Daphne stepped out of the bubble bath, reveling in the sweet scent in the room. Grinning, she peered into the mirror, stunned at how her rotten day had morphed into a good one. Her old apartment did not have a bathtub and, as soon as she viewed the large tub in Bayley’s apartment, she knew exactly how she would be spending the evening. “Out with the old and in with the new,” she told herself, as she toweled off. In the bedroom, she quickly donned her pajamas, not concerned at the early hour. She was determined to spend the evening relaxing.

Standing in front of the bedroom window, she looked out, realizing Bayley had been right when she complained that her apartment did not have much of a view. But, Daphne did not care. The place felt perfect—her own fresh start. With a deep, cleansing breath, she walked toward the kitchen to get a glass of wine before settling in front of the TV.

A moving shadow in her peripheral vision caught her eye and she gasped as she turned, seeing a hulking figure stepping close.

“Come with me quietly,” he ordered, grabbing her arm.

A scream froze on her lips for an instant until, breaking free, the screech filled the air. The man clamped his huge hand over her mouth, stopping the noise. As she struggled, another figure stepped into the room, hustling over and quickly pricking her neck. She felt her body slump against her will before blackness overtook everything.

Nick, dressed in the same dark clothing as the other Saints going on the mission, stepped into the equipment room. He had been given a cursory tour when he joined, but the wealth of devices at his fingertips added to his appreciation of Jack’s business. Weapons, kevlar, night vision goggles were just a few of the items he grabbed.

With the mission planned, the Saints stepped back into the main conference room, going over the fine points of details one more time. Jack, Luke, and Charlie would remain in the compound, monitoring the mission. Marc and Chad would drive the vans to the hotel, staying with the vehicles while the others did the searching. Nick, Monty, Cam, and Bart would be the first into the building, searching the basement. Patrick, Jude, and Blaise would monitor the outside of the back alley of the hotel.

Final plans in place, the Saints made their way up the back stairs, to the oversized garage and into the waiting vans. Looking out the window as they pulled out onto the road, Nick watched the scenery go by, a smile sliding across his face as the thrill of the hunt ensued.

I didn’t expect to be back so soon. Bayley, in Prissy, was driving back into her neighborhood to grab a few more things from her old apartment to take to Nick’s place. She had not planned to return so soon, but when he had called to let her know he would be late, she thought she’d be proactive. Determined to put her stamp on his apartment, she made the decision to run back to her apartment and grab a few more things. Daphne had not answered her phone, but Bayley hoped she was home. If not, she still had her key.

Pulling into the parking space next to Daphne’s car, she sat for a moment, soaking in the reality that this would no longer be her home. I’m moving to Nick’s…in with Nick. A man I’ve only known for a few weeks. The enormity of her decision gave her pause and she leaned her head back against the headrest, closing her eyes, waiting to see if panic or indecision would overtake her. Nothing. Nothing but excitement and a sense of rightness.

Smiling, she reached forward to open her door, when movement to her far left caught her eye. Two large, suited men were walking out the side door generally used by residents going to the laundry room, and they appeared to be supporting a woman in between them. Bayley leaned forward even more, wondering if the woman was intoxicated. When she realized the woman was dressed in what appeared to be pajamas she started to get suspicious. As the men opened a black sedan with dark windows and maneuvered the woman into the back seat, her head flopped back. Bayley’s heart leaped as she recognized Daphne. They’ve got Daphne!

Shutting down the instinct to run after them, she forced her breathing to steady as she started Prissy, pulling out just after the sedan. Reaching inside her purse, she dialed Nick. No answer. Dialing Blaise, she received no answer from him either. Remembering Nick said he would be late, she wondered if he was with Blaise. Trying Nick again, she left a message.

“Nick, I just saw two men carrying Daphne from my old apartment to a dark car. I think they drugged her. I’m following. Don’t worry, I’m not stupid enough to do anything but I just want to see where they’re taking her, so I’m following.”

Hanging up, she continued to track them, from a distance, as they left town. Several minutes later, she thought of the Saints’ compound. Jack had said to call if there was something happening and Nick was unavailable. Fiddling with her phone, she pulled up the number he had provided.

“Bayley,” Jack’s deep voice answered.

Momentarily stunned that he knew who was calling, she quickly recovered. “Jack?”

“Yes.”

“I tried calling Nick. I went back to my apartment and saw two men take a friend who is staying at my place. I’m following them, but don’t know what else to do. I can’t get hold of Nick or Blaise—”

“Bayley.”

The one word from Jack calmed her, while at the same time she recognized it was a gentle command. “I’m sorry,” her shaky voice squeaked out.

“Don’t apologize,” he said, offering assurances. “I’m putting you on speaker phone—”

“Oh, is Nick there?” she interrupted.

“No, he’s not. But I need you to listen and follow my directions. Can you do that?”

Sucking in a deep breath before letting it out slowly, she noticed the dark sedan taking the exit leading to the highway. Nodding, she realized Jack couldn’t see her so she verbally affirmed, “Yes, I can do that.”

“Good. Luke and Charlie are here with me. We’re monitoring a mission Nick and Blaise are on. But, I promise, you are not alone, Bayley. I need you to succinctly, but accurately, tell us what you saw and where you are.”

“Okay…I have a friend who is taking over my apartment. She moved in earlier today. I know Nick was going to be gone most of the evening, so I drove back over to my old place to grab a few more things. When I got there, I saw two men in suits carrying a woman in her pajamas to a car. As they got closer, I saw it was my friend.”

She halted her speech as she changed lanes, careful to stay in the distance of the sedan, yet close enough to make sure she could follow. Once sure, she continued, “I have no idea what’s going on or who they are, but I’m on the highway following them.”

Charlie asked, “Bayley, who else knew that your friend was staying at your place?”

“No one, not even Nick. It was kind of spur-of-the-moment. She needed to move and Nick had asked me to move in with him. Which I know is soon, but we both felt like it was right…augh, I’m babbling!”

“No, no, you’re doing fine,” Jack assured.

Understanding dawned on Bayley and she rushed, “Oh, my God. You think, that they think, they have me?”

“We don’t know, but it’s possible,” he said. “If someone sent the men to take you, then they would expect the woman inside to be you.”

Bayley’s heart dropped at the thought that Daphne was now in the hands of kidnappers. “Jack? What will they do when they find out she’s not me?”

“Not going to let that happen,” his terse reply came back.

“Bayley, it’s Luke. Can you see a license plate number?”

“No, I’m too far back. Do you want me to get closer?”

“No!” came the combined shout from Jack and Luke. “Just tell us where are you now?”

“We’ve gotten onto 64 east heading toward Richland.”

“We’ve got an idea where you might be heading and we’re following you closely,” Jack said. “I’m working with the Saints in the field who are not far from you. But listen to me, do not, and I repeat, do not attempt to go after them if they stop.”

“O…okay.”

“Bayley, you’ve got to promise. We need to be able to stay in contact with you, so you have to stay with your phone and the safest place is in your car.”

Nodding again, she agreed. “Yes, yes,” she vowed. “I won’t try to play heroine.”

“Good girl,” he said. “Now stay at a distance and keep talking us through where you are.”

“Okay,” she said, glad for the evening daylight that allowed her to see the sedan. Letting out a shaky breath, she focused on the men in front of her, praying Daphne was all right.

Stepping inside, Agnes’ gaze swept the room, seeing the wide-eyed expressions of the women inside. Dr. Kovenov followed her, setting his medical bag on the table.

“The doctor has the medicine that will make you well again,” Agnes said.

Amy interrupted, her voice shaking. “What is the point of being well, if we are…are…”

“You have no control over where you are or what you are doing. That, lies solely with me,” Agnes ground out. “But sick, you are no help to us.”

Just then, one of the burly guards stepped inside the room, crossing his massive arms over his chest. Agnes watched the light of defiance drain from the girl’s eyes. “Good, I see we understand each other.”

Dr. Kovenov reached inside his bag, pulling out several small, plastic, measured cups, as well as a vial of liquid. Stepping up to the first woman, he asked her weight before measuring out a small amount of the pharmaceutical. She drank it obediently and followed his direction, lying back on her bed.

“The medicine will make you sleepy,” he explained, “but it will make you feel better.” Moving down the line, he gave the drug to each of the women, repeating the procedure that he and Agnes had just done with the women in the hotel rooms above.

Within fifteen minutes, all six women were lying on their beds, their chests no longer rising and falling.

Agnes, her palms sweating, looked at the doctor, noting his shaking hands. Lifting her eyes to the guard, she jerked her head toward the hall. “Get the cart,” she ordered. “And do it carefully,” she added, as her eyes moved over the now-still women. Swallowing back the bile threatening to rise, she whispered, “Even in death, they deserve some dignity.”

Within a few minutes, the room was empty, all six women placed in oversized laundry carts and wheeled out to the waiting moving truck parked in the alley, ready to join the women’s bodies from upstairs, already there.

Dr. Kovenov picked up his medical bag and turned to Agnes. “I think, perhaps, it is time for me to retire.” His rheumy eyes swept the empty room. “I’m not as young as I used to be. And, this…this is not what I became a doctor for.”

Patting his arm, Agnes smiled benevolently at the older man. “I agree, Dr. Kovenov. I think you should. But not until we have completed our task. I still need you. Then…I will make sure you are taken care of.”

“Nick?”

Jerking his gaze up, Nick realized his name came from his earpiece. Looking at the others, he could tell they were tuned in as well.

“Yeah.”

“Got a call from Bayley. You and Blaise need to keep your shit—”

His heart stopped beating for a second as the other eyes in the van leaped to his. Before his brain managed to form a question, Blaise spoke up, “What the hell’s happening?”

“Focus,” Jack ordered, and Nick blanked out all thoughts, including Bayley’s brother in the van behind them, and curtly replied, “Go ahead.”

Jack outlined what Bayley had told them, assuring both men that she was following the sedan at a distance. He also explained that Luke was monitoring her positon as she called it in, so they had an idea where Daphne was being taken.

Nick’s heart continued to pound out an erratic beat, his thoughts tangled at the idea of Daphne in trouble and yet relieved it was not Bayley. Closing his eyes, he forced himself to listen carefully to every word Jack said, glad the other Saints would have his back.

Just then, Luke came over the headset. “Bayley’s stopped and you won’t believe it, but she’s just a block from the Gruzinsky’s hotel.”

“Our location?” Bart confirmed.

“Yes.”

Nick breathed out, “Then, this changes everything…we’re no longer on a reconnaissance mission—we’re on a fucking rescue.”

The air crackled with a mixture of tension and excitement. Before the Saints had a chance to speak, Jack said, “I’m calling in your buddy, Harlan, at the FBI, Nick. The governor has placed him as our contact. And you’re right…we can now go in as a rescue.”