“It isn’t that. My sister…” Ava looked up at wh
ere Tabon sat with Saylor. “The truth is, I’m not sure I’m allowed to say anything.”
“It’s okay,” said Sally. “I’m used to it. I used to think that Razor told me he couldn’t talk about things so he didn’t have to tell me the truth. Now, I’ve accepted that when he says he can’t, there must be a good reason.”
—:—
“Thanks for the phones, Sis.”
“You’re welcome. Although you should thank Monk, or maybe I should.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “I’ll go rescue Ava from my girls who are now probably asking to get fitted for flower girl dresses for your wedding.”
Razor was entering codes into the phones and only caught the tail end of what his sister said. “Wait. What? My wedding?”
She punched his arm and walked away.
Razor shook his head and checked his signal. Once the phone completed its setup, the first person Razor called was Doc, figuring he’d know the most about what was happening with Gunner and his team, and also with Onyx and Alegria.
“Where the hell are you?” Doc bellowed when he answered Razor’s call.
“Remote cabin in the woods, and safe, thanks.”
“What the fuck, Razor? You asked Onyx to leave you by the side of a road?”
“I know what I’m doing, Doc, so instead of bitching at me, tell me what’s happening.”
“I’m still pissed about your tactics, but I will brief you on what’s gone down.”
Doc told him that Ivashov’s intel on the Armenians was credible, and that while they hadn’t been able to pinpoint exactly where the girls were being held, they believed they were close.
“And my team?”
“As much as I don’t want to admit it, you were right. Onyx said they picked up the black SUV tailing them shortly before they arrived at the airfield in Florence. Once they got to the hangar, there was no sign of them. However, you know that means they’re still looking for you.”
“Roger that. Are we sure it was the Armenians?”
“As sure as we can be. We still haven’t been able to locate Petrov.”
“Any idea how he got to Finnegan?”
“When Striker first came to us with this, he said the agency believed there was an FBI agent in on it. My guess is whoever that is either killed Dash himself, or made arrangements for someone else to get access.”
It was hard enough to do the work they did, but when one of their own, someone they believed they could trust, turned on them, it made Razor want to seek them out and kill them himself.
“What about Monk?”
“As you know, he’s still in town, waiting for word on where the hell you are.”
“He’ll know soon enough.”
“Yep,” said Doc, “your twenty just registered.”
“I’ll be in touch,” he said before ending the call.
“You damn well better be,” Doc said as his parting shot.
When he came around the side of the house, he found Ava with his mom, sister, and nieces. She had on a pair of the jeans he’d bought her, along with a Yachats long-sleeve t-shirt that Saylor must’ve thrown in. With her sandy-blonde hair, she looked like she could be Savannah and Sierra’s mom more than Saylor did with her dark black hair like his.
As he watched them from a distance, he felt as though his heart would burst with happiness. Yeah, the situation they were in was about as shitty as it could be. Ava was in far more danger than she realized; her sister and two of her best friends had been abducted by some crazy Armenians who meant to grab Ava instead.