Page 66 of Secrets Along the Shore

“I think the kid is Viktor’s,” Adele commented.

Tyler stretched his jaw. Of all the people Elara could get tied to, she had a kid with a mobster. He swiped a hand over his short beard. Viktor probably saw them as his property. He wouldn’t let them go, and he didn’t love Elara enough to ensure his men didn’t hurt her. That’d just make the negotiations much harder.

“Probably. She’s spent at least the last ten years in Croatia. The boy looks to be about that age,” Von added.

Amir brought a small file for the kid onto the screen. “Kid’s name is Rian. Confirmed by a bystander who heard Elara shout his name a few nights ago while they were fleeing. He does appear to be ten years old, but there’s no way currently to confirm he’s Viktor’s son.”

Adam shifted at the far side of the table. “What about Viktor? What intel do we have on him?”

After closing down Elara’s and Rian’s files, Amir pulled up their opposition’s information. In the photo, Viktor stood on a sidewalk, wearing an expensive suit, a Rolex watch on his wrist. His gray hair was combed back, and made his dark eyes more noticeable. He sneered as he stared at something past the camera.

Tyler stretched his jaw. Yeah, he wouldn’t trust this guy with anything. But Von thought that negotiating with him would work. As much as he wished that it would, he doubted it.

“Okay. Viktor Kovac. Age, forty-nine.”

“Eww,” Adele muttered.

Tyler frowned, but didn’t look at her.

“What?” Adam asked.

“That age gap.”

“We need to stay focused,” Von silenced them.

Amir continued, “He’s got a tattoo of bones on the back of his neck. Major identifier right there. He owns about a dozen properties in Croatia. He’s got one ‘legit’ company and then he’s running illegal operations to make the most money. After some thorough digging, Patrick and I were able to confirm that he’s leading a large mob in the country.” He glanced at the iPad he held in his hands. “The Crna Ruka. Means the ‘black hand’. They’re a pretty rough group and seem to have control over law enforcement in their areas of business.”

Interesting. How had Elara gotten involved with the mob? “Do we know where he’s holding our target?” Tyler inquired. They needed to know for the extraction.

“She tried to escape from his home in Dubrovnik. We’re assuming she’s still there.”

“We need to be certain.” Von met her brother’s gaze.

He nodded. “Yep. Patrick and I will double-check.”

“How many men does he have?” Tyler asked.

“About two hundred. Spread over all twelve locations.”

He nodded. Not terrible. He’d taken out more with a smaller team.

“We’ll have more intel prepared if we have to do an extraction.” Von got up from the table. “I’ve already put forth an offer. Now we’re just waiting to see if they accept.”

If they didn’t, Tyler would have to go in.

CHAPTER

FOUR

June 7

10:00 a.m., Dubrovnik, Croatia

They were wasting time.

Tyler gripped the railing on the deck at the back of Von’s house. He had spent the last hour staring at the sea. The rhythmic lull of the crashing waves did little to ease his wait for updates. He’d gotten none so far. With a huff, he scanned the neighboring waterfront homes. He hated being idle, but it bothered him more that Von wasted time negotiating.

Viktor hadn’t asked for a ransom, she offered it. So far, the Croatian mobster showed little interest in working in a timely manner. He wanted control. Over Von. And over Elara. He felt no need to hurry, and he’d keep them waiting for as long as he wanted. The “Rukas” maintained a certain level of control over law enforcement. Viktor assumed he could do the same with Von’s small team.