18. Tracking Adrian
18
Tracking Adrian
T ime’s not on our side in a world like this—it’s like a relentless enemy, always lurking, making every second feel like a struggle. Each moment we waste feels like we’re giving Marklov the upper hand, and he’s the kind of guy who won’t hesitate to use every dirty trick in the book. Tormenta—Little Killer—Inés is still alive, but she’s barely hanging on. It’s like she’s walking a tightrope, and one wrong move could end it all before we even get a chance to save her. That’s the vibe I’m getting from what Adrian’s told me. She’s out there, and we can’t just sit back and wait. We need to act. Now.
We set Adrian up with everything he’d need for this mission—a tracker tucked into the sole of his boot and a tapped earpiece we’ll use to listen in when the moment comes. It’s not much, but it’s the best we’ve got on short notice. Adrian says he doesn’t know exactly where the place is. They’ve got their security down to an art—newbies receive a shared location and are blindfolded, a bag pulled over their heads as soon as they’re in the car. By the time they reach the location, they’ve been twisted and turned so much that it would be impossible to retrace the route, even if their lives depended on it. That’s the kind of operation we’re dealing with—controlled, calculated, and well-thought-out. That won’t stop me from taking what’s mine.
I glance at Adrian as he prepares to leave. His face is blank and unreadable as if he’s trying to keep everything locked up tight. But his leg is bouncing, restless, and jittery, and that tells me everything I need to know.
“You good?” I ask, my voice low, trying not to add to the pressure already weighing on him.
“Yeah, I’m good, amigo,” he says, but the words are rushed, his tone forced. He stands, adjusts his jacket, and adds, “Let’s get you in there.”
He’s lying, of course. I can see it in the way his hand lingers just a second too long on the tip of his pants pocket like he’s grounding himself. I know he’s scared, and I don’t blame him. Hell, anyone in his position would be. But it doesn’t matter now. There’s no time for second-guessing or hesitation.
“It has to be done,” I murmur, more to myself than him, watching as he steps out into the unknown. And I hate it. I hate that this is the only way that we’re putting him in the lion’s den, and I hope the plan holds together long enough to get what we need.
Time’s still ticking, the clock louder than ever in my head. All that we can do now is wait—and hope that when the time comes, Adrian’s ready.
A sudden intrusion from Raph and Lana jolted me out of the trance I’d fallen into while gnawing at the edges of my fingernails. They stepped into the room with the urgency of people carrying news that couldn’t wait, and I straightened up, wiping my hands on my jeans as if to brush off my nerves.
“We got the tracker loaded on this tablet,” Lana said, holding it up like a trophy. “And one of the systems with Cam. This will be the mobile one for now, and Cam’s working on getting us something more stable.”
Her voice is steady and precise but doesn’t hide the thin thread of doubt beneath it.
“Are you sure we can trust this guy?” Raph cuts in, his arms crossed tight against his chest. “What if this is all some big-ass setup? What if we’re walking into a trap?”
I didn’t answer right away, letting the question linger in the air. I met Raph’s gaze, holding it until the tension between us was almost unmistakable. Then, finally, I speak.
“If this is a setup,” I said slowly, each word carrying its own weight, “then Adrian will die. And so will everyone he’s ever cared about. But I don’t think he has it in him to lie—not about his mother, not about this. And, honestly, not to me. He’s never had a reason to.”
Raph’s jaw tightens, but he doesn’t argue. He knows better than to push when I’ve already made up my mind. Still, the worry etched across his face didn’t fade.
Lana jumps in again, her voice rushing to fill the silence. “Okay, so here’s the deal with the tracker. It’s embedded in his boot. It’s got a decent range signal for now, but Cam’s working on amplifying it so we can keep track even if he’s out of our range. Right now, it’s all about the route. Every time he stops or changes direction, it pings. We’ll know if he’s doubling back or if they’re trying to confuse us.”
I nod absently, barely listening to her as she rattles off about details I already know about. Lana is thorough, maybe to a fault, but I let her spill her brain out anyway. She needs to feel like she is contributing, and I am not about to take that from her.
“Anything else?” I ask when she finally pauses to catch her breath. She blinks, caught off guard by the abruptness of my question. “Uh, no, that’s…that’s about it. For now, at least.”
“Good,” I say, glancing down at the tablet she’d handed me. The screen shows a small, faint, steady blinking dot tracing Adrian’s path in real-time. “We stick to the plan. No detours, no second-guessing. We’ll follow the signal and do what we need to do so things don’t go sideways.”
“And if it does go sideways?” Raph asks, his tone sharp.
“Then we handle it,” I say simply, my voice cold. “Whatever it takes, we are not leaving without them.”
Raph doesn’t look satisfied, but he also doesn’t push any further. He knows as well as I do that we don’t have the luxury of doubting every step we take.
“Keep an eye on the signal,” I said to Lana, passing the tablet back to her. “If anything feels off, let me know immediately.” She nods, clutching the device tightly as if it were the most important thing in the room.
Raph stays quiet, his arms still crossed, his eyes flicking between me and the door. I know he isn’t convinced. Hell, part of me isn’t either. But it doesn’t matter. We are in too deep now.
As they left the room, I began to stare out of the window into the star-filled sky, my mind racing through every possible scenario. Trust is a dangerous game, and right now, I was betting everything on the hope that Adrian was not about to get us all killed.
I pray that he does what he is supposed to and things go as planned. A bigger part of me hopes he doesn’t make me look like an idiot for trusting him after all these years.