Chapter 27
My phone rang. I’d been holding it ever since I’d opened Russell’s computer and left the last message for Code. I looked down and my heart stopped. I felt it literally stop.
“Code,” I gasped when I answered.
“Talk to me, Katherine.”
“You first. Are you good? The men? Anyone hurt?” I couldn’t say dead. I just couldn’t.
“Everybody’s fine. Nobody got a scratch on them.”
I sagged against the chair, tears forming.
“You have Russell with you?”
“Yeah, the bleeding stopped.”
“What bleeding?!” Code roared.
“Calm down. Sophie punched Russell in the nose. It’s still bleeding a little bit.”
“You’re fucking kidding me. Sophie?”
“Saw it myself.”
“Look, Honey, Viktor Sokolov wasn’t part of the team that raided the cabin. He has two other men with him. I’d bet money he’s in Knoxville, planning to get his jet fueled and fly back to LA. I don’t think he’s given up on finding Russell.”
“You don’t think he’s found out about Russell being here, do you?”
“Put me on speaker.”
I set down my phone and put it on speaker. “Dunlap, can you hear me?” Code demanded to know.
“Yeah. Who is this?”
“I’m your only hope of escaping Sokolov. Tell me you understand me.”
“But how?”
“I didn’t tell you to ask me questions. I want an affirmative answer.”
Sophie and I both nodded at Russell. Sophie shoved his shoulder. “Yes,” Russell answered.
My phone beeped. It was Angelica calling. I pressed dismiss.
“Good, then you’re going to answer some questions. What name did you use when you flew to Tennessee?”
“Mine,” he whispered.
“Jesus. Are you fucking kidding me?”
“I don’t have any other ID. Not picture ID that will work with TSA.”
“So we can assume that Viktor knows you flew to Knoxville, and what time you landed. Wonderful. Just wonderful. “The only thing that kept you from being kidnapped is Viktor was driving back from Jasper Creek to Knoxville when you were in your cab.”
“I took an Uber.”
“Shut up. I don’t fucking care what you took.”
“You people hold on. I’m making another call.”
I looked over at Russell and shook my head. Code was right—for a man who was a genius with computers, he was seriously stupid.
“What, why are you shaking your head?” Russell asked as he glared at me.
“Wipe your chin,” I told him.
“I’m back.” Code’s voice was even more terse.
“The good news is, Viktor has no idea what hotel you’re in.
Jase and I will be there in forty-five minutes.
Sit tight. Russell, if you do one goddamned thing with your computer and the deepfakes, I will personally rip out your intestines and feed them to you. Are we clear?”
“I’ll make sure he doesn’t touch his computer,” Sophie spoke up. She then marched over to Russell’s computer, powered it down, and shoved it into her tote bag, then went to our tiny balcony and set it out there where it couldn’t be seen.
“Russell will have to come through me to get to his computer, and he’ll lose that fight.”
“Good.” Code said with satisfaction.
“I have some training,” I said. “Natasha Blade can take him down after Sophie’s done with him.”
I heard Jase chuckle in the background.
“I’ll be there soon, Katherine.” Code’s voice was soft. “Promise me you’ll stay safe.”
“I promise,” I whispered.
I took my phone off speaker, and realized I was almost out of battery.
Dammit.
I got up so I could rifle through my bag to find the charger as I called Angelica back.
“Thank God you called!” Angelica shouted. I pulled the phone away from my ear. “Have you seen the pictures?”
I swung around and stared at Russell in horror. “You posted the video,” I breathed out the words. “Why?”
“What are you talking about?” Russell looked confused.
“Kit, that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about Instagram.”
“What about Instagram? Angie, you’re not making sense.”
“Someone posted a picture of you in the lobby with the name of the hotel right behind you. Premier Lodge of Knoxville. It was clear as day.”
Damn!
“When did it post?”
“Twenty minutes ago. I have an alert for you and some of my other friends. You’re supposed to be hiding, right? You need to leave.”
I looked over at Russell and Sophie. Both of them looked panicked from my side of the conversation. “Jase and Code will be here in forty-five minutes. The Russian isn’t going to be looking at my Instagram account, don’t worry.”
“I’m telling you, you’ve got to move.”
“I’m calling Code.”
“Good.” The line went dead.
“What’s going on?” Sophie demanded to know.
“One of the people in the lobby must have snapped just a picture of me, and posted it on Instagram. It was when I was standing under the hotel sign. Angelica is worried that Viktor will see it, and know I’m here.”
Russell’s eyes widened so much I could see the whites. “She’s right. I’ve been monitoring your social media and getting alerts. As soon as you became a target, Viktor would have done the same thing. He knows we’re here.”
I pressed in Code’s number. He picked up midway through the first ring. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Everybody’s fine. But we might have a bit of a situation, but I don’t think it’s a big deal.”
“Tell me.”
He was in all commander mode.
“I ran into some fans not long ago, and one of them snapped a picture of me while I was in the lobby, next to the hotel’s sign with its name. They posted it on Instagram twenty minutes ago.”
Code sucked in a deep breath. “Good. You did the right thing to call.”
“But it doesn’t mean anything, does it? I mean, he’s not going to be scrolling Instagram for pictures of me.”
“No, but he’ll have alerts set for any mention of you on the web.
Trust me, Baby, he knows where you’re staying.
Have Russell or Sophie call and Uber, and while they’re doing that, Jase will find a hotel for you and put it on his card so all Sophie will have to do is show her ID and grab the room keys. ”
I’d put this call on speaker phone, so Russell was already keying into his phone, hopefully for an Uber.
When I glanced at Sophie, I noted that she had her hands squeezed between her thighs. I’d bet a million dollars it was so nobody could see them shaking.
“Katherine, did you understand what I just said?”
“Yes. I’ve got it. Russell is arranging an Uber right now. I’ll wait for Jase’s call about the new hotel.”
“That’s exactly right. This is almost over. You’ve got this.”
I hoped he was right.