Chapter Nine

Dane needed a plan, and he needed one quick. How could he possibly overpower three men and Viktor Kulakov? They were all bigger than him. All armed. Then there was Lena. Who knew where her loyalties lay? Even if he fought his way through the guards, she’d probably shoot him dead to protect Viktor.

He needed to be smart, but at the moment his only thoughts were of the meeting with his son. Tobey loved him. And now he was counting on Dane to get him out of this.

Dane needed help, but there was no way to get in touch with his team.

Supervisory Deputy United States Marshal Josiah Thorne wasn’t expecting him to report to his new assignment until next week, and no one else would be looking for him. He didn’t even talk to the people in his apartment building.

The largest of the three beasts moved closer. Braced for the first strike, Dane tensed, feeling his thigh muscle protest. But the man just untied Dane’s bonds and stepped back.

“You’re probably wondering why I’ve brought you here.” Viktor smiled, a gesture that would in no way be confused with kindness.

“I figured you’d get around to telling me sooner or later.”

“I need your help with a loose end.” The man was probably in his late forties. His nails were manicured and his hair was perfectly in place. His tanned skin held only the most distinguished of wrinkles.

“Does this loose end have a name?” Dane guessed.

“It’s so nice to be able to conduct business like men instead of barbarians.” The man’s cold, gray eyes flashed toward the other room.

“Let’s get this over with. Tell me who’s on your list. I’ll find out where they are, and once I know Tobey’s safe, I’ll give you their location.”

“Actually, I had something more expedient in mind. I’m being watched and so are my men. It took a great deal of resources to allow us to be present for this little adventure. After that inconvenient and unwarranted arrest, I’m not at liberty to hunt down the person who is causing me great personal distress. I’d rather have you bring the person to me. Once you hand him over, I’ll release your boy.”

Dane snorted. “Sure, you will.”

“You insult my honor.”

“My apologies to your honor.” He made no effort to make his apology sound sincere in any way. This man had no honor. His use of children as pawns was evidence of that. “Who is it?”

“Well now, that’s a where the first problem lies. I knew him as Robbie Vanderhook, but soon found out that was a lie. When I…ended his employment, it was because I found out he was a DEA agent named Robert Gates. But once again, I was deceived. It seems he’s much better at hiding his true identity than you are.”

The man glanced toward the room where Tobey was being held. It was true, Dane’s past wasn’t buried as deep as some. But that was because he only had one enemy—his former boss, Tim Reynolds—and that enemy believed him dead. Reynolds was a crook, and dangerous when threatened, but he was definitely a little fish compared with Viktor Kulakov, who was the ruthless leader of an entire crime syndicate.

And Dane had led Kulakov straight to his old life by visiting Tobey when he should have stayed away. Tobey was in danger now because Dane had been greedy and wanted to see his son.

Viktor let out a breath. “At this point we’ve found three other identities, and I’ve become bored with this silly game. I wish to cut to the chase, as it were, and have a professional sort out the details.” Viktor waved his hand as if this was nothing more than an inconvenience.

Dane’s brows pulled together, more out of surprise than not knowing who the person was. In fact, he knew the man well—he was married to Dane’s best friend, Angel Larson—make that Williamson now. Dane knew the man by his real name, Colton Williamson.

They were friends, and Dane was the godfather of the man’s son.

Dane glanced toward the room that held his son. “I’ll be happy to figure out who he is and bring him in.” Along with the rest of Task Force Phoenix to take down these ass-hats and save Tobey. As much as Dane didn’t want to leave Tobey behind alone, he knew the best chance to save his kid was to get away from there.

“I’d hoped you would be accommodating.” Viktor steepled his fingers in front of his lips, which were turned up in a cruel smile. “Thanks to Mr. Vanderhook, I’ve learned from my mistakes. Trust is not something I give freely. It must be earned, and that takes a very long time. Unfortunately, we do not have time to get to know one another on that level.”

Couldn’t the man just get to it?

“I know you will come back if the boy is here. However, I’m sure you won’t be alone when you do. To make certain everyone sticks to their task without deviation, I’m going to send Lena with you. She must check in every so many hours. If she reports you’ve misstepped, the boy dies. If she says you’ve run, the boy dies. If she fails to report in at the correct time, the boy dies.”

“And if she kills me?”

“I trust her to make the right decision.” Another eerie smile. “Lena!” he snapped, and the woman rushed into the room.

“Yes?”

“Accompany Mr. Ryan on his quest to extract a dear friend. Be quick about it. Time is of the essence.”

“What about the—”

Her question was cut off by Viktor’s glare, but Dane was certain she was asking about Tobey.

“You take care of retrieving Vanderhook, and I’ll take care of dear Tobias.” He raised a brow. “Unless you want to change the terms of our arrangement.”

“No,” she uttered quickly.

Dane wondered what kind of arrangement they had and decided he didn’t care. The two of them and their arrangement could both go to hell. The quicker the better.

“Can I say goodbye?” Dane asked.

Viktor tapped his index finger to his lip twice and smiled. “No. You should be off. As I said, time is of the essence.”

Rat bastard.

Viktor turned his reptilian gaze on Lena. “Call me directly in eight hours, no texts. You’ll be given the time to call back at the end of each contact. Make sure you don’t forget. One missed call and…well…as I said before, no need to be barbaric.”