I drop him to the ground and rush back to my truck. I check the tracker again and see that it’s moving again, but then the little green dot blinks out, and my girl is lost to me.
“Fuck!”
Once again, I dial my phone.
“Jasper, let me guess… you’re missing something,” my old partner says with a tinge of humor that makes me want to rip his balls off through his throat.
“Charity is gone. What do you know?” I growl.
“The wedding is on for today. Our inside man got in touch just before you called. Said it’s going down at Saint Vincent's.”
My tires squall as I turn towards the church, heading to get my girl.
“Now don’t go riding in there like some kind of Wild West cowboy. I know you’re capable, but we’ve got a swat team on standby to intervene. We are moving on Sokolov today.”
I slow down and pull over, listening to my friend lay out the plan.
“We’ve got eyes on your girl right now and she’s fine. They are taking her to Dima’s penthouse, then from there to the church. We’ve got teams at all four of his business-fronts here in the city ready to move at the same time we hit the church.”
It’s a decent plan, but I don’t like that Charity is going to be in Sokolov’s hands for so long. I want to rush in and save her now, but I know he’s right. Going in like a cowboy, just me and Ransom, is dangerous. His way will work… I just have to be patient.
“I want in,” I say flatly.
“Of course you do. I wouldn’t dream of doing this without you. It’ll be just like old times, yeah?”
“Shut up, Jenkins.”
His boisterous laughter makes me want to shoot him. It’s probably for the best that this little talk is happening over the phone.
“Come down to the station and we will get you kitted out and ready to roll.”
“On my way.” I hang up with him and call Ransom, filling him in on the plan.
I’m going to get my girl back.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR
Charity
I fighttears as the enormity of my situation starts to sink in. I’m in huge trouble, and it’s not just because of the thugs that are all but dragging me into a building. Not a single person even stops to look as they cart me off to God knows where.
We get into an elevator, and goon number one pushes the button for the penthouse. I cringe, knowing exactly what could happen to me once I’m locked inside Dima Sokolov’s private residence. That has to be where we are going.
I say a little prayer, hoping that Jasper really is coming for me. That he’ll somehow be able to find me before something unspeakable happens.
The doors slide open, and I’m pushed out into a sumptuous-looking space. If I didn’t know the Devil himself lived here, I’d be excited to explore. But as it is, all I can do is drag air into my lungs and barely keep my feet. My nerves are shot, and my anxiety level is so high that I’m practically vibrating with it.
Then I see him… Dima Sokolov.
He’s dressed in a three-piece suit. At first glance, he looks like a dapper older man. Handsome even. But then he looks at you with those cold, calculating eyes, and you see the snake hiding behind the charm.
“Ah, my bride!” he says with a smile. “So glad you could finally join me.”
“This is a mistake. I shouldn’t be here.”
He scoffs. “You know what’ll happen if you fight this,malen’kiy persik. I would hate for your little friends to get hurt.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” I snarl.