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“You have my attention,” Aiden said.
I hadn’t wanted to involve them. I had hoped it could stay a private matter, but now it was extending into Eagle Tactical business. “A friend of mine is in trouble. She lives in Chicago, her father recently died, and it turns out her brother is head of the Russian mob.”
“Shit. Drop it on us light, why don’t you?” Aiden joked.
I ignored his attempt at humor. I wasn’t laughing. Hazel was out there, and men hunted her if they hadn’t found her already. “I contacted Colton Carr yesterday afternoon when I received a message sent to our encrypted phone number. According to Colton, Hazel was sold as part of an arranged marriage set up by her brother.” Bile rose in my throat just thinking about it. “Colton pulled her out of danger and put her en route to us when the U.S. Marshals were run off the road and attacked.”
“Shit,” Declan muttered. “Do you think whoever was after her picked her up? Is this a recovery mission?”
I ran a hand through my hair. “I hope not.” I tugged on the strands before dropping my hand to my lap. “If we’re lucky, she’s still out there, hiding, waiting for our help.”
“Tell me what you need,” Declan said.
The phone connected to the cars Bluetooth. I buckled myself and headed back onto the road. Hazel wasn’t just any girl; she was the first girl who I loved. I still was in love with her, and everyone I had been with I always compared to her.
“Aside from finding Hazel?” I gripped the steering wheel and did a U-turn, heading toward my house. “I’m going back to my house.”
“Woke us up to tell us you were heading back to bed?” Declan snorted. “Gee, thanks.”
“I’ve got night vision equipment and thermal detectors that I can use to find her. She’s on foot, no more than two hours ahead of us. She would likely follow the road which would lead to town, but it means she has to navigate the mountain.”
“We should be grateful it’s not snowing. Hopefully, she has warm clothes and doesn’t die of exposure,” Aiden said.
Great. Way to ruin my good mood. I hit the gas harder, needing to get home. If I were lucky, I’d find her first before the men who wanted her dead.
It worried me that the only abandoned vehicle had been the one she’d drove inside. Lined with bullet holes, the other vehicle, or vehicles for that matter, were still out there. They hadn’t been run off the road and down in the ravine. Which meant the men were at large, stalking Hazel like she was their prey.
“I’ll rendezvous with you at your place,” Aidan said. “Declan, head to the office. Maybe you can pull up something that’ll help us figure out what the hell is going on.”
If I found the men who were after Hazel first, I’d kill them with my bare hands.