Piper and Lea arrived at the condo in the early morning hours, joining Atlas, Odin, Clara, the twins, and Abner II.

Piper was shaken, still suffering PTSD from the events in Dubai, Alaska, and the Las Vegas safe house. Raising her baby with Atlas, among friends and family in Las Vegas, had been the best time of her life. She hadn’t told Atlas yet, and he hadn’t seemed to notice, but she was almost a month late. Only Clara knew.

“What’s going on? Tell me everything!” Piper demanded, hugging Atlas while Lea settled in next to Abner II on the floor, stretching her blanket to cover not only herself but also the beagle and her favorite stuffed animal, a small fluffy baby polar bear.

“Canaan is missing. Along with Raven and Nolan. That’s it. They tried to get Camilla, but she’s okay. Emerson and Richard are safe. We’re working on it. They’re in Bulgaria. It’s very much a developing situation.”

Odin walked back into the living room from the bedroom, where he’d tucked Clara back into bed.

“Hello Piper, hey little bit,” Odin greeted Piper and Lea. Lea hid behind her blanket and held her polar bear up in front of her face.

Odon’s phone rang, showing an international code he couldn’t immediately place.

“Hello?”

“Odin,” the angry, unmistakable voice of Raven Conway rang in Odin’s ear. “Tell me I’m delirious. Or dyslexic. ‘Verna’? Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Raven?” Odin answered, causing Atlas and Piper’s ears to perk up. “Where are you? Are you alright?”

“My goddaughter’s middle name is Verna. I am very far from alright.”

“It was meant as a tribute,” Odin replied.

“That baby is lucky she’ll have me to deprogram her from all that Titan bullshit,” Raven growled.

“Raven, where are you?”

“Berlin, naturally,” Raven said, as if it should be obvious. “I mean I’m calling from the Hotel de Rome in downtown Berlin, in the penthouse. You ought to know, especially since you’re paying. And I need all my gear replaced from Vienna. Of course. But we’ll negotiate that when I get back.”

“Slow down, Raven. What happened? Start from the beginning. We have a serious situation happening.”

“I went to sleep in my room in Vienna and woke up in a basement with two Russian dudes who wouldn’t talk to me. Wouldn’t let me leave, or do anything, but they fed me, and I was comfortable. I’m not hurt, but I don’t know what happened. I didn’t know if it was serious or a prank. Then one of them got a phone call, they argued, and the next thing I know, they blindfolded me, took me to a car, and turned me loose in downtown Berlin. So, I did the only sensible thing and got myself a suite at the best hotel I could find, and called you. Now you tell me your side of things.”

“Canaan was abducted, along with Nolan Weston, Annalise Rubidoux, and, we think, Matthias Schneider. Canaan got his hands on a phone. He’s in Bulgaria, near the coast, with Annalise and Nolan. They were safe an hour ago, but that’s all we know.”

“Okay, now I’m freaking out,” Raven replied.

“Are you there under your own name?” Odin asked.

“No,” Raven said.

“Good. Say no more. The less we say over the phone, the better. Lay low. Are you online yet?”

“Working on that now,” Raven replied.

“When you’re up and running, you know how to reach me. Stay in as constant contact as you’re able.”

Odin hung up his phone at the same moment as Atlas finished a conversation.

“Raven was released. She’s in Berlin. This just gets more and more strange.”

“Released?” Piper asked.

“She says she was taken from her hotel in Vienna and locked up in Berlin, guarded by two Russians. They barely spoke, said nothing to her. One of them got a phone call, and the next thing she knew, she was dropped off on a street corner in the city center of Berlin.

“Who was that on your phone, Atlas?” Odin asked.

“Oleg, my Ukrainian guy. He’s stuck in Slovakia. Still on a job, says he can’t leave. But he hooked me up with an asset nearby. Stoichkov. Retired KGB, but if Oleg vouches for him, he’s okay by me. He lives in a small village up the coast, just across the border in Romania. Oleg sent him three hours ago. He should be in play within the hour. I gave him everything we knew to pass along to his guy.”

“Things are looking up, then?” Piper asked.

“I wouldn’t stop praying just yet,” Odin replied.

Lea had just fallen asleep cuddled up with Abner II when Emmie’s hungry cry startled them both awake.

Odin groaned, but Piper jumped into action. “Stick a bottle in the warmer, I got this!”