Page 95 of One Last Stand

“Don’t drink out of the carton. And Shep called. London’s missing.”

Axel set down the milk carton. “Again?”

“Really?” Tillie said. “Axel.”

“I’m just saying, what is her deal? Talk about needing a bell.” He reached for a glass in the cupboard.

“Shep said she’s been kidnapped.”

Axel set down the glass.

“Shep is freaking out,” Tillie added.

Axel picked up the carton to pour. “Shep doesn’t freak out. He might go all dark and scary inside, but he does not do freaking out.”

Silence.

Axel looked at Moose. “Wow. It’s really that serious?”

“Really.”

He picked up the glass. “So, what, are we saddling up?”

Moose looked at Tillie, who’d folded her arms, staring at him. He sighed. “Yes.”

Axel was mid-drink. He put the glass down. “Yes? I was sort of kidding. What, we’re jumping a plane for . . . where’s he at again?”

“Montelena. It’s a country near Switzerland and northern Italy, south of Austria?—”

Axel held up his hand. “Europe. Check. And we’re supposed to dowhat?”

“Shep said they’d tracked her into the mountains, so . . .”

Axel closed up the milk carton. Put it back. Closed the fridge. Turned. “Just so I got this right. We’re flying over there so we can . . . sneak into the lair of an international terrorist and rescue a woman who is a little like the female version of James Bond. This is like calling in the Boy Scouts for a mission to help SEAL Team Six, but whatever. I’m in.”

“Good. I have a couple favors I can call in and get a plane.”

“Aprivateplane?”

“Remember that favor I did last year?—”

“The one where you flew into Russian airspace and dropped a couple hitchhikers out into midair to parachute into Kamchatka? The one where you broke a couple international laws and nearly got fired at by ground-to-air missiles? Yep, I remember that one.”

“Thanks for that.” He glanced at Tillie, whose eyes had widened. “Long story.”

“Can’t wait to hear it.”

He turned to Axel. “I think I can get the same plane.”

“Nice. Want me to call Boo?”

He looked at Tillie. “Yes. And Oaken. See if they’ll both come over while we’re gone.”

Tillie sighed.

Axel glanced at her, back at Moose. “Oh, I see. We’re still freaking about Tillie’s house.”

“Hello. Itexploded.”