Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 80660 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80660 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
His gut clenched because one word the woman on the other line had said washed over him. “She’s in an orphanage? I was hoping there was family who could take her in.”
“I haven’t found any family for the girl beyond Mom and Dad. Mom’s been gone for a while now. She went looking for the dad, and apparently no one in the KGB wanted him found. From what I can tell, he was looking into corruption in his department. They didn’t take kindly to that and he was sent to…” There was the sound of paper rustling, as though the woman was shuffling through her notes. “Some chick named Hope McDonald. She’s dead, too.”
“Yeah, I was there.” Now his hackles were up. “All of this information is classified, so I would like very much to know who you are.”
“I represent an interested party. My client would like to ensure Natasha Federova finds a new home. Am I wrong in assuming we’re on the same page, Mr. Taggart? Are you looking for her out of mere curiosity?”
“No. I’m going to find her and protect her.” In the beginning, he’d meant to find her and offer her mother assistance. When they’d learned Marta was gone, too, he’d hoped he would find Natasha safe in a grandparent or an aunt or uncle’s home. The idea that the child had been alone in the world made his heart ache. The whole family had been destroyed because Sasha had tried to do the right thing.
He could still remember how tortured the man had been, how dark he’d seemed. At one point, Ian had thought Sasha might be violent enough that he had to be dealt with, but then the man had laid his life down.
And Tag owed him. They all did. The only way to honor Sasha’s sacrifice was to take care of his only child.
“Are you going to adopt her? You would be the best family for her. You or your sister-in-law. She needs someone who speaks Russian,” Kelsey said.
“I don’t know. I thought we would bring her and her mother either to the States or England. I thought we would be moving them somewhere safe. When we found out Marta was dead, I thought I would do the same with whoever was taking care of her,” Ian explained. “I need to talk to my group about it, but you should understand she will have a family at the end of this.”
They wouldn’t leave her alone. They would likely fight over who got to keep her.
“Good. Then I came to the right man,” Kelsey said. “She needs a safe place, and having someone who speaks her language should make things far easier for her.”
His fear had softened a bit because the woman was pushing for the right things. “Did Sasha have more family than we’ve discovered? Is that who you’re representing? Why is she in an orphanage if she’s got family?”
“No, there is no more blood family. He has people who care for him,” Kelsey replied. “Cared for him. He was a good man, and he would want his daughter taken care of. He thinks…he would have thought yours would be the best family for her.”
He wondered how close this woman had been to Oleg Federov’s family that she still stumbled when she thought about him being dead. Sasha had been missing for a long time. The fact that this woman not only knew who he was, but seemed to believe she understood what he would have wanted, was interesting. He softened his tone. She was trying to help, and the truth was Charlie had run into some problems hunting down the information they needed. “I will talk to my wife about it. Now I’ve said more than I should have. I would like very much to know about you and this client of yours.”
“The info is in the email I sent. That’s all you need to know.”
No matter how well-meaning this woman was, he didn’t like not knowing who this mysterious client was. “How can I trust that intel if you won’t tell me who you are?”
“I did tell you. I’m Kelsey Owens, though good luck finding me. And the fact that you call it intel makes you a douchebag. It’s information, dude. We have the same aims, and that’s getting that girl out of the orphanage.”
“I’m not a douche for calling it intel. It’s what it is….” Why was he arguing with this woman? He hopped on his laptop and sent a quick text to Hutch, who better fucking be at his desk and not hanging around the vending machine waiting for a girl to walk by.
Trace the call to my cell and find out who Kelsey Owens is.
“Oh, it’s douchey,” Kelsey was saying with a sigh. “It’s meant to be all military and shit, like the rest of us never fought a war. When you think about it, it’s totally elitist. Until you’ve taken down a couple of demons all on your own, don’t talk to me about…” There was a muffled sound, and then he heard Kelsey sigh. “Sorry. Apparently I’m getting off topic. Look, I’m sending you the information. Do with it what you want. I’m out of it now.”