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FLASHBACK

THERON

ROME, ITALY

After the raid on the warehouse, we went back to the safe house.

I barely had the patience to clean up but somehow I did and then paced impatiently around the war room while I waited for the others. Food and beers were brought in and soon everyone was assembled and Rune was throwing up the evidence boards on the massive monitors.

“Who is Quarry?” I asked.

Rune pulled up all the information they had on the middleman.

“He often pulls inventory from different sources and they end up in the auctions,”

Rune said. “We’re not sure if he specializes in grooming certain kinks, certain women, or what, but they use him as a secondary often.”

I pulled out Emersyn’s photo. “We have her number now,”

I said, paying attention to the writing under the image for the first time. “And apparently they nicknamed her Hurricane.”

Rune quickly pulled up a list and highlighted the matching number.

“There she is,”

Rune said. “She went to Quarry.”

“This is good,”

Deathwing nodded. “Now that we have her number and even a nickname, we’ll be able to track her as long as there is documentation.”

“I pulled up the cameras around the area,”

West said. “Look at this.”

He threw a few video feeds up on a monitor and we watched a large work truck drive down a street near the warehouse. He paused the video and froze the image.

“There obviously aren’t any camera feeds near the warehouse, but I scanned the footage of the nearby streets and this truck is the only vehicle during the timeframe of the sale that could have been used to transport a group of people.”

“Can you follow it further?” I asked.

“On it now,”

West answered.

West followed the truck until it left the city and then lost track of it as soon as there weren’t any more cameras.

“I’m already checking any available cameras outside town and in the next few cities accessible by that road,”

Rune said.

The silence stretched as Rune and West searched through the area for any footage they could find. A few minutes later Rune shook his head.

“All I found is a gas station camera that caught them as they passed by,”

he said. “The cities off that road don’t show them entering so they must have taken a side road somewhere into the hills out there.”

“What’s out there?”

“Just farmland until the Apennine Mountains.”

“How many other roads off that one could they have turned down?”

I looked at the map of Rome and the surrounding countryside and mountain range.

“Not many but it will still take us time to check all of them,”

Rune said.

He clicked a few things and the roads on the map lit up in yellow. Frustration rose in me. It was going to take time to search such a large area especially with the roads traveling deep into the mountain range.

“I’m going to call in additional resources,” I said.

I heard Deathwing coordinating his own teams as I walked out the back door to make the call. Northern Tactical had offices all over the world which meant I had tactical teams ready to go anywhere I needed them.

“Theo, please tell me you have a team available for me,”

I said as soon as the line picked up.

“Of course boss, where are they going?”

Theo was my Chief Operating Officer in this sector with an office in Florence. He dealt only with legal NorTac contracts working with security details and other private military companies. My teams in Italy flew all over Europe doing security, extractions and other missions related to high-profile business and political names.

“Have them fly into Rome,”

I said, already texting him the coordinates and flight information.

“You’re here?”

Theo asked.

“Yeah, flew in yesterday for a job. Off the record.”

“Anything else I can do for you while you’re here?”

“No, I’ll send a mission brief. I need them in the air ASAP.”

“Consider it done,”

Theo said. “I’ll text you the ETA shortly.”

We ended the call, and I stared at the screen, suddenly thinking of Kaelin. This was going to further delay extracting her from the Warren.

I dialed a number and ran a hand over my face as I listened to it ring.

The line clicked. “Cooper.”

“It’s North.”

“What’s up, brother?”

I bristled at the casual tone he used like we were friends but pushed it aside.

“I want to make an offer on Kaelin,” I said.

There was silence on the other end of the line.

“She’s not for sale,”

Cooper said.

My jaw clenched. “I believe you said you had a business deal you wanted to discuss. I’m willing to negotiate terms that include Kaelin in the contract.”

“Kraven, she’s not for sale,”

he insisted. “Do you know how much money she’s already made me?”

“Come on, everyone has a number,”

I pressed.

Silence again.

“Afraid I can’t do that.”

“I’ll double what she’s made you.”

I heard Cooper’s incredulous huff. “Why do you want her so badly? Her pussy is great, don’t get me wrong, but she’s only a woman—a commodity. One that’s making me a shit ton of money—did I mention that?”

He’d fucked her. I clenched the phone so hard I was afraid I’d snap it.

“Just name the price, Cooper,”

I said tightly.

This was not a shining example of my negotiation skills, but I couldn’t back track now. I didn’t have the time nor the patience. Cooper didn’t speak for several long moments and finally he chuckled.

“Forget about her, Kraven,”

he said. “I told you she wasn’t yours and I meant it. Don’t call me again unless it’s to really talk business.”

The line clicked dead, and I nearly threw the phone across the yard. I didn’t have time to deal with Cooper or spend the time I needed to successfully break into a place like the Warren and steal her. That was no small operation. Cursing viciously under my breath I walked back inside. The minute I could head back to the states, I would get her back.

I just hoped she could hold on for long enough.