Chapter 36

It's been three months. Twelve long weeks since Laney went and captured the woman who started all of this. Ninety whole days of her being stuck in a torture chamber with Havoc, who some would call the master of torture.

We are still no closer to these children than we were before she was in our custody.

Evie and I have searched the towns they could be held in, called contacts about any suspicious activity, and even gone as far as knocking on a few doors to ask those with lots of land if we could survey the area with Lev's drone. But we've gotten absolutely nothing. After countless trips to Norway and a lot of hope only to have it all squashed again, we decided we needed a bit of a break today. Just one day to relax, recuperate, and maybe get some sleep.

During all this time, my men have been my constants. We sleep together every night, talk about other missions, and we've even made a few new deals with friends in the banking industry.

Akio has been helping us search, but with him and Adrian trying to adopt a kid, they've said they need time. It doesn't make anything less frustrating, but at least there are some good things happening, even while the bad continues to linger. On the days that we need just a little bit of light, it makes it seem less dark.

Laney has been there too, making trips with us. She is fully invested after everything that happened with her brother a few years ago, but that story is for another day. She might actually want to kill my father more than I do at this point. Maybe even more than Cillian, which is really saying something.

We thought we could put a tag on my father, but he seems to be disinterested in his investment. My contacts have had eyes on him, and as far as we can tell, he hasn't left Ireland in months.

That doesn't mean he isn't staying in contact with whoever is running this operation now, but we've all found it strange that these kids are so far away from him after he has put so much money into them.

Maybe he questions his choices and it's easier for him to not be near it? I honestly don't know, and I don't think I care. The minute we find the kids, Cillian is going to take my father out. I'm not in the mood for torture, I just want him and his evil wiped off the face of the earth for forever.

We know the children have been moved quite a few times now, so our final hope is that we get some sort of notice when they're traveling with them. Lev set up some security checkpoints to scan the vans in a way that their technology can't detect, but he is still working on getting his drones fitted with the same tech for large areas. He thinks it will be soon though.

I toss and turn in bed unable to sleep. Usually, I can switch between my guys and I'll end up finding a comfortable spot that feels soothing, but right now I think I've woken them up more than I've let them rest.

Instead of trying again, I slip out of bed and head down to the kitchen. Maybe a third cup of herbal tea for the night will finally do the trick. Or I could call Laney and get some of her special pot brownies. Those always seem to help her and Akio when she makes them.

I write a mental note to text her at a decent hour tomorrow because at this point I'm desperate for sleep.

Putting the kettle on, I lean back onto the counter and watch for the steam. Sometimes, the act of making tea is enough to make me sleepy. But right now, all I can picture myself doing is taking the kettle and launching it out the window. I am beyond frustrated.

"Hey, Love." Cillian walks around the island and leans against my side. His familiar scent surrounds me, bringing me some semblance of comfort.

"Hey there, Killer."

He reaches my shoulders and pulls me in front of him as he starts massaging them with his strong, tattooed hands.

"Can't sleep?"

I shake my head but allow him to continue. This man has magic fingers. He's been nothing but sweet and supportive since I met him, and sometimes, it feels like nothing has changed. When it's just the two of us, I can pretend we're eighteen again.

The pot starts to whistle, so I hurry to pull it off, not wanting to wake Boris. However, as soon as I start pouring two cups of hot water, Cillian grabs a third.

"Who's that for?" I ask.

"You'll see," he says right before Boris walks into the room.

"It's so weird how you can do that," I say, pouring the water into the third cup and beginning to add the tea bags. Usually, I prefer a loose-leaf brew, but the bags are easier at night.

"You're just jealous I can sense him before you can."

Boris shakes his head and comes over to me, kissing my temple. "Tea?" I offer, handing it to him.

"Thank you, Little Fox. Care to tell us why we are all awake at four in the morning?"

My cheeks heat as I lift my cup to my lips. I'm well aware it's too hot, but sometimes the burn helps me think less.

"I tried not to wake you."

He lifts a brow. "I think you have broken the both of us." Boris gestures between himself and Cillian. "Neither of us can sleep in that bed without you in it."

"I think the old man is afraid he might wake up spooning me. It would really put a damper on his reputation." Cillian winks at Boris while I try not to snort a laugh into my cup.

Smiling, I take another sip. With the two of them here and the warm brew settling in my belly, I start to feel at peace.

"I'm sorry."

"No you're not," Cillian counters, and I stick my tongue out at him.

"Oh, so now you've got the sass out? Do you know what happens to those who sass me?"

Oh my gosh, no!

I set down my cup and run to the other side of the island before he can catch me. Biting my lip, I point my finger at him in reprimand.

"Cillian Kelly, you will not start a tickle fight in the middle of this kitchen!"

Boris starts to laugh, backing out of our way as we dance around each other. I keep the island between us until I am panting.

"Next time, you can use that tongue for something less sassy," Cillian says, just a breath away.

I will myself to sprint faster, but it's no use. The man bear hugs me before putting my ass on the counter and tickling me until I can't freaking breathe.

"O-okay. O-okay!"

He keeps going, and I swear I might actually pee my pants if he doesn't stop. "Boris!"

In less than a second, Boris has Cillian in a headlock, pulling him back. Cillian tries to get free, thrusting his elbow back, but that's when I go in for my revenge.

Boris holds him still while I tickle him right back. We don't stop until we're all breathless, a stupid grin stuck on my face.

"There's our girl," Cillian says as he stands and Boris helps him up.

I hold out a finger to both of them.

"No, no, no. Tickle fights do not fix everything." I literally cannot stop grinning and it makes Cillian doubt my words. Bastard .

My phone rings at the same moment I'm ready to rant about the fact that just because I'm laughing, does not mean it's funny.

All of us glance at each other before I dart across the room. There are very few people my phone will ring for in the middle of the night. This is either an emergency or someone has news.

"What is it?" I answer with urgency in my tone.

"You need to get here now, we've got information," Evie says over the line.

I'm already moving, running to throw on clothes and grabbing my go bag. The guys don't hesitate to do the same, and in less than five minutes, we're all in Boris' car headed to Evie.

We make it to the tower in record time and jump in the elevator. Evie wastes no time letting us in, the door opens before I can even step through the elevator.

"We need to move. Now."

Evie greets us at the door, holding it open with a video chat on a computer in her hand. Each of her men throw their bags over their shoulders as Evie directs us to another elevator, one that will take us to their helicopter on the roof.

"If I would have known, I would've told you to meet us at the airstrip, but this guy," she gestures to the man on the screen that gives a solemn wave, "just gave us what we needed."

I narrow my eyes on him. I haven't seen him before, but we have been tricked once already.

"How do we know he can be trusted?" I ask.

"I vetted him," Lev answers as Damien picks up their dog, Azazel, and puts him in a large harness for the flight. "Full background check. Besides, he's a cousin to one of our contacts. He breached protocol by getting family involved, but ultimately, it might save lives."

I nod, trusting him as we race up the stairs. Thankfully, we brought our bags with us too, so we toss them in the center of the chopper and take our seats. As soon as we're up in the air, the man begins to explain.

"I work for a trucking company here in Norway. I was at a stop earlier today when I heard a man talking about live cargo. That isn't all too unusual because some of us transfer cattle and such. However, what caught my attention was when he said some of the cargo talked back to him and that was how he split his knuckles."

Knowing one of the kids was hurt makes me internally cringe. I cannot imagine what kind of grown man hits a child, but then again, I can't imagine who does any of this anyway.

"He kept talking and ended up saying a bit too much. I wear a hearing aid most of the time, and today I happened to have it turned up because the waitress here speaks so softly. It was by chance I overheard him."

I can't believe we actually got this lucky. It was a one in a million chance. "So you know where they are?"

He nods. "I was able to put a tracker on his truck. I hope you make him pay."

"Oh, we will," Cillian says, and everyone around us makes sounds or grunts of agreement.

Anxiety and anticipation thrum through my veins as we head to the airstrip. Just before we arrive, rain begins to fall. I can't help but think this is a sign. But for what, I don't know. All I do know is that I have to save these kids, just like I should have saved my sister.

Fourteen years ago

I wake in the night with a horrible feeling in my chest. It shouldn't be there. In fact, I should be sleeping like a baby after how hard I've worked today.

Yet, my heart is pounding and sweat coats my face. I decide to go to Enya's room, sometimes just seeing her sleep peacefully helps. I can't help this sense of urgency to get there, but when I do, she isn't in her bed.

Enya isn't like me, she would never leave the house at night. I try not to panic as I head downstairs to the kitchen, hoping she just needed a glass of water. But no one is there either.

I press my hand to my chest, debating whether to wake my parents. They don't sleep in the same bed, so I could wake just one of them. Deciding that's the best plan, I go to my mother and shake her shoulder.

"Nessa, darling, what is it?" As if she can sense my panic, she swiftly sits up and flicks on the bedside lamp. She hardly finches when she sees me, but her face morphs into an expression of distress.

"What is it?"

"Where's Enya?" I ask.

She breathes a sigh but doesn't seem to calm. "She is sleeping over at a friend's house."

As if on cue, her phone lights up with a call. Her face pales, and my anxiety swims to the point I'm sure I will pass out if I don't find an anchor. I reach for my mother's hand as soon as she answers.

"Yes?"

There is yelling on the other end of the phone. When my mother looks at me, I decide, feck it . My father is an arsehole, but he will tear down the world to ensure we are safe.

"Father!" I bang on his door, and he immediately answers.

"You better have a good…" He doesn't even finish his words when he sees my mother running towards us.

"They took her and many more children."

My father stands there as if debating what he's going to do. I may only be eleven, but I'm not taking chances with my sister's life.

"Save her. Get her back, and I will do whatever, be whoever you want me to be. But you have to save them all."

His eyes drift to mine, and that hesitancy I saw before vanishes as he nods to me.

"Let's go."