Chapter 53
Chapter Fifty-Three
Kain
“Her phone is here.” Milo pointed to a map of Ozarrow Woods on his computer screen. Harry, Emilio, and Camila sat around the dining table with two large boxes of pizza sitting at the edge.
“Are you sure? The phone activated where the lake is located?” I asked, wondering what I’d missed when I was there not too long ago.
Then I remembered the threatening note. Hawthorne must have his men hiding around there.
Milo nodded. “It turned on three times.”
“Something’s under the lake,” Harry stared at the map, looking concerned.
“We’ll need to investigate if the lake is natural or man-made,” Emilio said.
My phone buzzed, and I glanced down at the text message from an unfamiliar phone number. Normally, I’d ignore unfamiliar numbers, but something urged me to click on it. When I did, my heart pounded.
Unknown: Eva’s shopping list. Okay to buy.
Unknown: To get the nice repairman Shawn for his new baby boy.
Five links to a baby registry followed.
A wave of relief washed over me. I smiled, knowing Eva was sending me coded messages, informing me she was okay. She somehow got a repairman to send this message. Or she’d gotten a hold of his phone.
God, I love her!
I whipped my attention to everyone at the table. “Eva sent me a message!”
“What did she say?” Hope sparked in Harry’s eyes.
“She used someone’s phone, asking me to purchase gifts from a baby registry for a repairman.” I clicked on the registry and ordered everything for Shawn’s baby. “I need to speak to this man. Can you search for info on the lake?”
They nodded, and I walked over to the window, dialing Shawn’s number.
After three rings, he picked up. “Hello?”
“Hi, is this Shawn?”
“Yes. Who are you?”
“I’m Eva’s boyfriend. I just placed the order from your baby registry. Congratulations, by the way.”
“Oh wow. Thank you. Eva’s so generous and thoughtful.”
“She’s one of a kind, and I love her. I’m having trouble reaching her. Do you know where she is?”
“Umm . . .”
I sensed the hesitation, the fear, and the realization that something else was happening besides gifts for his baby boy. Though Shawn probably had nothing to do with Eva’s kidnapping, he was now involved because he worked for Hawthorne’s organization. But if he helped Eva, I could spare his life.
“Do you work for a company that asks you to keep its identity and location private?”
“Yes.” Shawn’s voice lowered. “They’re strict about that.”
“Is Eva safe?” I asked.
“She looked fine when we spoke. Tony seems to like her.”
“Is he managing that area?” I asked.
“Yes.”
Tony Hesselberg’s face formed in my mind. The man I knew was more like a follower, not someone who led and took charge. He did everything Hawthorne asked of him.
I didn’t know if I could trust Shawn, but I had to give it a shot. But if Shawn crossed me, he’d regret it. I was in no mood for deception.
“I need you to listen to me. Eva was kidnapped. I need to know the location of where they have her. Just let me know how to get there. Please.”
Silence hummed on the phone, and I feared he’d hang up on me. Even if he did, I knew where he lived. I didn’t want to threaten him, but I wouldn’t hesitate if it came to that.
“Eva was very nice to me,” Shawn said. “I don’t want anything to happen to her. Go to Ozarrow Woods. There’s a dirt road with a sign that says Employees Only. There’s a gate there with two guards. You need an ID to get in, though.”
“Is it close to the lake?”
“There’s an underground complex beneath the lake. She’s under there with the others.” His voice trembled. “Please say nothing about me. They’ll kill me and my family.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t,” I said. “My advice is for you to get a new job starting tomorrow. If you need help, call this number and say Mr. Kessler sent you.” I rattled off the warehouse manager for my tattoo products.
Shawn had given Eva a way to escape, and I was grateful to him.
After I ended the call, I returned to the dining room.
“It’s a manmade lake owned by the Falcone family.” Milo showed me the blueprint of the underground living space. It reminded me of the prison I was trapped in, but this was a lot larger. Hawthorne had years to improve his construction.
“Can you send me the link to my phone?” I gave Milo my number and called Godfrey.
“Hey, I know where Eva is, but I need your helicopter. We need to get there fast. Meet you at your building. Send the drones to the lake in Ozarrow Woods, especially the dirt road for employees. There are guards at the gate. We’ll need a team to assist.”
“Got it.”
After calling my security team to update them, they knew the next steps.
Hope and fear coursed through me. I didn’t know what to expect at the lake and had to prepare for the worst scenario.
For all I knew, we could head into an ambush.
How many men were stationed there? Regardless, I had to get Eva out of there, no matter what.
“Thank you, Milo.” I squeezed his shoulder and turned to Harry. “I’ll get her back.”
Harry walked up and embraced me. “Thank you, and be careful.”
Emilio and Camila sent the same well wishes, asking me to keep them posted.
Arriving at the Markov Building, I took the elevator to the rooftop where Godfrey had a helipad.
His property was designed for a small aircraft and was approved by the city and the state.
Adrenaline rushed through me as I heard the helicopter waiting for me.
Godfrey had a pilot’s license, but I saw Gabriel Parisi in the helicopter ready to fly us.
He had dark hair, olive skin, bushy eyebrows, and friendly eyes.
As I approached, Gabriel saluted me. A door on the other side of me opened, and Godfrey appeared, wearing dark clothing and a Kevlar vest.
He tossed me a vest to put on. “Do you need a weapon?” He tucked his gun into the holster at his waist.
“No.” I showed him the gun I’d retrieved from my car that was now tucked in the back of my waistband.
After our escape, the boys and I did our best to learn whatever we could to protect ourselves. Now we both had licenses to carry and were excellent shooters.
My men, who were close to the Ozarrow Woods, would be stationed at the lake, waiting for my arrival.
I asked them to be discreet, keeping their eyes on signs of cars going in or leaving.
The blueprint I had didn’t show the entrance or exit, as the construction had changed since the original blueprint, which never got updated online.
Another team would be dressed as FBI agents, scouring the edge of the forest for signs of Hawthorne’s men.
“Kill them,” I said.
After Eva’s rescue, they’d call the local authorities and Detective McNally.
The thirty-minute flight in the night felt like hours. Gabriel had alerted the city that he was transporting a patient to a hospital in case the people at the gate wondered about the helicopter noise. Gabriel landed on an open field near the lake. He turned off the engine, keeping the area quiet.
“Stay here and keep watch. We’ll be back,” Godfrey told Gabriel.
We made our way on foot through the woods to the campground, which was quiet in spring. The two black SUVs parked in the lot belonged to my men. Bryan and Garvin had brought their team. A total of six men exited the SUVs and greeted Godfrey and me.
“We didn’t see any cars coming or going,” Bryan said, offering me earbuds. “We’re all connected to the main communication center. Someone’s monitoring it behind the scenes. Just speak, and we’ll hear you. You can see where we are from the map on your phone.”
“Thank you.” Nodding, I looked at the blueprint on my phone and pointed to an area on the map. “The hidden entrance must be here or there.” I glanced around, and the single lamppost in the park didn’t allow us to see well in the middle of the night.
“We heard an explosion over here just before you arrived.” One man pointed his flashlight toward the woods, past a gazebo with picnic tables, grills, and bathrooms. “It shook the ground.”
As if on cue, another boom occurred in the same direction. Then gunshots rang out, echoing through the woods.
Terror soared as I directed my hands. “Two of you stay here in case someone runs this way. The four of you can divide into two teams in the woods. If you see anything, let everyone know. Got it?”
They nodded as I drew my weapon, rushing toward the woods.
“I’ll take this path.” Godfrey gestured to a path farther down from where I was heading. “We’ll cover more ground this way.”
“Be careful,” I said and disappeared into the trees.