Page 62 of The Russian's Forced Bride
“How long has this been going on for?” I asked him, looking around. They all seemed too busy yet hadn’t found any meaningful results.
My patience was running thin, but I couldn’t just bust in through the gates without knowing what was going on.
“My name is Diego. The head of this operation. We arrived recently, following the Pakhan’s orders. Be assured, our team is working hard to find her, sir,” the man, whose hand was still hanging midair, said.
“And what have you found?” I asked, now taking his hand into mine in a firm grip.
“Heat signatures. But none that fit the description.”
My hand squeezed against his until he pulled out of my grip, his expression still passive and composed, even though his hand was red from the pressure.
And just then, one of the tech guys came toward us.
“We have the heat signature,” one claimed, gesturing to his other teammates, a beeping sound ringing out from his heat sensor. “The northern corner of the bluff.”
Another voice then butted in from across the field as he yelled, “We’ve found fresh trail marks leading to the other side of the property, along with cigarette butts.”
My heart quickened as Maxim and I walked over to said scene, and upon reaching it, there were indeed fresh trails trampling over the grass blades, as well as cigarette butts hiding in them—leading all the way into the back of the Kamarov building, specifically the bunker.
But we couldn’t tell for sure if these were intended to mislead us or not. We still had to wait until the heat signature matched that of a female.
Then came another of the tech specialists, walking past us, saying, “We’ve gotten eleven thermal readings inside the building.”
Hope blossomed in my chest. Now all he had to do was confirm there was a female in there. But then, that hope was thrown out the window as he spared me a glance before saying, “All male.”
I could feel myself growing irritated by the second. Maxim and I had stopped moving now, considering it to be better than pacing around while they did their thing. But time was running out. It seemed to be ticking down in my head like a bomb.
Tick.
Tock.
Tick.
Tock.
Another tech guru, who seemed to have been hiding inside one of the vans behind Maxim and me, then hopped offthrough the back of the van, staggering toward Diego, who still stood at the center, arms crossed and talking into his comms.
Unlike the others, this tech specialist had bloodshot eyes—red, like he was high.
He whispered something into Diego’s ear, and Diego sharply turned, striding toward where Maxim and I were standing and watching.
“Our hacker just informed me of a new heat signature below the ground and two above,” Diego stated, voice clipped. “Only one is steady—below the ground. Unmoving. We believe it’s her, and she’s alive.”
I was right. Joaquin had kept her locked up in one of the bunker rooms of the property. I internally hoped it wasn’t the same room that had traumatized me as a child. I never wanted Arlette to go through the same mentally appalling shit I had.
Bile rose to my throat as I could only imagine the fear gripping Arlette in there.
I didn’t waste time as I pushed through the men who had now started to round up, finally finished with what they had been sent to do.
But for me, this was just the beginning of my mission.
My mission to get Arlette out of there alive and kill Joaquin and his useless nephew.
It didn’t matter that the men around weren’t skilled at fighting. As long as Maxim was by my side, I was certain we could finish off Joaquin’s men and get Arlette out of there safely.
Chapter 22 – Arlette
A wide smile stretched across my face at the sight of Brandon. Relief flooded my entire being at the thought that I wasn’t alone anymore.
