Page 71 of Edinburgh Escape
“I’m surrounded by your men, each one of whom is armed. I’m not stupid.”
The Russian snorted. “You take a loan to gamble.”
“Okay, I’m not smart when it comes to gambling. But I’m not stupid when it comes to men with guns. Besides, I’ll need my hands to use my phone.”
“I’ll take it under consideration,” the Russian said.
A shout echoed across what sounded like a large warehouse. Another shout followed.
The man holding the door called out in Russian and then said something that sounded like a curse. He slammed the van door shut. Footsteps pounded as people ran. The shouting grew louder, more voices joining in.
With the door closed, Maggie released the breath she’d been holding. “You okay?” she whispered.
“Yes.” Bryce moved closer. “Are those bad men going to kill us?”
“Not if we can help it, sweetie.” Maggie hoped she was right. She’d do the best she could to get them out of the van, but from what Rory had said, they were surrounded by Russian gang members, and they were armed.
Maggie prayed Callum’s other friends had arrived, that they’d come armed and that they knew where to find them.
Chapter 15
As soon as Callum realized Maggie and Bryce had gone missing, he’d notified Dmytro and Lucie. They’d promised to get back to him as soon as they knew anything. Dmytro had insisted his contact had something in the works.
With no idea where to start looking for Maggie and Bryce, Callum was forced to stand fast and wait for further information. He paced in Drummond’s study, then down the hallway and out the front door, where he stared down the drive leading off the estate.
While waiting for Dmytro to come up with a location, Ewan spent the time in the stable working with Montana in an attempt to save the horse for his little brother. The veterinarian was with him and Alastair.
Since Callum and Peter Atkins were only in the way, they returned to the manor and awaited the information they needed to stage a rescue.
An hour passed.
Callum was ready to climb a wall. He was a man of action. The wait was killing him, one minute at a time.
Ewan appeared in the doorway of the study, drying his hands on a towel. “We think Montana will make it. The veterinarian thinks he has come into contact with a toxin. He gave him something to counteract it. Time will tell if he pulls through.”
“The horse is in a stall. How would he get hold of something toxic?” Callum asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe a mouse that had eaten rat poison got into his stall, and the horse ate the mouse…?” Ewan shrugged. “We’ve done what we can. The vet will stay with him until he either dies or shows signs of improvement. What do you know about Maggie and Bryce?”
“Not a damn thing.” At that moment, Callum’s cell phone chirped. Dmytro’s name flashed across the screen. Callum answered. “What have you got?”
“I have good news and bad news,” Dmytro said. “The good news is that I know where they’ve taken them.”
A rush of relief washed over Callum, followed quickly by a sense of impending doom. “And the bad?”
“You know how I said the Kholdov Coalition was operating in Donchenko Bratva territory?”
“Yes,” Callum bit out impatiently. “So?”
“You might want to get to where they have taken them before the men of Donchenko Bratva arrive. They were angry to learn the Kholdov Coalition were operating on their turf. They are armed and likely to kill everyone in that warehouse. It will be a blood bath.”
Callum met Ewan’s gaze. “Where are they?”
“In Edinburgh, at a warehouse along the wharf. Sending coordinates now.”
Callum’s phone pinged an incoming text.
“We’re on our way.” Callum motioned for the others to follow as he ran for the door.
