Chapter 38
TARA
Evening of the auction
Sami and I were tagging the cars carrying Sloane and the other girls, along with Maxim Orlov and his goons. We had Sophie and a man named Mark, sent by Knox’s brother, in our car. Knox and his team were also following along via a different route, in case we were discovered.
Greg had provided Knox with the location where we would find Vadim Orlov today.
He’d also informed us that they would be transferring the girls to the care of Ruslan Karpov.
Our plan was to follow them until we got a look at Ruslan.
Knox and his team would proceed to follow Ruslan, while Sami and I would follow Maxim from that point forward.
Every one of us was dressed in our tac gear and masks. The recruits were given generic black cat masks, for obvious reasons. I pressed my headset and asked, “Golden Lioness, checking in. Update?”
Her voice crackled in my ear. “Shadow Panther. We’re five minutes away from Vadim Orlov’s location. You?”
“Following Maxim. We’ll be arriving at the North Cove Marina in ten minutes. Knox and his team are also around.”
“Good. Let us know when the girls are transferred and you all separate.”
“Will do.”
Sami drove the car while I rode shotgun, with Sophie and Mark in the back seat.
Once we neared the marina, Maxim and his goons parked their three cars close to the harbor. Sami parked farther away, near the hustle and bustle of the visitors at the marina. Considering it was the weekend and still early in the evening, locals and tourists were bustling around the area.
The four of us took off our masks and hid our weapons before following the men ahead.
Maxim had two men flanking him, while Greg and the other goons surrounded the women, trailing him.
The women were all cooperating, considering Sloane had convinced them to do so.
Sloane’s bright-pink hair made it easier to keep track of them from a distance.
As they walked farther into the dock area, the crowd began to thin.
We took position behind a high parapet that gave us a view of all the boats parked in the harbor.
Mark and Sophie moved to a different vantage point.
I was trying to figure out the boat that Maxim’s group was making their way to, when Knox’s voice filled my ear.
“Shadow Panther. We’re in our boat. Let me know when their boat departs the harbor. ”
“Will do.”
Sami got a high-resolution camera out of her bag and got into position. Mark would’ve done the same by now. Better to have two people trying to get a picture than one.
I had my binoculars in hand as I followed the ten men walking around the five women. From afar, their group looked like a millionaire was taking his friends and a few girls to party on a luxury yacht. Nobody looked at them with concern or doubt.
“Do you think he knows we’re following them?” I asked Sami, who embodied the stillness of a tiger.
“Doesn’t matter. One way or the other, we follow him until he stops somewhere and then get rid of him. Well, save him for Cherry.”
“He could lead us anywhere. He could have a large number of men waiting for us.”
“We’ve gone over this a hundred times. We’ve got a standby team. The four of us can take ten of them. If there are more, we’ll bring in the standby team.”
Before I could respond, a man wearing an all-black suit, followed by five armed men, walked out of a yacht and stopped in front of Maxim.
I heard the rapid click of Sami’s camera as I watched the two bosses share a swift hug and a pat on the back.
I took in every detail of the yacht so I could pass along all the information to Knox.
They made the exchange. Maxim’s men handed over the girls to Ruslan and his men.
Ruslan clutched Sloane’s arm and stopped her midway, saying something to her.
The men around them laughed, but Sloane kept her cool.
Not that I had to worry about her. It was the atomic bomb beside me who was the volatile one, going by the curses flying out of her mouth right now.
The exchange was quick. As soon as all the girls were inside, Maxim and his men turned around and started to make their way back to their cars.
We stayed put, knowing that anything could be possible.
They could start attacking us here if they found us watching, putting the lives of innocent people at risk.
I sat lower, below the parapet, moving out of view while Sami kept an eye on them.
I pulled my laptop out of my bag and inserted the camera's memory card to transfer the photographs of all the men to the drive.
Every single one of us was added to the drive, so we could all access the photos of these men.
I pressed the comms button. “Shadow Panther here. Photos of Ruslan Karpov, Maxim Orlov, and all their men have been uploaded to the drive. Knox, you’ll be following the yacht called Freedom.”
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at that. Fuckers are taunting their captives.
Knox’s voice came over the line. “Got it. We’ll head out in ten.
It’ll take them fifteen to twenty minutes to reach the Atlantic Basin.
From there, I’m pretty sure, he’d have some transport to a container or some temporary rooms where they’ll take the girls.
I have some men circling the area. I’ll keep you all posted. ”
Lena added, “Perfect. We’re in position as well.”
Even Dominic chimed in. “I’ve gotten an entry into the auction. I’m in the arts section right now. But a man gave me a card that said the entry to the private auction will begin soon. Will let you know when I get in.”
I turned to Sami, and when she gave a nod, I said, “Maxim and his men are leaving the marina. We’ll be heading out soon and tagging them. He is the only anomaly in our plan. We’ll keep you posted on where he leads us and if we need backup.”
“You should take backup regardless.” That was Knox.
Before I could refute, Dominic added, “Can’t believe I’m saying this, but I agree with Knox.”
Sami gasped into her headset. “Baby, we can handle it.”
I piped in. “Exactly.”
Knox’s growl came over the line. “Doesn’t mean you don’t go in with more men. Wouldn’t hurt you if the mission is easier.”
I was about to spout back a response when Naomi came over the line.
“Crimson Tiger, Shadow Panther, you will get a car of five more men following ten minutes behind you. If any of us needs backup, we’ll ask the Eagle.
” Eagle, a.k.a. Hugh, the person who was monitoring all our locations from his place.
He immediately jumped into the conversation. “Silver Jaguar got that right. We’ve got enough backup. Initiating a backup for Crimson Tiger and Shadow Panther.”
The two of us sighed but didn’t argue further. Once Maxim and his men were farther out of sight, we made our way to the car, meeting up with Sophie and Mark. We quickly got in and started following Maxim’s cars per Hugh’s instructions, since he’d tagged them from traffic cameras.
“You are just about a quarter of a mile behind their cars. You’ll catch up soon,” Hugh said through the car's speaker.
Like Hugh said, within a few minutes, I could see the last car of Maxim’s. “There, Tiger. Slow it down a little.”
We followed their cars for a long time, crossing the evening traffic going from Manhattan through the Holland Tunnel into New Jersey.
It had already turned dark outside. I pressed into the headset and checked in with the team.
“This is Shadow Panther. We’re in Jersey City right now.
Maxim and his cars have led us out of the city. ”
Knox reacted the fastest. “What the fuck? All of his hideouts that we’re targeting are in New York City. What the fuck is he doing in fucking New Jersey?”
“Golden Lioness here. Keep following. We’re all in position. Maybe they know about the cops getting into the gala and are trying to flee the city.”
“Fuck,” Knox growled. “Be careful, little criminal. If anything unusual happens, call us.”
“Will do. Just wanted to keep everyone posted.”
For the next half hour, the cars ahead of us drove into the quieter part of town, until Hugh said over the speaker, “The car is going to Port Newark Container Terminal. That’s the only location that makes sense.
That entire area is void of locals. The workers there could be easily bribed, and they could have bought any container for their operation. ”
Sami growled beside me. “We’ll get them no matter what. The fucker isn’t escaping today.”
“Damn right.”
“I have eyes on the cars up ahead, and you. I’ll try to hack into the cameras at the Container Terminal, and hopefully get in by the time you reach there.”
It took us only a few minutes before their cars turned into a gigantic container lot. Tens of thousands of containers were lined up for miles, stacked on top of each other. We had to stop our car outside the entrance, given the lack of other cars in the area right now.
“There’s a massive area with thousands of cars parked in a lot right ahead of the container parking,” said Hugh. “You can hide your car among those and get into the container area on foot.”
Sami nodded. “Good idea.” She drove us into the car parking lot. The sheer number of cars lined up in the area was staggering. This definitely wasn’t a regular parking lot. Maybe a car export area, since most of the cars looked like the same black Ford.
Thankfully, our car was also black and would easily blend in here. Once we parked, the four of us quickly got out, getting our ammunition from the trunk of the car. We made quick work of it on foot, entering the container area as Hugh led us through the comms.
I had no idea what was happening at the auction right now, but I trusted Dominic and Knox to get Ruslan and his goons.
I pressed into my comms and told everyone, “Once we get Maxim and his goons in sight, it’s a go for everyone. Hugh, give us twenty minutes. Then burn everything down.”
Fourteen affirmatives rang out in my ears, letting me know that every single team was in place, ready to go.