Chapter Seventeen
Elena
Every part of my body ached. I didn’t sleep at all last night, and the Volkovs’ invitation to stay at their estate was a welcome one while the police tore up my apartment. My parents were on their way to Oyster Bay Cove as well.
We were all in a state of shock. It had been twenty-four hours since I’d last seen or heard from Sadie. The police had no answers, and despite Jaxson pressing them to do more, there was only so much they could do.
“My son will find out where Sadie is,” Mrs. Volkov said softly.
My gaze flew to hers. We were both in the sitting room of her home, waiting for Jaxson to return from meeting with his brothers. For once, I didn’t want to be involved. I was too exhausted and irrational.
“I firmly believe that, Mrs. Volkov.” And I did. I also recognized that she didn’t say he’d bring her back alive, and I knew that was because she knew more about the side of life that most chose to ignore. “I only hope we’re not too late.”
“So do I, dear.” She walked over to where I was sitting on the couch and sat next to me, pulling my hands into hers. “I know what you do for a living. My sons told me. I find it to be an odd occupation, but who am I to talk? I also recognize you probably know more than most about my family’s extracurricular activities.”
“I don’t—”
“It’s best not to omit certain facts around me.” She squeezed my hands. “My only point is that if you try to hurt my son, your—”
“Elena,” Devin interrupted our conversation, and I let out the breath I’d been holding. “Jaxson wants to talk to you in the kitchen.”
“Go ahead, dear. We’ll catch up later.” She let go of my hands and I stood.
“Thank you, Mrs. Volkov.”
“Just call me Mama V.” She winked and a chill went down my spine.
I was suddenly far more scared of her than any of her sons.
I feigned a smile and followed Devin down one of the large hallways that led to the study. I could easily get lost in this home…well, mansion. When they’d briefly shown me around the main floor, I’d lost count of the number of bathrooms, guest rooms, offices, and other rooms. Not to mention, there were lower and upper levels and several other buildings on the property.
“How are you holding up?” Devin asked, glancing behind me.
“Not well, to be honest.”
He shook his head. “I’m so sorry you’re going through this, but we’ll find answers.”
Devin led me into the large study. I spotted Jaxson in the far corner with his brothers, Blake and Drake. Several other men I didn’t recognize were sitting around them.
Jaxson’s gaze locked on mine and he rushed over.
“Were you able to rest?” he asked.
“No.” I bit my lip and glanced at his brothers. “I don’t think your mother’s very fond of me.”
Jaxson hugged me. “My mom isn’t fond of anyone. Put it out of your head. There’s some people I’d like you to meet.”
He gathered my hands in his and held them for a few seconds before leading me over to the group of men.
“This is Luke Fletcher. His sister, Mia, is married to Drake. He happens to be the founder of the largest security and counter-intelligence firm in the country.”
“Globally, actually. But I’m prouder of my role as Uncle.” The very attractive man stood and stretched his hand to mine. He gave me a firm handshake as his striking green eyes stayed on mine.
“Nice to meet you.”
He gave a quick nod and let go of my hand, allowing the blood flow to return.
“These are my two right-hand men, Alex and Mitch.”
They both stood and I quickly shook their hands.
I really wasn’t sure where all of this was leading, but I followed their lead.
“And finally, I brought a couple of guys out from Whisky River in Washington. They’re some of the best PIs in the business.”
“From DC?” I asked.
“Washington state,” Jaxson replied as the first guy stood and reached for my hand.
“Thank you for coming out here,” I said, unsure of what else to say.
“Anything for a friend. I’m Zack Parker, and this is my brother, Ian.”
“Nice to meet you both.”
The brothers were as attractive as the rest of the men in the room. It felt like good-looking men all ran in the same circle.
“I brought these men in because I think the police are too slow. They’ll miss things that we won’t and they’ll face roadblocks that don’t exist for us. Your sister’s case is one of many with the police. With us, it’s all we’ll focus on.”
Hearing sister’s case sent a shiver through me.
“This team that Jaxson has put together is unbeatable.” Drake tapped Jaxson’s shoulder and nodded. “We will find the person or people responsible, and we’ll make sure that justice is served.”
I felt a lump form in the back of my throat as I looked at this group of men, all willing to put their own lives on the line for my sister, for my family.
“We’ve got a number of leads we’re tracking now,” Jaxson explained, glancing at Luke. “And I think it’s better if you stay here for awhile until we figure out what’s going on.”
“But I have my apartment and all of my things that—”
“We can pick up anything that you need. None of us feel it’s safe for you to be there, and this is the equivalent of Fort Knox. No one is getting in here unless we say it’s okay.” There was no question in Jax’s voice. He’d made up his mind, and considering the circumstances, I didn’t want to argue.
I looked around the room at the men, noticing the various pieces they were carrying, some exposed, some hidden.
Luke and the other men went back to discussing what they’d been talking about before the introductions.
“It looks like she had a charge hit her debit card at the small corner store near where her car was parked. They checked the charges and it was for a couple of bottles of water and snacks that she probably got for the trip home. Her purse was in the car, but the snacks weren’t, which leads us to believe the car was staged. The police feel that your sister was at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Even though there was a note hanging on my door?” Anger pounded through my veins.
“Which is why I called in the men I did.” He gently gripped my upper arms. “You know how I feel about the police’s abilities. They’re limited. We’re not.”
“You’re not above the law,” I whispered, looking into his eyes.
“No, but we’re not held to the same standards.” His eyes softened. “I don’t really subscribe to the rules when it comes to helping the ones I care about.”
I nodded, feeling the lump grow in the back of my throat.
Days ago, I was willing to take this man down singlehandedly, and now I was leaning on him to help find my sister. The amount of guilt spreading through my veins wasn’t even quantifiable. It was almost suffocating.
But still, he killed Joey.
“Can you tell me why you beat that man?” I asked, noticing a flash of surprise cross his face.
“It’s only fair. You won the bet.” He looked around the room and decided to lead me into the hallway, toward the dining room. Mama V had set out several platters of appetizers and snack foods for all the men.
Something told me it wasn’t that uncommon to have this many people show up nearly unannounced.
He sat me down and made a plate for me, but I wasn’t hungry.
I was numb.
“That man put an eighty-four-year-old woman in a coma. She was in intensive care from her injuries for several weeks. Only recently has she been moved to a rehabilitation facility.”
“What do you mean?” I wasn’t expecting this for an answer. I didn’t know what I expected. Maybe that the guy owed Jaxson money?
“He broke into her apartment on the Upper East Side and demanded that she open her safe, but she was so frightened she couldn’t remember her combination so he beat her unconscious. Her son found her barely breathing when he came by to deliver groceries.” Jaxson’s jaw clenched. “He nearly killed her and walked away with absolutely nothing.”
He eyed me curiously as I stayed silent.
“Not what you were expecting?” he questioned.
“Not at all.” I shook my head in disbelief. “Is she going to be okay?”
“Physically, she’s recuperating. Mentally, I don’t know if it’s possible to recover from something like that, especially at that age. She’s always been independent, and now she doesn’t even want to be in a room by herself.”
“I don’t blame her.” A chill swept over me. “What happened to the man? I know your men took him somewhere.”
Jaxson’s smile widened. “He won’t be harming anyone else ever again.”
“You killed him?” I couldn’t believe he was admitting this to me.
“No. He wasn’t worth our time, but we took two very valuable items from a thief.” A glint of satisfaction shot through his gaze as his eyes fell to my hands.
“Hands. You cut off his hands.” My mouth went dry.
“I didn’t do anything.” He drew a breath. “Justice comes in many forms, Elena.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“You won the bet.”
“But you’re incriminating yourself.”
“The police told that family that they had no leads, and if they found him, they’d only be able to charge the man with assault. Do you think that’s fair?”
I slowly licked my lips as I thought about his question.
“No, I suppose it’s not fair.” An unsettling feeling crept into my abdomen. I couldn’t even imagine what he’d do to me if he found out I was Joey’s cousin and that I wanted to expose him.
Sadie flashed into my mind and my gaze dropped to the floor. Joey’s story seemed less important by the second. All I wanted was for my sister to be found alive, and these men would make that happen.
“Whatever we find, Elena, we will make these people pay in a way they never expected.” He squeezed my hands. “There will be no trial. You understand that, don’t you?”
I bit my lip and sucked in a breath. “Completely.”
The deep door chimes rang through the house and my heartbeat quickened. My parents had arrived.
Jaxson stood, but I kept hold of his hands.
“You don’t believe the police—that it was just bad timing for my sister—do you?”
“Not the least bit.”
“Thank you.” I stood and looked around the grand dining room. “For everything.”
“Don’t thank me yet.”
I nodded, and we walked toward the foyer, where Mama V was already greeting my parents.
My mom’s tearstained cheeks were rosy from all the crying and her blonde hair had been messily piled on top of her head. She wore a pair of faded jeans and a flannel shirt, an outfit I hadn’t seen her wear in years. My father’s red-rimmed eyes sparkled with recent tears as he spotted me and rushed over.
“I’m so sorry, Daddy.” I sniffled, feeling the tears rush down my face.
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” he said, holding me tightly.
“Nothing at all,” my mom seconded, rubbing my back.
“If there’s anything at all that you need, please let me know. I’ll show you to the guest quarters after you’ve had a chance to catch up.” Mama V excused herself, but Jaxson stayed by my side, and I was grateful for that.
We walked into the sitting room and my mom nearly collapsed on the couch.
“Thank you for your hospitality and for taking such good care of our daughter.”
“It’s the least we can do,” Jaxson replied.
“The police aren’t taking the threats I received seriously.”
My father barked a laugh. “You’ve got to be kidding me. What do they think? It’s purely coincidence? Makes no sense. What do you think, Jaxson?”
“I’ve assembled a team to investigate. I refuse to accept their initial assessments, and in cases like these, the first few days are the most important. They’re treating Sadie’s disappearance as if it’s connected to the recent string of murders, and neither Elena or I believe that to be the case. She doesn’t fit the profile of the rest of the women, and being at the wrong place at the wrong time hardly cuts it for a motive.”
“Exactly.” My father pointed at him. “Whatever you’re paying these men, just hand over the bills and we’ll take care of them. We appreciate your assembling them.”
“There’s no fee.” Jaxson glanced at me. “They’re all friends, and in one instance, a relative of mine.”
“If nothing else, they look the part.” I attempted to smile, and my father saw right through it.
“It’s going to be okay, sweetheart. One way or another, it’s going to be okay. This is not your fault. The Egorovs have never, and will never, be pushed around.”
“If I hadn’t written that—”
“That’s your livelihood. You can’t blame yourself,” my mother said quietly.
I let out a sigh and wished it were as easy as that.
My father was staring at Jaxson. “If it hadn’t been for you, we still wouldn’t have known there was a problem. We thank you for taking the extra steps to track Sadie’s cell.”
“Certainly.” Jaxson nodded and stood. “I should probably check with the others and see what’s planned for the afternoon.”
“If there’s anything I can do…” My father’s voice faded.
“I’ll let you know.” Jaxson bent down and kissed my cheek before leaving the room, and I’d never felt so supported.
What had I done? What did I get myself into?
“There’s something I need to discuss with you.” My mom’s voice softened.
“Okay?”
“Stop all the foolishness about your cousin. It’s over. It’s done. It’s erased.” Her jaw tensed.
“That’s the least of my worries right now, Mom.”
“It should be at the top.”
I knew she was right, so I nodded.
“Promise me? We need these men to bring your sister home and—”
“I promise.” I looked into her eyes and saw the same pain I was feeling in every cell of my body.
“I haven’t slept all night.” My mom looked over at my dad, who was staring out the window. “I think I’d like to go to our room and try to take a nap, at the very least.”
She stood and walked over to my father, kissing him softly on his cheek as they walked out to find Mama V.
“Mom?”
“Yes, honey.”
“These men will bring justice, no matter what.”
“I know, Elena.” She drew a breath. “And that’s all we can ask for.”