Page 96 of Promise of Destruction

The silence is too long before the sharp voice says, “What?”

“Rhea is in Dubai, but she wasn’t alone when she was taken.”

Declan and Dimitri stare at each other. “Who was she with?”

Declan looks like he doesn’t want to reveal the information, but he sighs anyway. “Claire Boudreaux?”

There’s a beat of silence before the housekeeper gasps, grabbing hold of the back of a chair to keep herself upright. None of these names mean anything to me, but apparently it’s relevant to them. Given the last name, I can tell these people must be related.

“Impossible.” The voice on the other end of the phone cuts through the silence. “I just left my wife asleep in our bedroom.”

“The closest match I could get on the companion there was a ninety-five percent match to Claire Boudreaux.” Declan explains, clearly not as bothered as the rest of them. “They weretogether in the last known footage before Rhea Boudreaux went missing.”

“FUCK!”

The roar is so loud that I wince from where I’m sitting feet away from Dimitri. There’s a minute where I imagine the man on the other end taking a second to compose himself, hear his ragged breaths.

“They’re separated?”

“Yes.” Declan confirms. “I have the coordinates for both, but by the time you rescue one, they’ll figure it out and move the other.”

Oh.

I feel like a block of lead has just dropped inside my stomach now that Declan is saying what I couldn’t put together myself.

“Tell me where to go.” Dimitri says, his voice tense. I can see that he wants to act, to do something.

“I’m at my house.” It’s not a command, not the information Dimitri sought. But it gives him an answer.

“I’ll send you the coordinates for Claire’s sister. Take Victor with you.” Dimitri says decisively. “Then you can meet me in Dubai, and we’ll get Rhea together.”

“Dimitri…”

“It will be alright.” Dimitri says it matter of fact, leaving no room for argument.

There’s a second of silence where I think the man on the other side of the world is going to yell again, but his voice is quiet so that when he speaks again, the only sound I am able to pick out is ‘Evers’.

Dimitri holds the phone out to Declan, who stares at it a second before pressing it against his ear.

“Yes?”

I can’t hear the man on the other line now—Declan must have lowered the volume. He walks, still with one hand in his pocketas he listens to whatever he’s being told. He’s silent until the end when he says ‘of course’.

A moment later, he passes the phone back to Dimitri.

“I’ve already buried the trace I used to find them.” He says. “That means I can’t turn on any notifications if they’re moved. They’re ghosts in the machine right now.”

Dimitri nods his understanding.

“I’ll stay in Costa Rica as a courtesy while you search for them, but I can’t turn it off and on if we don’t want them to get suspicious. Call me before you guys act.”

Dimitri nods again, passing a set of keys to Declan.

“You’re welcome to stay in the guest house. Elaine will be happy to have the company.”

“No,” Elaine says, drawing everyone’s attention. I practically forgot she was there, standing on the edge of the patio and looking like she refused to take a breath ‘til the conversation was done. Now that it is, she’s made herself known.

“No?”