Page 25

Leo

“I think I have all we are going to get,” Marco informs me.

Only three men remain alive, one of whom will stay alive—for now, anyway. This man will take the decapitated and limbless men back to where they came from. I doubt he will live for long once he arrives.

Leaving Marco to finish the job, I instruct my number two to send all the resources and men we can gather to Damien and his team.

A helicopter arrives just as Marco has finished.

We both board the aircraft, which takes us straight to the airport, where my private jet is waiting.

A blood-covered Marco scares one of the flight attendants, but they know not to speak a word.

Once he’s showered, he takes a seat in front of me.

“We will find her, boss, and I will skin him alive.”

Marco runs through the information we have with me and the team.

We’ve some men on board, and the rest are present via video link.

Damien is also on the call, going over things on his end.

There have been no further updates. It’s now 4:00 a.m. My Katherine has been missing for six hours; a lot can happen in six hours.

Standing up from my seat in frustration, I pace the aisle.

“Tell me again, Marco—what do we know?”

“Jaxon Adams. Thirty-two years old. English.”

There’s something here I’m missing.

“The ship. What did you find out there?”

Marco looks at me quizzically but goes ahead and answers. “Four of them were hired for the job. Two French and two German. The other six are part of an organisation called Graves.”

“Graves? What do we know about the Graves?”

“They’re English.”

There’s a connection here; I’m sure of it.

“Damien. What do you know about an organisation called Graves?”

There’s a moment’s pause.

“The Graves were a criminal gang based in London and the US. Their boss and his son died a year or two ago. It’s all been quiet since then.”

“Well, they’re back. Find out all you can on them. ”

“What has this got to do with Katie?”

“I don’t know yet. That’s what we need to find out!”

As soon as the plane lands, we are out, in the car, and on our way to meet Damien at the last known location of her phone.

We pull into a car park; Damien and his team are all set up with riot gear. He has a group surrounding him as he looks at a map he has laid out on the bonnet of an SUV.

“This is where Katie's phone last connected.” He points to the map.

I push through the group to get a closer look.

“Everyone, this is Leonardo Guerra; he is a friend of Katie's.”

I send him a glare. “Get on with it, Damien!”

“As I was saying, her location stops around half a mile from here. We have traced a transit van that leaves the airport minutes after Katie disappears to this area here. The CCTV is practically nonexistent for about a mile.” He draws a circle around the area.

“We have surveillance on the surrounding areas, and as yet, the vehicle hasn’t moved.

As you can see, it's pretty derelict around here, bar and a few cottages dotted about. After driving around the area, we’ve found no sign of this van.

They’ve hidden it somewhere. My guess is here. ” He points to a square on the map.

“Where is that?!” I demand.

“Half a mile up that road, there is a disused warehouse.” He points over my shoulder.

I turn and can see it in the distance—a dark green metal building.

“What are you waiting for then? Let's go!” Turning on my heel, I start to make my way back to my car.

“No! Guerra. You cannot drive up to the warehouse; you will alert them of your arrival and kill us all!”

I despise being told what to do. So does Marco; he’s ready to kill someone. But this time, I am going to have to listen.

“Fine. We will go on foot.”

Marco and I set off walking.

“We aren’t ready yet, Guerra. You both need kitting up, and we need to wait for the okay from the authorities.”

I stop walking and turn to Damien. “If it was your wife, would you wait?”

He straightens in his position by the car. “Not a second more,” he replies and nods.