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  “No problem. I was shocked to see you here,” Carissa replied. “And relieved, of course.”

  “I couldn’t stop thinking about everything and then had to come out here and inspect things for myself. Psychics aren’t the only ones who sometimes rely on their gut instincts,” Dubov said with a smile.

  “Good thing you did. He was about to shoot me,” Carissa said.

  “It looked that way, although you were holding your own pretty well,” she replied.

  “Are you kidding? My hand was shaking so bad, I’m surprised I didn’t shoot myself,” Carissa said.

  “I assume you have a permit for that gun you were holding?” Dubov said.

  “Of course,” she replied, her cheeks heating up.

  Dubov laughed. “Relax. I’m just teasing you.”

  Carissa smiled.

  “Anyway, I’m surprised that you didn’t call Samuels.” Dubov looked at Dustin. “He mentioned that you two worked in the same precinct, a few years ago.”

  He nodded. “I actually called him before I got out here,” said Dustin with a wry smile. “He was going to drop by and interview Mitch in the morning.”

  “That would have been too late,” Dubov said.

  “Yeah. Make sure you give him shit about it, too,” Dustin said. “I know I will.”

  “Definitely. I left him a message so he’s been made aware of the situation,” Dubov replied. “And the cops should be here any minute. How are you doing, by the way?”

  Dustin shrugged. “I’ll be fine. Bruised.”

  Dubov grinned. “I’m sure. That had to hurt like hell.”

  He touched his chest and winced. “It did and it does.”

  “How did you manage to get yourself shot?” Carissa asked him.

  “After I got off the phone with you, Mitch showed up and confronted me. He told me to get off of his property. Which I did. But, of course I came back,” Dustin replied and smiled. “I guess I learned my lesson for trespassing when he shot me.”

  “Well, thank goodness you’re good at playing dead,” said Dubov, with an amused look on her face.

  “I acted a little in high school,” he replied and chuckled. “In fact, I once played a zombie.”

  Dubov nodded. “Impressive.”

  “Not really. All I had to do was moan and stumble around,” he replied. “Like I was drunk. I might be doing that later to numb the pain.”

  She laughed and then looked at her cell phone. “It’s really late. I should probably get these kids home.”

  “Did you call their parents?” Carissa asked.

  Dubov nodded. “Yeah. I did. They’re ecstatic and can’t wait to see them. Anyway, thanks again for helping with the case.”

  “It was our pleasure,” Dustin said.

  They said their goodbyes and the detective got into her car. As she was pulling away, Dustin crossed his arms over his chest and frowned.

  “What is it?” Carissa asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “I was just thinking that the department must be paying her a ton of dough. That was a Mercedes S 450. Fully loaded too, from what I could tell.”

  “Oh?” Carissa didn’t know much about cars, let alone a Mercedes. She did know that they were out of her price-range, however.

  “Yeah. It’s a new one too. They’re over one-hundred grand.”

  Carissa’s eyes widened. “Wow.”

  “Exactly. Wow.”

  “Maybe she’s married to someone who helped buy her the car?” said Carissa. “Someone rich.”

  He smirked. “You tell me. You’re the psychic.”

  She’d been so relieved to find the children that Carissa hadn’t thought much about Dubov or her fancy car. It also seemed a little odd that the detective was taking the children home so quickly.

  Dustin patted his jacket and swore. “Dammit. That’s right. Mitch took my phone. I was thinking that maybe I should call Samuels myself.”

  “I’m sure he’s on his way,” Carissa said, hoping that lack of sleep was just making them both paranoid.

  “Maybe, but I wonder what’s taking him, and the police, so long to get here?” he said, turning toward the road.

  She wondered the same thing.

  “Oh. Here comes someone,” Dustin said.

  They watched as a black SUV slowly turned down the driveway and headed toward them. Alarm bells went off in Carissa’s head.

  She grabbed Dustin’s arm. “That’s not the police. We’ve got to get out of here.”

  Looking just as concerned, Dustin backed up and then the two of them began to run in the opposite direction.

  Chapter 52

  Dubov

  AS ANNA DUBOV turned off of Mitch’s long driveway, she flashed her lights at the Tahoe waiting patiently up the street. It approached and then turned down the path she just left, to clean up the mess Hawk had made.

  Relaxing for the first time all night, Anna looked in her rearview mirror and saw that both children had fallen asleep. This was also a relief, considering that she wasn’t driving them home. She was taking them far away, to a new location. One where they couldn’t escape. Of course, now that her cousin Yury was dead, Anna imagined that the organization would be much more careful with whom they left the children with. She never liked or trusted Kurt and as for her cousin, he’d always been sloppy. Truthfully, although they were related, she was glad that he was gone. He’d always been a stubborn and arrogant hothead. Finding both him, and Dina, dead in his rental car had taken a load off of her shoulders.

  Anna’s phone rang. It was Samuels. Swearing under her breath, she answered it.

  “Sorry to call you so late, but I just received word that Mitch Olson’s truck was found abandoned in a rural area in Scandia,” he said.

  “Who’s that?” she asked quietly, glancing again at the sleeping children.

  “Beth Brown’s fiancé’s brother,” he said.

  “Oh. So, you think this has something to do with the case?”

  “Actually, I’m starting to.” He told her about the phone call he’d received earlier from Dustin.

  “Interesting,” she replied, yawning. “Although, abandoning a vehicle is a far stretch from being involved in a kidnapping.”

  “Not when two dead bodies were also found at a farmhouse up the road from where his truck was found.”

  Anna tried to remain calm. They wanted Mitch to take the fall for the kidnapping and murders, but nobody had suspected that Samuels or the police would catch on so soon. And as far as the bodies went, they’d disposed of Yury’s and Dina’s, so she wasn’t sure who exactly who he was talking about. Then there was Kurt, who was missing. She thought he may have bolted, considering she’d learned that he’d been longtime friends with Mitch. He was still a problem, however. One they needed to find and fix.

  “What bodies are you talking about?” she asked.

  “Edgar and Wilma Dunn. An older couple found brutally murdered. And that’s not all…”

  Great. What else? “What do you mean?”

  “Their vehicle was recovered in a ditch, up the road. In the trunk they found the body of a man named Kurt Hastings and a teenager, who they’re still trying to I.D.”

  She was relieved that Kurt was dead. Considering that Tara was missing, she figured that’s who he’d been found with.

  “Really?”

  “Fortunately, the girl is alive, but unconscious. Anyway, I just learned that some units have been dispatched and are on their way to Mitch Olson’s.”

  Shit. “Okay.”

  “I’m headed toward Scandia right now. Apparently Kurt Hastings was renting a farmhouse up the road from the Dunn’s.”

  “Alright.”

  “I know it’s late but do you want to meet me out there?”

  “In Scandia?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I suppose. It might take me awhile.”

  “No problem. I’m sure Forensics will be there for hours.”

  In the distance, she could already hea
r the sound of sirens.

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  “I have to go. I’ll see you soon,” she told Samuels.

  “Okay.”

  Hanging up, she pulled her car over and sent a message to the driver of the Tahoe.

  The police are OTW. Abort.

  Chapter 53

  Carissa

  THEY RAN THROUGH the woods, the plan being to get to Carissa’s SUV. Unfortunately, Dustin’s injuries slowed them down.

  “Dammit,” he growled, slipping on a patch of ice. He fell down hard, gasping in pain as he hit the ground.

  Carissa helped him back up.

  Behind them they could hear the echo of doors opening and closing.

  “I can’t out run them,” Dustin said. “Do you still have your gun?”

  “Yes.”

  He held out his hand. “Give it to me. I’ll cover you.”

  She gave him a dirty look. “No!” she whispered angrily. “I’m not leaving you behind.”

  “If both of us die, there won’t be any justice. Nobody will know what happened to Lainey and Sammy. Now, give me your weapon,” he said sharply.

  Sighing, she handed him her Ruger. “I’m still not leaving you, Dustin. So, you can give up the heroic talk.”

  Mumbling to himself, he pulled her behind a tree and they watched as three burly men headed in their direction with flashlights. When they were almost upon them, Dustin raised the Ruger.

  “Hold up,” one of the men said. He pulled out his phone and swore.

  “What is it?” asked one of them, in a thick Russian accent.

  “We’re to abort,” he replied, shoving his phone back into his pocket. “Quickly.”

  “What? Why?” snapped the third man.

  Sirens rang out in the distance, answering the question for him.

  The three men ran back to the Tahoe and seconds later, the vehicle was flying back down the driveway.

  “LET ME GET this straight… Detective Dubov has the children?” Samuels said, staring at them in disbelief.

  “Yes. She said that she was taking them home,” Dustin replied. “Obviously, she isn’t.”

  Frowning, he took out his cell phone, punched in some numbers, and cleared his throat. “Anna, call me as soon as you get this message.”

  Carissa felt sick to her stomach. The children were once again lost to them. She just knew it.

  “Dubov set this up,” she said, touching Dustin’s arm. “I’d stake my life on it that she’s involved with the trafficking. That’s why the men in the Tahoe had arrived so quickly. They were waiting for her to take the kids away so they could get rid of us.”

  Samuels snorted. “Dubov? A child abductor? Come on. There’s got to be a logical explanation to this that doesn’t involve my partner being a criminal,” he said gruffly.

  “It’s the truth,” Carissa said angrily. The man wouldn’t take her seriously if his life depended on it. “Why else would she have Lainey and Sammy without telling you?”

  “You did say you spoke to her a short time ago. Don’t you think it’s odd that she didn’t mention being here?” added Dustin. “Or, that she killed Mitch? I mean, even you can’t come up with a good enough reason for her to leave the scene of a crime, especially when she was involved in the shooting.”

  From the look on his face, Carissa knew that he was wondering the same thing.

  “It’s not protocol, I’ll give you that. She’s definitely acting strangely.” Pulling out his phone once again, he placed another call.

  Carissa sighed in relief. At least the man wasn’t so stubborn to realize that something was definitely not adding up.

  “It’s Samuels. Put out an APB for Detective Anna Dubov. She was last seen driving her white Mercedes. No, I don’t have the license plate number. You’ll have to look it up,” he said into the phone.

  “I wonder if we should call Lainey’s parents,” said Dustin.

  “No,” Samuels said, hanging up his cell. “Let us handle this. We don’t know for sure that Mike isn’t in on this as well. And we don’t want to panic them. Especially since we don’t know what the hell is going on.”

  “I don’t think Mike is involved,” Carissa said.

  Samuels looked like he was about to reply but must have thought better of it. Instead, he asked if they could meet him down at the station.

  “After you get your abdomen looked at,” he added. “You must be in godawful pain right now.”

  Dustin shrugged. “I’m alive. Thanks to her.” He put his arm around Carissa’s shoulders, wincing as he moved. “She saw it coming.”

  Carissa looked up at him. “Hopefully, this is the one I saw. Just keep your vest handy for future cases.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he replied before kissing her on the lips.

  Samuels’ cell phone went off. He answered it and they watched as a look of relief swept over his face. They spoke for a few more seconds and then he hung up.

  “Tara, the girl they brought into the hospital earlier, is conscious and talking. I’m going to head there right now and see if she can give us any information on this case. Apparently, as soon as she woke up, she began asking about Lainey and Sammy.”

  “She was abducted by them, too,” Carissa said, staring off into space.

  “That’s what she told one of our officers,” Samuels said, nodding.

  “We want to come with you,” Dustin said firmly. “To the hospital.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Samuels said, frowning.

  “Bullshit. You need us right now. Especially, Carissa. If anyone is going to find those kids, it’s going to be her,” Dustin replied. “She’s the one who knew about Mitch before anyone.”

  Sighing, Samuels nodded reluctantly. “Fine. Let’s go.”

  Chapter 54

  Dubov

  DUBOV KNEW THAT she was in hot water. Samuels was already calling her and soon, if not already, he’d realize that she was involved.

  Everything was falling apart.

  Although she’d planned for a potential fall-out like this, Anna hadn’t actually thought she’d get caught. It wasn’t as if she’d ever had to get directly involved in any of the kidnappings. Her job was to steer the investigations away from the organization, should anyone ever get close. And tonight, she’d made an error in judgement. One that now put her on the run. Even worse, she had to leave her plush lifestyle and relocate somewhere, possibly even out of the country, which wasn’t just inconvenient. It was a total nightmare.

  Trying to remain calm, she continued on her way toward the small private airport in Mankato, where the three of them would be whisked away. To where, she didn’t even know yet.

  Sighing, she glanced back at the sleeping children. For them, she felt nothing, which she knew most would find cold and heartless. Especially knowing what their future held. But, Anna had long ago stopped caring for anyone but herself, back in Grozny.

  As a child, she’d lived there with her mother, Helga, and step-father, Vitaly, who’d been a cold-hearted monster. For years they were his punching bags and it wasn’t until Viktor, his brother - and a member of the Russian mafia - decided Vitaly was too volatile for the organization and assassinated him. Anna and Helga were then recruited into the family business, promising protection and more wealth than they could ever dream of. After being beaten down for so many years, it sounded like paradise and that’s when Anna pretty much sold herself to the devil. Two years later, when she turned sixteen, he moved Anna to Minnesota to live with relatives and become ‘Americanized’. Once she graduated from high school, they pressured her into law enforcement, which Viktor claimed would be the best use for her. So, she joined the police academy and from there, took the necessary steps which led her to where she was now.

  Which is now nothing, she thought miserably.

  Her career was over and Anna knew Viktor would be furious when he found out how sloppy everyone had been. She wasn’t looking forward to facing him. Her role in the business had be
en invaluable and now, they were all at risk. Anyone with connections to her would be investigated.

  At least, she still had the two children.

  There was no way that she was leaving Minnesota without them. They’d been the cause of all the trouble and to show up empty-handed, without the little brats, would cause her even more trouble.

  Chapter 55

  Carissa

  TARA WAS ASLEEP when they arrived at the hospital. Next to her sat a woman with a tear-stained face who introduced herself as the teenager’s mother, Carol. She stood up and made them follow her into the hallway.

  “She’s already answered enough questions,” argued the woman when they asked to interview her. “Let her sleep.”

  “We don’t have time,” Samuels said firmly. “Two children are missing and Tara might be able to help us locate them.”

  “The police asked her if she knew where the kids were and she had no idea,” she replied angrily. “For the love of God, please leave her alone. She’s already been through so much.”

  Carissa sensed that Carol hadn’t seen her daughter for a very long time and was frightened more than anything that she’d be taken away from her again.

  “Just a couple of questions,” Carissa said softly. “I know that Tara would do anything to save those kids and might be angry if she’s not given the chance.”

  Studying her face, Carol frowned. “Who are you?”

  Carissa told her.

  “I thought you looked familiar,” she replied in a tired voice. “I saw you on the news. You found that girl up near Duluth.”

  Carissa smiled sadly. “Yes.”

  The woman let out a ragged sigh. “Fine. But just a couple of questions and if she gets upset, you’ll need to leave.”

  “Of course,” Carissa replied.

  Carol allowed them back into the room and gently woke up Tara.

  “Honey, the police are here again. They have more questions for you. If you don’t think you’re up to it, I’ll send them away,” Carol said softly.

  Tara’s eyes fluttered open. She looked at the three of them and licked her lips. “What do you want to know?”