CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“You’re telling me that the man who kidnapped Maria Rybak and her nanny is the same one who chased Talia Holland the other night?” Detective Green asked as they stood outside the front of the Rybak home, his voice dubious.
Lennox ground his jaw, resisting the urge to say something he shouldn’t. Green had had this skeptical look on his face from the moment Lennox told him what’d happened. The jackass had kept questioning everything he’d said even after Katrina had corroborated his description of events.
Maybe Kyla was right about someone paying the guy off.
There was a soft snort from off to the side, and Lennox glanced over to see Colt looking as frustrated as he was.
Colt and Darwin had arrived a few minutes after Keller’s escape, immediately followed by a virtual army of cops. While they’d kept Simon, Kirk, and Wes outside the property, unfortunately, they’d let Green through the security perimeter.
“The man who took Talia and Maria was almost seven feet with long, dark hair,” Lennox pointed out as he tried to control his temper. “Sound familiar? It should, since it’s the exact same description Talia provided when she told you about the man who chased her.”
“Right. This Keller you told me about?” Green flipped through a small pad covered with scribbled notes. “If you ask me, it seems like a coincidence that the mugger who chased your girlfriend through an alley on the poor side of town would show up with a dozen men carrying automatic weapons at the private residence belonging to a wealthy family to kidnap a nanny. What makes your girlfriend so valuable?”
For a fraction of a moment, Lennox considered telling Green what they knew about Keller and Sentinel. It was that or punch the guy in his smug face. But then he realized he couldn’t do either. One would get him arrested and the other would only earn him more skepticism. What was he supposed to say anyway? That Keller was an international terrorist involved in a complex criminal scheme with Bogdan and a dozen other powerful people in the city and that he’d kidnapped Maria as a hostage in an attempt to get something out of her father specifically? That would only feed into Green’s belief that Lennox was making all of this stuff up and lead to hours of wasted time when they should be looking for Talia and Maria.
“I don’t know exactly what Keller was planning but considering how well-armed he and his men were, and the fact that they seemed to be intent on getting their hands on Maria, I think we can rule out this being another mugging attempt,” Lennox said sarcastically.
Green opened his mouth, probably ready to deny that theory, but was interrupted by a Mercedes racing up the driveway and squealing to a stop. It was followed by a second Mercedes that came to a stop behind the first. Bogdan and Vera jumped out of the first, along with Sofia, while Dayton and Roselyn McDaniel climbed out of the second.
The moment the McDaniels spotted Beverly, relief filled their faces. Beverly immediately ran to her parents, fiercely hugging her mother and father. From where he stood, Lennox heard Roselyn stifle a sob as she wrapped her arms around her daughter.
Vera looked around wildly for Maria only to look like she might pass out when she realized that her daughter wasn’t there. She wrapped an arm around Sofia for what looked like comfort as well as support while Green walked over to speak with them. Even though Bogdan didn’t let it show on his face, Lennox could tell from the tension in the man’s body that he was as terrified for Maria as his wife and teenage daughter were.
“Why do I get the feeling that Bogdan isn’t all that surprised about Keller being involved?” Colt said, coming to stand beside Lennox as Green told the Rybaks what happened. “He also doesn’t seem shocked to see us here.”
“Do you think he knows that we’re onto the fact that he and the other families are involved with Keller?” Darwin asked softly. “Or that we were the ones running the surveillance operation at that office complex?”
Lennox studied the Belarusian. “Before tonight, I would have said no way he knows but with the way Bogdan is looking at us right now, I’m not sure what to think.”
By the time Green was done, Vera was sobbing uncontrollably. Roselyn helped get Vera inside and up the stairs while Sofia followed with Katrina and a teary-eyed Beverly. Lennox felt his heart breaking for all of them.
Lennox was terrified too. He was merely doing a better job of hiding it.
He’d been keeping a tight lid on his emotions from the moment Keller had driven away with Talia and Maria but on the inside, his stomach was churning like crazy. If they were right and Keller had taken Maria as some kind of leverage over her father, then Talia was essentially extra baggage. If Lennox was being honest with himself—and he wasn’t in the mood for that level of honesty—he feared the worst. But he determinedly forced himself to stop thinking along that path.
Talia was okay. She had to be. He refused to imagine any other possibility.
Bogdan and McDaniel continued talking to Green for a little while longer before Bogdan’s cell rang and he stepped aside to answer it. Green said something to McDaniel, who nodded then went into the house and upstairs, probably to check on his wife and daughter. As soon as Bogdan was off the phone, Green left, saying something about being in touch.
The moment Green and the rest of the cops left, Bogdan walked over to Lennox, Colt, and Darwin. “We need to talk,” he said. “Follow me.”
Bogdan led them inside and straight to his office, closing the door before turning to face them.
“How much do you already know?” he asked Lennox without preemption.
Lennox didn’t answer at first, not sure how much he should reveal. But then he remembered how much Bogdan cared for his family and that he’d do anything for them. That much was obvious when they’d escaped Belarus. Keller must know that too. That was why he kidnapped Maria in the first place.
That alone was probably enough reason to be honest with Bogdan about what they knew about Keller. But there was also the fact that Bogdan knew more about Keller and what the hell he was doing in town than Lennox and his fellow SEALs ever would. They’d need his help if they were going to find Talia and Maria.
They needed Bogdan to trust them, so he’d tell them everything. Which meant they’d have to tell him everything too.
“We ran into a group of international terrorists in Brazil a couple weeks ago,” Lennox finally said, watching from the corner of his eye that both Colt and Darwin looked surprised that he’d reveal that kind of information. “This group has been hitting targets all over the globe for months and Keller was the one leading them.”
Bogdan nodded, apparently not surprised by the fact that the man he was involved with was an international terrorist. Which suggested he already knew.
“It didn’t take long to figure out that Keller was the man who chased Talia the other night,” Lennox added. “And that he was involved with Anna’s disappearance. We also know that you, Dayton McDaniel, John Fredrickson, and half a dozen other powerful people in San Diego are involved with Keller.”
Bogdan did look shocked now, caught off guard by how much they knew. Lennox wondered what he’d say if he knew a good portion of their intel had come from Maria.
“We’re assuming Keller wants you for your criminal contacts around the world,” Lennox continued. He needed to get Bogdan talking, instead of doing all of it himself. “The same way he probably wants Fredrickson for his shipping fleet and McDaniel for his bio-tech resources. But what we don’t know is what he wants you to bring to the San Diego docks and why it’s so important to him that he’d risk coming onto your property to kidnap Talia and Maria.”
Bogdan’s eyes narrowed, angry Lennox had implied that it was his fault they’d been kidnapped—even if there was a grain of truth to it. He half expected Bogdan to throw them the hell out, but the man’s shoulders only slumped. Sighing, he walked over to his desk and sat down.
“You know much more than I expected,” Bogdan said, his gaze going to each of them. “Is the Navy formally involved in this, or just the three of you?”
Lennox glanced at Colt and Darwin, unsure if he should answer that question—at least truthfully. What if Bogdan wanted to know so he knew how many loose ends to deal with? But at a pair of shrugs and nods from Colt and Darwin, he turned back to Bogdan with a shake of his head.
“No, the Navy doesn’t know anything about this. It’s just us and a few of our Teammates.”
Bogdan nodded and closed his eyes for a long moment as if trying to collect his thoughts and steady his nerves.
“I was first approached by Keller’s people a little over a month ago,” Bogdan finally said after he took a long, deep breath. “It was a very casual meeting, the men stating they had an interest in doing some business with some people I knew in eastern Europe. But I’ve been in the game long enough to recognize when I’m being groomed for something bigger and declined further involvement.”
“I assume they didn’t take no for an answer?” Lennox asked.
“No, they didn’t,” Bogdan said. “A week later, they were back, with Keller this time. In between, I learned that Dayton McDaniel and a few other members of our social circle had also been approached by these people with offers to form a business relationship with a group named Sentinel. Keller was much more forceful in his negotiations than the others had been. He wanted my overseas contacts, and he wanted me to coordinate all operations here in San Diego. He had no problem implying that my refusal would almost certainly have a negative impact on the long-term health of my family and me.”
Even knowing how violent Keller was, Lennox was still shocked the man would so blatantly threaten someone he wanted something from.
“I considered going to the police or the FBI, but a few days after meeting with Keller, I received a visit from Elliot Boyd,” Bogdan continued.
Lennox immediately recognized the name, even if he hadn’t expected to hear it anytime soon. “Boyd? Wasn’t that the name of the CIA field agent in charge of your relocation here in San Diego? What the hell does he have to do with any of this?”
Bogdan sat back in his chair with a frown. “It turns out the CIA has been aware of Sentinel for some time. And when Keller approached me and the others with his offer to work for them, Boyd was sent to convey the Agency’s desire that I accept that offer. In fact, Boyd made sure to pass along that my family’s continued residence in this country depended on my cooperation.”
“Well, that was a crappy thing for them to do,” Darwin muttered. “But so typical for our friends at the CIA.”
Bogdan shrugged. “I knew when I agreed to come to the U.S. that there would be strings attached to the help my family received. It’s the way the world works.”
“It still sucks,” Darwin insisted.
Lennox couldn’t argue with that. “But if the CIA is so keen on your cooperation, why were you so hesitant to get this stuff to the dock like Keller wanted? Were you seriously trying to bluff your way into a meeting with Keller’s bosses at Sentinel?”
Bogdan did a double take. “How do you know about that?” He shook his head and held up a hand. “It doesn’t matter. Just know that my bluffing is all on Boyd and the CIA. They know next to nothing about who’s running Sentinel, and this was their way of trying to learn more.”
“Even if it means putting you at risk?” Colt asked with a frown. “They had to know that if you pushed Keller, he might push back. Which is exactly what he did.”
“My family and I are the least of their concerns,” Bogdan said. “That call I got outside was Boyd telling me to keep pushing Keller for a meeting with his superior. They think that if I imply Maria and Talia’s abduction is of no concern to me then Keller will give in and concede to my demands for the meeting. I don’t know why he’d be stupid enough to think Keller would believe that.”
It was Lennox’s turn to look stunned. “How do they already know Talia and Maria were kidnapped? It’s barely been more than an hour since Keller left.”
“I assume they have someone inside the police department,” Bogdan said with a shrug. “Regardless, I asked if they were planning to help get Talia and Maria back and they simply said that the CIA’s involvement isn’t necessary at this time.”
Lennox cursed. “They’re willing to let Talia and Maria get hurt on the off chance they get some intel on this Sentinel group? I’ve never thought much of the Agency, but this is a new low, even for them.”
“We’re not going to go along with this, are we?” Darwin asked, though Lennox could tell from his tone that it wasn’t a question. “We’re going to rescue them out on our own, right?”
“Damn right we are.” Lennox gave Bogdan a pointed look. “But you already knew that, didn’t you?”
Bogdan looked like a weight had lifted from his shoulders. “I hoped.”
“For this to work, we’re going to need your help,” Lennox said. “You’ll need to lure Keller out into the open with Talia and Maria.”
Bogdan nodded. “The only thing that will get Keller’s attention is to offer him exactly what he wants.”
“Which is what, by the way?” Colt questioned.
“A state-of-the-art genome sequencing computer,” Bogdan explained. “It’s the only reason that Keller wants Dayton McDaniel involved. His bio-tech company specializes in advances to genetic research. This computer system is worth ten million dollars and is one-of-a-kind.”
Lennox frowned. “What the hell does Keller need with a genome sequencing computer? Not that I know what a genome sequencing computer does. But it doesn’t seem like something in Keller’s wheelhouse.”
“I have no idea what he wants with it,” Bogdan admitted. “While there seems to be several items on the Sentinel agenda when it comes to the San Diego area, acquiring this computer, getting it through port security and onto the ship Fredrickson has waiting is at the top of their list.”
Lennox exchanged looks with Colt and Darwin to see that they looked as baffled as he was.
“Do you think Sentinel is trying to create some new biological weapon?” Darwin asked. “Like some kind of super-bug?”
Bogdan lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “I have no idea what it can do. Dayton attempted to explain to me what the computer does but it was over my head. I suppose it’s possible.”
That was a frightening thought.
As plans went, the one to rescue Talia and Maria was pretty basic. Bogdan would contact Keller and set up an exchange of McDaniel’s fancy sequencing computer for them. Once a time and place had been established, Lennox and his Teammates would slip in and set up an ambush. When the exchange went down, they’d get Talia and Maria out of there while hopefully preventing Keller from getting what he wanted.
Piece of cake.
“Boyd and the CIA can’t catch wind of what we’re doing or they’ll stop us, regardless of what that would mean for Maria and Talia,” Bogdan said, getting to his feet and coming around the desk. “I’m going to talk to my wife and Sofia and somehow try and convince them that this is all going to work out okay, then I’ll make some calls and set up the exchange with Keller, as well as convince Boyd that I’m still playing the game the way he wants.” He looked at each of them in turn. “Thank you.”
After Bogdan left the room, Lennox flopped down onto the leather couch, rested his elbows on his knees, and put his head in his hands. As a SEAL, he’d been in dozens of situations like the one tonight, but none had ever left him feeling this drained—or terrified.
“She’s going to be okay,” Colt said as if reading his mind. “We’re going to use this big fancy computer to set up an ambush and we’re going to get Talia and Maria back safe and sound.”
Lennox lifted his head and looked at his friends. “I know we’ve gotten people out of worse situations, but I can’t help feeling different about this because it’s personal. There are two people out there who are very important to me. I can’t screw this up and I can’t lose either of them.”
“You won’t,” Darwin said firmly.
Lennox shot to his feet with a curse. “It’s my fault Talia and Maria got kidnapped. If I’d gotten here thirty minutes earlier, if I hadn’t been so wrapped up worrying about Talia breaking up with me, she and Maria would be here right now.”
“You know that crap they say about pigs and wings, right?” Colt said. “Stop wallowing in what could have been and focus on what needs to happen next. After we rescue them, you and Talia can sit down and talk through this crap like adults instead of sidestepping the issue like angst-ridden teenagers.”
“Hey!” Lennox grumbled but then all the fight left his body, and he gave up with a long sigh. “It’s not that bad. Is it?”
“Yes!” both Colt and Darwin said at the same time.
“But don’t worry about it,” Colt added. “This is all going to work out.”
Lennox only hoped Colt was right.