Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Jason spotted Patrick sitting in the corner as soon as he walked into Jack's. Patrick had ordered two coffees and a plate of fries.

He pulled out the chair across from him and sat down. "What were you doing at the scene of an incident involving Dominic Ilyin getting pulled into the back of a van?" he asked.

Patrick's gaze widened. "That's what you wanted to talk to me about? How do you know I was there?"

"Your car was caught on camera."

"Then you must have seen what happened."

"What were you doing there?"

"I picked him up at the Elliott Tower and followed him. He parked in front of a liquor store and waited for the traffic to clear so he could cross the street. A van pulled up next to him, and then he was gone. I was stunned. I tried to keep up with the van, but I lost it in traffic."

His story matched what Nick had said, but Patrick was leaving out some important information.

"How did you know Ilyin was at the Elliott Tower?" he asked.

"Stephanie called me. I was surprised because there was tension between us after what happened three years ago. She said you were keeping her out of the investigation, and she had a good lead that she couldn't chase herself. Her CI told her Ilyin might be staying at the Elliott Tower, so I went to check it out. I wasn't there more than ten minutes when I saw him leave the building, so I followed him. Once I had better intel, I was going to call you, Jason."

"You should have called me right away. What's your game, Patrick?"

"There's no game," Patrick denied, giving him a look of surprise.

"You're acting shady. So is Stephanie. She has some CI who seems to know where Ilyin is, but she can't tell me who her CI is."

"I don't know who he is, either. Stephanie wouldn't say. Look, we're just trying to help. I may be retired, but I want Novikov behind bars. Stephanie feels the same way. We can both be assets. Use us."

He shook his head. "I can't use you. You don't work for the FBI anymore, and Stephanie is part of the LA office, which is excluded from the investigation, on orders of the director. If you have information, you have to give it to me. That's it. That's the bottom line. Stop chasing leads yourself."

"Got it," Patrick said, with irritation in his voice. "But you're being shortsighted, Jason. I was an agent for thirty years. I know a lot about Novikov and his organization."

"Believe me, so do I. Is there anything you can tell me about who picked Ilyin up?"

"I didn't see the driver. The van came up fast, slammed on its brakes, and drove off just as quickly. Unfortunately, I was on the wrong side to see how Ilyin got in, if he was willing or if he was grabbed. Maybe you can get footage from a camera in the area."

"We're trying." He paused as his phone vibrated. It was Savannah. "I need to get this."

"Go ahead," Patrick said.

"Jason," Savannah said. "I have bad news. "

"What's happened?"

"Alisa has been kidnapped."

"What? How?" he demanded, fear rocketing through him.

"She left her mother's room to take a break and ran into your former partner, Stephanie Genaro. The guard said Stephanie showed him her ID. He had no reason to think she was a threat, and she likely wasn't the threat."

"What does that mean?"

"Alisa said she was heading to the cafeteria to get lunch, and Stephanie went with her. They got in the elevator where they were attacked, although the camera was covered, so we don't know exactly what happened. When the elevator doors opened, two men moved a patient on a gurney out of the elevator. The doors closed. When they reopened, Stephanie was found unconscious on the floor. She wasn't visible at first, but she was in the elevator when the attack occurred. Alisa was taken away in the back of a private ambulance."

He swore as he hit the table with his hand. Patrick gave him a startled and concerned look.

"Stephanie is regaining consciousness," Savannah continued. "I'm on my way to the hospital to talk to her."

"I'll meet you there."

"What happened?" Patrick asked.

"Alisa Hunt was kidnapped by Novikov."

"Can I help?"

"No. You and Stephanie need to stay the hell away from this investigation before you get someone killed." It wasn't Patrick's fault that Alisa was missing, but he was the nearest person he could yell at. Stephanie would be next. But ripping them apart wouldn't get Alisa back, and fear ran through him as he jogged to his car. He had to find her. He had to save her, but he had no idea how he was going to do that.

When Jason arrived at the hospital, Savannah, Flynn, and Stephanie were in a conference room in the security offices. Stephanie’s face was a mix of apology and guilt, but he didn't care about her apology. He was ready to rip someone apart, and she was at the top of the list.

"Why were you here, and why were you talking to Alisa?" he demanded.

"I was looking for you. I left you a message. You didn't answer. I needed to talk to you, Jason. I thought you might be here."

"How do you know anything about Alisa? Why would you assume I was here?"

"Because I heard about Alisa's father and what was happening with her family from my CI. But I didn't ask her to go anywhere. She wanted to have coffee with me. We weren't going to leave the hospital."

"That's bullshit."

"It's not," she said hotly. "It's the truth."

"The guard confirmed that Alisa asked Stephanie to go to the cafeteria with her," Flynn interjected.

He shot Flynn a dark look, then turned back to Stephanie. "Why would she ask you to go with her?"

"She wanted to know what I knew, and I was curious about what she might tell me. There was no plan. All we did was get in the elevator. The next thing I knew, I woke up on the floor and there was security around me."

Her story made sense. It was backed up by the guard, but he still didn't like it. "I told you to stay out of this."

"Well, I'm in it now," Stephanie shot back. "And I should have been from the beginning."

"Jason, step outside with me," Flynn said.

He followed Flynn out of the conference room. "There's something off with her."

"Her story checks out. I not only spoke to the guard; I also talked to Alisa's mother. She encouraged her daughter to go to the cafeteria, and now she is feeling tremendously guilty about that. She said Alisa needed a break." He paused. "I know you're feeling all kinds of rage right now, but Stephanie isn't our problem."

"You're right. Novikov has Alisa," he said tightly. "Her father must have been balking. He needed to give him incentive."

"Then we find Novikov, we find her. Let's go back to the office and regroup."

"I want to speak to her mother first. I'll meet you there." He jogged down the hall and took the elevator to the sixth floor. When he entered Pamela Hunt's room, he was shocked to see her standing by the edge of her bed, hanging onto the railing. As she swayed, he rushed forward.

"Hang on," he said. "I've got you."

She leaned against him. "I thought I would be stronger. I need to get out of here. I need to find my daughter. Alisa is gone, Jason."

He saw the fear in her eyes. "I'm going to find her."

"It's my fault."

"You need to sit down," he said, helping her onto the bed.

"I told her to go," Pamela said, wringing her hands together. "Alisa was pacing around this room, and she was so frustrated and tired; I made her leave. I sent her into danger. Please, tell me she's going to be all right."

He wanted to tell her what she wanted to hear, but he couldn't. "I will do everything I can to find her and bring her back. I promise you that. I care about your daughter."

"She cares about you, too. I don't know what's been going on, but she trusts you. Don't let her down."

A chill ran through him. "I won't," he said, but he was afraid he already had.

"You must wake up, Alisa," her father said. "Before they come back."

"Before who comes back?" she murmured, her eyes feeling so heavy she didn't think she could open them.

"Everyone."

His voice sounded close but also far away.

"I'm so sorry," he added. "I never should have let this happen to you. I never should have even had you. I was selfish to want a family."

She frowned as a wave of nausea ran through her along with a metallic taste in her mouth that made her want to gag.

"Alisa," he said sharply, urgently. "Please, wake up."

She finally got her eyes open, first one then the other. It was difficult to focus. Everything was dim. But as her vision cleared, she realized her dad was standing about ten feet from her. There was a table filled with lab equipment in front of him.

Her gaze moved past him and around the room. They were in some sort of a warehouse with high windows. The room was filled with boxes and very little furniture, an old couch, a couple of chairs, and a cot in the corner.

"Alisa, are you feeling okay?"

"Where—where are we?"

"I don't know. I was blindfolded when they brought me here."

She lifted her hand to wipe the sleep from her eyes when she realized she was tied to a chair. "Can you untie me?"

"I'm sorry, baby, I can't." He held up his wrist, and she saw a cuff attached to a chain. "I can only make my way around this table."

"What are you doing?"

"Something I don't want to do," he returned heavily.

"Oh, my God! Are you building a bomb?" she asked, coming fully awake at that thought.

"I'm supposed to be. I've been trying to stall, but now I can't. "

"Because I'm here." She could see the truth in his eyes. "You look tired, Dad." He didn't just look tired; he looked like he'd been beaten. There were bruises on his face, and his brown hair had become grayer in the last few days. "They hurt you, didn't they?"

"It doesn't matter what they do to me." He bit down on his lip as he shook his head. "It's you I'm worried about. I never imagined this could happen to you."

"I found out your secret. You were a chemist in Russia, right?"

"I was."

"You stopped some attack, and the US gave you asylum. And you married Mom without telling her any of this."

"Does she know now?"

"Yes."

"She must hate me."

"She loves you. I mean, she really loves you. There is no doubt in her mind about the man she married. I have to admit I've had more than a few doubts, wondering why you left her in the hospital, why you didn't warn me."

"I was going to. I tried to tell you in my text."

"That was already too late. They tried to kidnap me Wednesday night, and then they cut the brakes on my car on Thursday."

He blew out a breath. "I knew about what happened in the garage, but I heard you were all right, that the FBI was protecting you. I didn't know about the car. But you're right to be angry with me."

"I don't want to be angry. I love you, Dad. But how are we going to get out of here?" The situation seemed overwhelmingly hopeless.

"I just have to do what they want, and then they'll let you go."

"No, they won't. Don't lie to me. I can't take any more of your lies. As soon as you do what they want, they'll kill me. And you, too, probably. Unless they need you to build more bombs."

"I won't ever work for them again." He looked over his shoulder to make sure they were alone. "I've implanted a secondary timer in the two devices. They'll think the bombs will go off at eight-thirty, but I can trigger them with the remote in my pocket. I'll wait until we're in the van on the way to the venue. I'll try to do it where there will be the least amount of collateral damage. The van will blow up with them in it."

"Them? Will they leave you here?"

He didn't answer her question, and she knew the answer. "Oh, my God! You're going on a suicide mission."

"It's the only way to stop them. They need me to go with them. I've made them believe only I can set off the toxin within the device. If it was an ordinary explosive, they could do it themselves, but they want the maximum damage, and that requires my assistance. That will work in my favor. They'll have to take me along."

"There has to be another way. The FBI will find us. Jason will find us."

"Jason?"

"Jason Colter. He's an FBI agent; he's been protecting me. I know he'll come. He hates Novikov. The man killed his father."

"Colter?" her father echoed. "Is he related to Drew Colter?"

"If that was his father's name, yes," she said. "Did you know him?"

"Drew Colter helped get me out of Russia, along with someone from the CIA."

Her stomach flipped over. What were the odds that Jason's dad had helped her father reinvent his life? It was as if the two of them had been connected a very long time ago.

"I hope the FBI will find us," her father continued. "But Novikov has already moved me twice. He doesn't stay in one place for long, and he always covers his tracks."

"How did you get involved with him? "

"I knew him when I was young. I knew them all. Arseni Novikov, Dominic Ilyin, Tatiana Guseva. We were unformed teenagers. We had dreams that would take us in very different directions. I always knew Arseni was cold, but never that he was as cruel as he turned out to be. Unfortunately, by the time I found out, I was in his clutches. He forced me to work with him."

"How did he force you?"

"He threatened my mother. I couldn't let him hurt her."

"I have a grandmother?" she asked in wonder. "Is she still alive?"

"No. She died many years ago. Long after I disappeared from her life. She believed I was dead. Everyone in my family was told that. The CIA faked my death when I defected. I thought I was safe, especially after so many years had passed. But I made a mistake. I wanted to help Henry with his cancer treatment. I took a gamble and told him about my past. It was a poor decision."

"Even worse for Henry. Novikov's men tortured your location out of him. He's in critical condition."

"God! Poor Henry. He didn't deserve that. He's trying to do good things. He wants so badly to cure people. He inspired me. I wanted to help him achieve his goals. But I put him in danger."

"What happened at the lab? How did Novikov know you were in LA?"

"I ran into someone who had known me in Russia. I wasn't sure she'd recognized me; it had been many years. Then a week later, your mother got sick, and I got a call from someone who called me by my former name. That’s when I took your mother to the hospital. I thought she would be safe there, and if I disappeared, you would be safe, too."

"What about the house? Did you burn it down?"

"No." He shook his head. "But I was afraid that something might happen at the house, so I moved some of our things with me when I left. I don't know if they're still at the motel. "

"They appeared to be," she told him. "So, you knew the house burned down?"

"I went by there, and I saw the destruction. I'm so sorry, Alisa. I made a lot of mistakes."

She drew in a shaky breath. "You did make mistakes, and I don't need apologies; I need an action plan. You're brilliant, right? You have a plan for the bombs, but what about now? Is there any way out of here?" She yanked on her arms, but she could barely move them, and already her shoulders were cramping.

"No, there isn't," he said, stiffening as they heard voices. "Pretend you're still unconscious."

As the door opened, she shut her eyes, hearing a spate of words in a language she didn't recognize, but it was probably Russian. There were also heavy footsteps, and then someone kicked her leg. She couldn't help but flinch.

"Leave her alone," her dad said. "She's not part of this."

"Oh, but she is," a man with a thick accent said as he slapped her hard across the face.

Her eyes flew open, tearing up from the sting of the slap. She gazed into cold gray eyes. The man with the silver hair, the man Jason had been hunting for years, was suddenly right in front of her. He was tall and dressed all in black and appeared fit for a man in his mid to late fifties.

Cruel amusement lifted his lips. "Ah, so you are awake, the child of Alexei Bruno."

"I don't know who that is."

"Of course, you do. He's standing right over there. My once very good friend, Alexei."

"If he's your friend, why are you doing this?"

"Because he betrayed me. Now he must pay. Sadly, you will pay, too."

"I don't believe you're at all sad," she said, drawing another evil smile.

"You're right. I have no feelings whatsoever about you or him. I have a mission, and I need you both to complete it." He looked back at her father. "You will finish the job you started by six-thirty. If you are not done, your daughter will be punished for every minute you are late."

She had no idea what time it was now because she couldn't see her watch, but it sounded like she might be safe for an hour or two. After that…

She shuddered at what they might do to her, terrified she wouldn't be able to survive it, that her mother would be left alone, that her father might be forced to watch her die, or she might be forced to watch him die.

She had never in her life imagined she could end up in a situation like this, trapped in a dirty, dark warehouse with an insanely evil man whose only intent was to hurt and kill as many people as possible. Of course, he wouldn't have mercy on her. He had no soul. No conscience.

Her only chance for survival was probably in Jason's hands. But knowing how few leads he probably had, that would take a miracle. And the clock was ticking…