Chapter 24
Ella
“We need to go now,” I said, pushing myself to my feet. “Every minute counts.”
Jake nodded, his face set with determination. “Declan’s arranging transport. We leave in twenty.”
I hurried home to grab some warm clothes and my purse.
Scout greeted me at the door. Tears filled my eyes as he looked around me. When Nora didn’t appear, he let out a soft whimper. I dropped to my knees and hugged him fiercely. “I know, sweetheart, I’m going to get her and bring her home.”
Lana came from the kitchen, a tea towel in her hands. “I’ll keep an eye on him for you,” she said. She looked towards the sofa, where Caleb sat with his leg propped up on the coffee table. “He can help.”
I nodded and thanked them both before heading to my bedroom to pack. My hands shook as I stuffed items into a small backpack, my mind racing with images of my daughter in that monster’s clutches.
When I was done, I thanked them again, gave Scout another hug, and then headed off.
When I walked through the door of Jake’s house, Mikhail was studying blueprints of the mansion while Jake checked weapons with Rory and Kane.
The efficiency with which they worked spoke of years of experience I knew nothing about.
“Transportations arranged,” Declan announced, striding into the room. “But we can’t fly directly to Milton. Storm’s already too bad there. We’re heading home first— the caretakers are clearing the airstrip for landing. From there, we’ll coordinate the final approach once the weather clears enough.”
∞∞∞
Twenty minutes later, we were boarding a private jet at the small local airport. I’d never flown private before, and under any other circumstances, I might have been impressed by the luxury. Now, all I could think about was closing the distance between Nora and me.
Jake sat beside me as the jet taxied down the runway, his hand finding mine. “We’re going to get her back,” he said, his voice low and fierce.
I nodded, unable to speak past the knot in my throat. Mikhail sat across from us, his face a mask of cold determination as he studied satellite images of his father’s compound on a tablet.
The four-hour flight seemed endless. I alternated between staring at the tracker app showing Nora’s location and closing my eyes, trying to will myself not to fall apart. Not yet. Not when she needed me to be strong.
We were lucky when we began our descent.
The storm had stopped, but more, much more snow was in the forecast. I looked out the window at the sprawling property below.
Even through the gathering storm clouds, I could see that the MacGallan estate was massive—a main house that looked more like a small castle, surrounded by snow-covered grounds, outbuildings, and what appeared to be a small man-made lake, all set amid a forest.
“That’s... your home?” I asked Declan, who had taken the seat beside me, when Jake moved to speak with Connor, Kane, and Mia.
He followed my gaze and nodded. “One of them. We have another in Pearl Lake.”
The jet touched down on a private runway, which I learned later was the actual driveway, and vehicles were already waiting to take us to the main house.
As we drove through the estate gates, the sheer scale of wealth on display became even more apparent.
The drive from where we landed to the house was longer than my drive to the lodge at Wolfcreek.
“Your security team is already briefed,” Declan said to Mikhail. “They’ll meet us at the house.”
I barely registered their words, too stunned by what I was seeing. The main house appeared ahead, a sprawling mansion of stone and glass that looked like it belonged on the cover of some architect magazine. Security cameras were positioned at every angle so no one could hide.
I stepped out of the car, momentarily breathless despite my worry. The front doors were already opening, and a middle-aged woman with greying auburn hair hurried down the steps with a Doberman by her side that made a beeline for Rory.
“Everything’s ready,” she said, stepping aside to allow us entry. “Radley set up a command center in the east wing. The storm is slow going right now, but it’s getting worse. It’s over Chatham Kent right now and is headed this way. Should arrive in a couple of hours.”
“That means we should head out soon,” Declan said, turning at the sound of the growling Doberman.
“Ma! Call off your dog!” Rory yelled, hiding behind Kat.
“He just wants to play.” She turned to me and smiled. “You must be Ella, I’m Rory’s mother, Iris.”
“Nice to meet you,” I murmured. I whistled, and the dog came trotting over. I bent down on a knee and looked up at Iris as it sniffed my hand. “What’s his name?”
He leaned against me and swiped his tongue across my cheek.
“Killer. His name is Killer. He loves Rory, but Rory can’t stand him.”
“He loves to bite me,” Rory muttered as we headed into the house.
I tried not to gape at the soaring ceilings, the priceless artwork, the sheer opulence that surrounded us. This wasn’t just wealth—this was dynasty money, the kind that spanned generations and built empires.
Kat dropped her suitcase just inside the door, her face tight with worry. “Come on, Wren. Time to stress bake.”
I had to take a moment to process what Kat had just said. “Stress bake?”
“It’s what she does,” Declan explained, guiding me through an enormous foyer. “When things get tense, Wren bakes, and Kat eats it. It’s... therapeutic.”
Under any other circumstances, I would have joined them. Baking was my escape. But right now, I couldn’t think about anything except Nora.
“Where’s this command center?” I asked, following Jake as he strode purposefully through the house.
We entered what appeared to be a library transformed into a headquarters of sorts. Screens lined one wall, displaying a satellite view of Highway 401 and another of Alexei’s home. Another monitor shows the current weather, and the last one, and most important to me, a steady red dot that was Nora.
A short man with salt-and-pepper hair approached us. “Declan,” he nodded, then turned to the rest of us. “I’m Radley, head of security for the MacGallan estate. We’ve been monitoring the Petrova compound since your call.”
“Any movement?” Mikhail asked, stepping forward.
“The jet landed 2 and a half hours ago. We’ve confirmed six individuals entered the main house, including what appears to be a child.
” Radley pointed to one of the screens, which showed thermal imaging of a large structure.
“They’ve settled in the west wing. Most heat signatures are concentrated here and here. ”
I moved closer to the screen, my heart pounding. One of those heat signatures was my daughter. So close, yet still impossibly far away.
“What about the storm?” Jake asked, coming to stand beside me.
Radley gestured to a weather map. “It’s intensifying faster than predicted. We have maybe a two-hour window before it becomes impassable, even by air. After that, we’re looking at a minimum of twenty-four hours before conditions improve enough to go get her.”
“We can’t wait that long,” I said, my voice sharper than I’d intended. “Every minute she’s with that monster is—” I broke off, unable to finish the thought.
Jake’s hand found the small of my back, steady and reassuring. “We won’t wait,” he said firmly. “Three hours is plenty of time.”
Mikhail nodded in agreement, studying the thermal imaging. “My father will have men posted here, here, and here,” he said, pointing to different areas of the compound. “The panic room is located beneath the main study. That’s where he’ll take her if he suspects trouble.”
“How do we get in without triggering them?” Kane asked.
“We don’t go in guns blazing,” Mia said, joining us at the monitors. “We need a diversion—something to draw attention away from our actual point of entry.”
“And we need to disable their communications,” Connor added. “Cut them off from calling for reinforcements.”
As they discussed strategy, I found myself drifting toward the window. The snow was falling more heavily now, the wind whipping it into swirling patterns across the manicured grounds. Somewhere out there, beyond the storm, was Nora. Was she scared? Was she thinking I’d abandoned her?
“Ella.” Jake’s voice pulled me back to the present. “We need your input on something.”
I turned back to the group, wiping away tears I hadn’t realized were falling. “What is it?”
“Mikhail thinks you should stay here,” Jake said, his expression carefully neutral. “Where it’s safe.”
I looked at Mikhail incredulously. “That’s not happening.”
“Ella, please,” Mikhail stepped toward me, his face earnest. “My father is dangerous. If something happened to you—”
“She’s my daughter,” I said, cutting him off. “I’m going. End of discussion.”
The room fell silent, all eyes on me. I lifted my chin, daring anyone to challenge my decision.
After a moment, Declan nodded. “Alright then. Let’s gear up. We move in an hour.”
The next forty minutes passed in a blur of preparation. I was fitted with a tactical vest that felt impossibly heavy, given a refresher course in basic firearms from Mia, despite my telling her I knew how to shoot a gun, and briefed on plan B in case plan A fell through.
Just as we were finalizing details, Kat appeared with a tray of still-warm cookies and thermoses of coffee. “Fuel up,” she ordered, setting everything down on a table. “You’ll need it.”
I automatically accepted a cookie, though my stomach was too knotted to eat. The smell reminded me of baking with Nora, her little hands covered in flour as she helped me roll out dough. The memory hit me like a physical blow, and I had to turn away to compose myself.
Jake found me a few minutes later, staring out the window again. “Hey,” he said softly. “Are you okay?”
I shook my head, not trusting my voice.
“It’s alright to be scared,” he said, stepping closer. “I’m terrified, too.”
I looked up at him, surprised by his admission. “You don’t seem scared.”
“Years of practice hiding it,” he said with a small, sad smile. “But trust me, I’m as scared as you are. Difference is, I’m also angry. And right now, that’s what’s driving me.”
I nodded, understanding exactly what he meant. The fear was paralyzing, but the anger—the pure, white-hot rage at Alexei for taking my child.
“We’re going to get her back,” Jake said, his voice low and fierce. “And then we’re going to end this, once and for all.”
“Promise me,” I whispered, needing to hear the words even if they were just a comfort.
“I promise,” he said without hesitation, pulling me into his arms. “Nothing on this earth could stop me from bringing her home to you.”
I leaned into him, drawing strength from his certainty. For just a moment, I allowed myself to believe that everything would be okay, that this nightmare would soon be over.
Then Declan appeared in the doorway, his expression grim. “It’s time,” he said.
We followed him back to the library, where everyone was gathered for final instructions.
The plan was relatively straightforward: Declan, Kane, and a team of four reapers (the men who took care of those that Declan needed taken care of) would create a diversion at the main gate, while Jake, Mikhail, and I would approach from the rear of the property, entering through a service tunnel that Mikhail knew about from his childhood visits.
Connor, Mia, and Rory would follow a few minutes later.
“Once inside,” Mikhail explained, “we’ll locate Nora using the tracker. Jake will secure her while I deal with my father.”
The way he said “deal with” sent a chill down my spine, but I pushed the thought aside. Right now, all that mattered was getting Nora back.
“Communications check,” Radley said, handing out earpieces. “Channel two for the main team, channel three for the extraction team.”
As we prepared to leave, Wren approached me with a small package. “For Nora,” she said, pressing it into my hands. “When you find her.”
I looked down at the carefully wrapped bundle—cookies, I realized. The simple, thoughtful gesture nearly undid me.
“Thank you,” I managed, tucking the package into my coat pocket.
Outside, the snow was falling steadily, but not yet the blizzard conditions predicted for later. Two black SUVs waited for us, engines running. I climbed into the second vehicle with Jake and Mikhail, my heart pounding so hard I was sure they could hear it.
As we drove away from the estate, I looked back at the imposing mansion. The contrast between the safety and luxury we were leaving and the danger we were heading toward wasn’t lost on me.
“Forty minutes until we get there,” Declan announced through our earpieces. I looked through the windshield to see him navigating carefully through the worsening weather.
I closed my eyes, picturing Nora’s face—her smile, her laugh, the way her brow furrowed when she was concentrating. My beautiful, brave girl. I sent a silent promise that floated on the winds of the approaching storm… I’m coming, baby. Hang on just a little longer. Momma’s coming.