and have the flexibility I have.”
Pressure built in Hudson at the question. This was a subtle test, wasn’t it?
Someone who really cared about Natalie would rearrange his schedule for his girlfriend’s safety. Refusing made Hudson look either uncommitted or like he had other priorities.
Other priorities like a raid on Warehouse 7.
“Let me make some calls,” Hudson said with a firm nod. “I’ll see what I can rearrange.”
“Perfect.” A smile played at the corner of Ravenscroft’s lips. “We’ll be leaving at three. That gives you the morning to sort your affairs.”
Three o’clock. Four hours before the raid. Plenty of time to get Natalie away from whatever happened at that warehouse.
Having her far away from this danger was reassuring. But he didn’t trust Ravenscroft and his associates. When things went south, Natalie would be caught in the crosshairs.
He couldn’t let that happen.
Hudson’s phone buzzed in his pocket.
Probably Colton wanting an update.
But first, Hudson needed to survive brunch without revealing he knew exactly why Richard Ravenscroft suddenly wanted his daughter out of the country on this particular Thursday.
Natalie pushed eggs around her plate, her appetite nonexistent.
Italy.
Her father wanted to take her to Italy.
Today.
Any other time, she would have been thrilled. She’d always wanted to see Florence, the art, the history, the culture.
But the timing felt wrong. Suspicious. Like her father was trying to get her away from Norfolk for a specific reason.
Because something was happening. Something he didn’t want her to witness.
Plus, if she went with him, how would she meet Jonathan Rutter and find out what he knew?
She couldn’t.
“Dad, I really don’t think I can leave on such short notice,” she tried again. “I have meetings scheduled, projects due—”
“Natalie.” Her father’s voice was gentle but firm. “Someone tried to kidnap you. Twice. Your safety is more important than any work project.”
“But what about after we come back? They’ll still be here, still be a threat.”
“By the time we return, I’ll have dealt with Volkov.” The coldness in her father’s eyes when he said the name made Natalie’s stomach clench. “He won’t be a problem anymore.”
“So you think he’s the one behind these attacks on me?” she clarified.
“I do.” Her father nodded. “He’s the only one who makes sense. He wants to hurt me by hurting you.”
She glanced at Hudson, hoping for some signal, some guidance. But his expression was neutral, the perfect mask of a concerned boyfriend trying not to overstep.
At least Hudson might go with her.
Or would he?
Why take them both to Italy unless . . . ?
Unless her father wanted to get Hudson somewhere isolated, away from witnesses, where anything could happen.
Her father stood. “Now, I have some business to attend to before we leave. Natalie, why don’t you pack your things? Timothy, let me know about your schedule as soon as you can.”
He left the dining room, and Natalie immediately turned to Hudson.
“I’m supposed to meet someone at two,” she whispered.
Hudson squinted with confusion. “What? Who?”
“Jonathan Rutter. He’s one of the men my father tried to fix me up with. He texted last night and said he knows something he needs to tell me.”
“Why didn’t he tell you on the phone?”
She shrugged. “He said he couldn’t.”
His jaw hardened. “I don’t like the sound of that. It could be a trap.”
“Or this could be the information we need!”
“It sounds like a terrible idea.”
“We’ve had a lot of terrible ideas lately!”
Silence stretched between them for a moment.
Then she whispered, “I don’t want to go to Italy. I need to stay here. I need to help stop this.”
“I know.”
“So what do we do?”
Hudson’s jaw tightened. “I’m working on it.”
Natalie saw the worry in his eyes.
Whatever was happening today, whatever her father was planning or hiding from, they were running out of time to stop it.
And if they got on that plane to Italy, they might not get another chance.