Chapter 32
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
AXEL
I was seconds away from snatching the notepad from the cop’s hand, but finally he answered me. “Giselle took someone by the name of Mila.”
My entire body went cold, then hot, as I realized how much danger Mila was in being out of jail without me to protect her. “Are you sure?”
He read out his notes. “Giselle signed out a detainee by the name of Mila, and then they left.”
“Did she leave a message? Did she seem like she was in distress?” Daniel stood by, his arms crossed.
I stood up, trying to quell the panic in my body. “I’m going to look for them.”
Yuri protested. “That’s like finding a needle in a haystack. We’ll put out a BOLO on them. She’ll probably show up here shortly.”
Ignoring him, I dialed Mila’s number. It went to voicemail. I knew, deep in my gut, that something terrible was about to happen to my wife.
“Axel.” Yuri’s expression hardened as he watched my face. “You’re not done here.”
“I’m going to look for my wife.”
“Look, I understand that these are trying moments.” He stepped closer and lowered his voice. “But where are you going to even start looking?”
Daniel was listening to us. “Why did Giselle pick up Mila?”
That made Yuri pause. “What?”
“Were they friends?”
“Giselle had no issues with Mila, but my wife didn’t particularly like her.”
Daniel looked between us. “I’m trying to decide if my agent has gone rogue. She’s not answering her phone, she’s not following protocol, and I need to know if she’s under duress or who’s at risk.”
“I think Giselle is under duress from Sergei, and I’m worried for Mila’s safety and hers.”
“I think that’s a reach,” Yuri cut in.
I wanted to hit him.
Daniel looked at me. “I need you to check out your home and see if anyone is there. I’ll send someone to Giselle’s apartment again and see if she’s been back.”
I broke almost every traffic rule driving home.
The driveway was empty, but I noticed as soon as I drove up that the police tape from this morning was already ripped off.
The front door had been left ajar and, as I approached, I could see the dark shadows of the inside hallway.
Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I unholstered my weapon and stood silently in the doorway to listen.
I heard nothing.
I quietly inched into the silent house. I crept toward the kitchen, pausing with resignation when I found Giselle. She was propped up in the corner of the pantry, her neck at an awkward angle and her eyes growing cloudy as she stared lifelessly at the ceiling.
Goddamn it. Regret and anger washed over me as I turned away from her and took a couple of deep breaths.
At the back door, Bandit was nearly losing his mind as he fought to get into the kitchen.
I checked upstairs, terrified of what I’d find.
Please don’t be up here.
Please don’t be up here.
To my relief, Mila hadn’t met the same fate as Giselle. The house was empty. I stood in the kitchen and took in the beer that was half empty on the counter and the chair pulled away from the kitchen table. Then something caught my eye.
It was the key I had given Mila. It didn’t look like it had been ripped off in a scuffle. It looked like it had been dropped carefully beneath the table. As if she had been trying to give me a clue.
Bandit was still barking frantically at the door.
I opened it, and he completely ignored me.
Immediately he stuck his nose to the ground.
First he ran to the kitchen table, and then he ran down the hallway to the front door.
I opened the door and followed him outside.
With his nose to the ground, he followed the scent to the driveway before he sat down. Then he looked back at me and whined.
I needed to call this in, but first I needed to find my own evidence and come up with my own plan. I went back to the guardhouse so I could watch the security footage.
I watched from the time that Giselle showed up with Mila until the moment Sergei walked out the front door with my wife.
I picked up my phone, not even giving Yuri the courtesy of calling him first.
“Daniel speaking.”
My voice sounded flat when I spoke. “Sergei killed Giselle.”
“How do you know this?” He sounded scared, almost as if he didn’t want to know the truth.
“I found her body and then pulled up security footage from my house. He also just kidnapped my wife.”
“Stay there. We’re on our way.”
An hour later, Yuri and Daniel stood on my front lawn and watched as the forensic team moved inside. Bandit was safely locked in my truck.
They had both watched the security footage of what had transpired at the house, and then we were asked to leave the premises.
I was so pissed at both of them for not letting me protect Mila that I almost couldn’t hide it, but they were the ones with access to traffic cams and public BOLOs, so I worked to stay cool and professional.
I knew the Canadians would be spending a lot of manpower to find the man who had murdered one of their own, and I wanted to be part of that chase. I needed to find Mila.
Daniel’s phone pinged. His face looked grim as he read the message. “Richard just passed away from his injuries.”
Which meant that Sergei was responsible for murdering two Canadian agents.
“What are our next steps?” I was growing impatient. Every single moment we stood waiting around was another moment Mila was alone with Sergei. The thought nearly killed me.
Yuri motioned with his head to pull me aside.
He took his time to speak.
“What?” I asked impatiently.
“I’ve had a talk with the Canadians, and you and I are standing down.”
I needed him to spell it out for me. “What exactly does that mean?”
“The sting is up. You’re no longer undercover. We’re going home now to do paperwork on our end for everyone they arrested over here.”
I spoke slowly, like I would to someone who didn’t understand the basics. “Sergei is still on the loose.”
“They’ll take care of him.”
I couldn’t believe how obtuse he was being. “He has Mila.”
“Who happens to be a Canadian citizen. We’re Russian, and we’re out. We no longer have immunity or jurisdiction here. Giselle was a Canadian agent, and she went rogue. It’s up to the Canadians to solve their own problems.”
“Mila is my wife. And she’s missing.”
“Be objective, Axel. The Canadians do not want you to be part of the chase.”
I stared at him while I contemplated all my life choices up to that moment. I had made a lot of stupid decisions, but I didn’t have to think about my next move. “I’m going to get my wife.”
“You’re not thinking rationally. You no longer have immunity, and you have no jurisdiction here.”
I stared at him, wondering if, after working closely for almost four years, we knew each other at all. “Do you think that matters to me?”
He stepped closer. “I need you to stand down because I can’t protect you if you don’t.”
I unholstered my weapon, took off the badge around my neck and shoved them both into his chest with force. “No.”
“What are you doing?” He looked down at my weapon.
I didn’t look back as I walked to my truck and got in beside Bandit.
Bandit looked at me, panting with stress. I reached over and patted his head. “It’s okay, Bandit. I’m going to go get her.”
Thirty minutes later, I pulled into the deserted parking lot of a restaurant that had closed years ago. Viktor was already parked and waiting.
I picked up Bandit’s leash and Mila’s prized trumpet and walked both over to the passenger side of Viktor’s truck. I opened the door, and Bandit politely looked up at my brother.
“Can you take care of Mila’s dog for me?”
He looked at Bandit. “Is he friendly?”
I lifted Bandit up on the seat and he gingerly sniffed the air. “Not really. He only likes Mila. He’s got a couple of broken ribs. We had a shit day. Mila was kidnapped.”
Viktor lifted his hand for Bandit and let him gently sniff him. “Who took her?”
“Someone by the name of Sergei. He used to work for Grisha.”
Concern crossed his expression. “We want to help.”
We were interrupted when my phone rang. It was Daniel.
“Hello?”
“I heard you just quit.”
“I need to find her.”
He cleared his throat. “You didn’t hear this from me, but we just got news that he crossed the border at Peace Arch. Customs found his passport in the system and sent us the footage of him crossing by vehicle without incident.”
“Did you see Mila with him?”
“Footage only shows him in the vehicle. He’s driving a 1995 brown Ford Bronco with a white top.”
There was a lump in my throat, but somehow I was still speaking in a cold, clinical voice. “What now?”
“We’ve alerted Interpol. There is a BOLO on both sides of the border and this file has been turned over to the RCMP Major Crimes unit.”
“Are they going after him?”
“We can’t legally cross the border to go after Sergei. We’ve contacted the proper authorities in the United States, but they may or may not launch an immediate manhunt for him. As of now, they are only communicating with our Major Crimes unit. I’m not even sure who took over this case.”
A wave of helplessness washed over me. Mila had been taken by someone who was more monster than man and her abduction was already getting lost in a sea of fucking bureaucratic bullshit.
“Thanks for your help.”
“Good luck.” He disconnected the call.
Viktor looked at me. “What can I do?”