Chapter 36
CHAPTER
THIRTY-SIX
DANIIL
Yulian hangs up the phone and hits me with a grim look. “Do you want the good news or the bad news first?”
I rake a hand through my already mussed hair.
“Fuck, I don’t know. Just spit it out,” I demand.
We’ve been holed up in Andrei’s office since discovering Bianca is missing.
Leo and Yulian have been working their intelligence contacts to find out where she is and to try to make sense of everything that’s happened in the last twenty-four hours.
At Andrei’s insistence, Georgia flew back from Greece in case this is part of something bigger.
“Good news,” Kira chimes in, giving me a sympathetic smile. “Always start with the good.”
Leo pulls up a satellite image on a big screen on the far wall.
“We have confirmation that Jorge, Bianca, and senior Zega members arrived in Antioquia, a province in northwestern Colombia, via Morales’s private jet yesterday evening.
It’s a relatively rural area, close to the border of Panama.
Bianca appears to be unharmed. She wasn’t wearing any shackles upon arrival. ”
My fingers drum on the desk in front of me, not feeling any relief that Bianca is alive. The truth is anything could have happened between then and now. Time is not on our side.
“The bad news is that they are not at the Morales estate. A team of three Land Rovers picked them up after landing and swept Bianca, Jorge, and his guards away, we just don’t know where yet.”
Kira sits beside me, a hand landing on my back. “I’m sorry, Daniil,” she says. “We’ll find her.”
I nod absently, filling up my whisky glass with another two fingers of the amber liquid. Something big is going on, I can feel it.
“Are the feds looking for her as well?” Georgia asks from where she is curled into Andrei on the settee.
I shake my head bitterly. “The feds aren’t doing shit.
If they were better at their jobs, they would have protected their informant in the first place.
” Andrei shoots me a sour look for snapping at his wife, but I’m not angry with her.
I’m angry at the world. “Sorry, Georgia. I’m just frustrated.
I failed her. I fucking failed her,” I say, the familiar bloom of self-hatred hitting me square in the chest.
Kira throws her arm around me. “We all failed her. We should have trusted her when she came clean, but what’s done is done so forgive yourself. And let’s figure shit out.”
Leo, who’s had his head down, typing away on his laptop for the last few hours, suddenly looks up.
“I have something,” he announces. “My hackers pulled up satellite footage of the Land Rover caravan moving through the jungle towards a five-acre spread in the mountain village of Jardín, about three hours south of Medellín.”
“What’s there?” I ask, immediately sobering.
“Looks like a compound of some sort.” Leo hands me his phone, and I manipulate the satellite images he shows me to focus on an estate nestled in a mountainous region.
There is no electrical fence, or guard towers like his main compound, but the remote location ensures its security. None of this bodes well for us.
“Why there?” Kira asks, peeking at the image over my shoulder.
“To throw us off their scent. Going to Emilio’s estate would be too obvious,” I say somberly. Then to my brother I say, “You promised your support in taking down Emilio. Well, the time has come. We need to go to Colombia. We need to handle this.”
The air in the room goes still. We’re used to fighting on our home turf, but to bring the fight to the mountains of Colombia, a place we’re not accustomed to or familiar with is dangerous.
I know that, but it’s the only way. I also know my brothers would walk through fire for me. As I would for them.
Andrei’s fiery eyes take me in, I’m asking him to risk his life and the lives of our friends and family. He asks a silent question, communicating in a way only brothers can. Do you love her?
Yes. The answer is obvious. Yes, I fucking love her. If by some goddamn miracle we survive this hell on earth, I am going to try so much harder. I am going to be a proper husband.
Whatever he sees in my eyes is enough for him. His nod is nearly imperceptible.
Andrei stands. “We need a day to prepare. Yulian, you collect our team and resources. Leo, gather any relevant intel and make sure your hackers are on standby from the moment we land in Colombia. We’ll need live communication with them for every moment of this mission.
” My brother’s eagle eyes land on me. “And Daniil. I suggest you shave, shower, and try to appear human.” His lips quirk up at the corner.
“You’re going to need to have your shit locked down for this. ”
I nod at him from across the room. My way of saying thank you, because we’re about to engage in the fight of our lives to save the woman I love.