Chapter Seventy-Four

Thorne left at the same time Lena and Dane headed out for Viktor’s complex. Thorne wished them luck and told Dane not to fuck things up.

Right.

Lena knew he was just trying to make her feel less nervous. Of the two of them, she was the one with the potential to fuck things up the worst. She may have already ensured their failure with her hasty decision to go on the mission without Thorne.

As they parked down the street from the gated entrance of the compound, she was having serious doubts. She was not cut out for this kind of thing. Yes, she could shoot at a piece of paper. But she’d never shot a person before. And the paper hadn’t shot back.

Still, she needed to do whatever she could for her daughter. And that meant walking into danger with a gun and sheer determination.

The sun had gone down on the humid day, and she felt the chill of the night envelop her as she stepped out of the Jeep.

While she focused on her breathing, Dane communicated with Angel via their earbuds, so they could synchronize the attack with the other team.

She and Dane were outside the mansion in Savannah, Georgia, while the others were waiting outside a complex in Vancouver. They were working in tandem. One attack on two fronts. Angel and Colton were keeping everyone informed and on track.

Lena pulled the gun from her holster as if she’d been doing it every day of her life.

“Are you ready?” Dane asked.

“Yes.” She hoped it wasn’t a lie.

He nodded and grabbed a small backpack of emergency gear and slipped it on before pulling on a gas mask. She fumbled with her own, and adjusted the strap in the back.

She didn’t like the idea of gassing her own daughter, but it was the safest way. It meant everyone inside would be rendered unconscious, and they could simply go in and get Kenzie without the need for violence or the possibility of being outnumbered.

Dane hopped up on the high fence and hung there on his stomach as he reached down to pull her up. She was impressed by his strength. She wasn’t a frail girl, and he handled her as if she weighed nothing.

As planned, she instantly got in position so he could lower her down on the other side. He hung suspended by his fingers for a second before dropping into a crouch next to her.

“We’re inside.” She heard his words beside her as well as in her com.

Before they even stood to take a step, they encountered the first obstacle.

Of the canine variety.

“Shit. I really don’t want to get bit again,” he muttered as he pulled a canister from his belt and tugged the pin out. Smoke poured out of the device, and he tossed it on the ground in front of them as the Dobermans bore down.

The smoke hindered her visibility, but the dogs did not pass through the thick cloud. Dane leaned down and trussed up the dogs like a cattle wrangler did to a steer.

“Clear. Come on.” He held out his hand and she took it.

It felt the same as when they had walked to the cabin the night before they left. Casual, like a date instead of the dangerous extraction of a hostage.

Unfortunately the person handling the dogs was not far behind. Dane let go of her hand and slid into the shadow by the corner of the house.

Leaving her out in the open.

As the man approached, Dane leaped out behind him. She didn’t see exactly what he did, but the man dropped to his knees and fell over. Before she could look, Dane had gripped her arm and was pulling her along behind him.

Her whole body shook with tension, anticipation, and fear as they passed the fountain and made it to the door of the smaller house behind the main mansion. She’d been worried she might freeze up and not be able to move. Now she was worried about not being able shoot because she was moving too much.

He tried the door and it opened. He tossed a canister inside and checked his watch. She imagined her daughter inside being knocked out by the choking smoke.

“Moving inside the East Building,” he said after a full minute had passed, his voice cool and professional.

“Copy,” Angel answered over the com.

He gave the signal that he wanted Lena to follow close behind. The small cottage was dark except for a light coming from the bathroom. Kenzie always made her leave the light on in the bathroom so she could find her way in the middle of the night.

Lena’s chest squeezed. Her daughter was close. She was going to be able to hold her. Any minute now.

Dane’s headlamp came on, and he moved through the small living room Lena recognized from some of the calls with her daughter. The living room was open, and she could see the island counter that surrounded the kitchen area.

The lamp’s beam moved to the first door on the left. They weren’t sure where the bedrooms were, or which one could be Kenzie’s.

When Dane pushed the door open, she hoped to see her daughter lying in the bed. But it was a queen-size bed, and it was made, the cover pulled tight in a professional manner.

Sweeping the room with the light and finding nothing, he pulled the door shut and stopped at the next one. It was the bathroom, and it was clear no one was inside.

The next door was a child’s room. There were toys—dollhouses, chalkboards, and a kitchen set—along the wall by the window. The small bed in the corner was covered with a turtle blanket. But there was no one inside.

The next door was the entry that led out the back. They moved through the kitchen toward the two doors on the other side of the cottage.

Her breath caught at the sight of Kenzie’s drawing hanging on the refrigerator. She could tell it was her daughter’s by the way the horse had giant square legs and her name was written at the bottom. She would probably not become an artist.

At the next door, Lena heard a noise from inside. Her heart raced, eager to open it and greet her child.

The door opened and two little girls—groggy and coughing from the gas—stumbled out toward them. Dim light from a princess lamp inside the room lit up the small area.

Lena gathered them in her arms with an involuntary sound of joy, looking at each one for some familiarity. But there was none. Neither of the girls was her Kenzie.

One of them fell heavily against her, and Lena carefully laid her on the floor.

“Do you know Kenzie?” Lena asked the bigger girl, whose eyes were big as plates looking at their gas masks.

The girl nodded nervously.

“Where is she?”

The girl shrugged and her eyes drifted shut.

Lena tried a different tactic. “Which room is Kenzie’s?” she asked with a gentle shake to keep her awake.

The girl pointed to the room she had just come from. Lena laid her down, then hurried inside, checking every corner, but came up empty.

There was no one else inside.

Just four small beds and two dressers.

The other girl had curled up next to the smaller one and passed out.

Dane moved to the next door—the last room they hadn’t checked.

But he came out shaking his head worriedly.

Kenzie wasn’t there, either.