Page 68 of Midnight Sanctuary
Dimiv’s eyes go wide. “Agapov? As in the same Agapov family your father ruined before I left?”
Fuck. I knew I recognized the name.
I turn back to the girls. “Do you have homes? Families who’ll be looking for you?”
They shake their heads. Most likely, these girls are from some sketchy part of town, bouncing from one foster home to the next. The kind of girls who slip so easily through the cracks in our world and fall into the hellholes beneath it. Common prey for men like Drozdov, men like Agapov, men like Sobakin. Rats that skitter in that darkness.
“Don’t worry,” he assures me. “I’ve got it covered. I’ll get them somewhere safe and we can make arrangements for them later.”
“Take Stepan with you. He’ll direct you to one of my safehouses on the outskirts of the city. They can stay there for the time being.”
Dimiv plants his hand on my shoulder. “We’ll find her, cousin. I won’t rest until we do.”
Nodding grimly, I step back out again. Now that the smoke has settled, the disappointment sets in. I’d been counting on finding Polly here today. Instead, we have another search on our hands. Another leg of this endless fucking hunt. Even worse, she’s in the hands of her final buyer. God only knows what the sickmudakplans to do to her.
I climb into my SUV and signal for the men to follow me to the estate. On the way there, I call Nikolai and fill him in.
He quickly arrives at the same conclusion that Dimiv did. “Oleg Agapov? Aren’t the Agapovs the family that Otets—”
“Yes.”
He hisses in a sharp breath. “Blyat’.”
“Are Alyssa and Lev with you?”
“Yes, I’ve been watching them play video games for the last hour. I’m ready to put a bullet in my head. Where are you now?”
“On the way home. I’ve got another ugly ornament for the shed.”
“It’s getting crowded down there.”
“I’m planning on making room. Alan’s served his purpose. He’s just taking up space at this point. Anyway, I’ll be home soon. Start digging up dirt on Oleg Agapov. We need to move fast if we want to get Polly back in one piece.”
Even as I say it, I think about the dead look in the little blonde girl’s eyes from earlier. Life has already destroyed them before they even had a chance to live it.
I hope to God that Polly doesn’t share her fate.
The moment we drive onto the estate, I get my men to haul Drozdov’s limp body into the shed. But as we approach the north gardens, my skin prickles with unease. It’s too empty out here. Too quiet. There should be at least two guards manning this side of the estate. Instead, I see only a lone crow at the top of a distant tree.
“Viktor, Ilya—fan out and check the area. Who was supposed to be on duty today?”
“Fyodor and Anton, I think,” Viktor responds.
I know both men. They’d never leave their posts unless it were a life-or-death situation. I look towards the shed, and—
Fuck.The door is flapping in the wind, the lock sheared clean off.
“There’s been a breach,” I warn my men as I pull out my gun and run down the slope toward the building.
I’m the first one in and the first one down into the basement. The alarm bells in my head were completely accurate. The door to the cell has been broken open and there’s blood on the floor. Alan’s lying in a pool of the stuff with his tongue lolling out, dead as a rat.
And as for Sobakin…
He’s gone.
I rush upstairs and check the security feed. Forty-five minutes ago, it went dark. I grab my phone and call Nikolai.
“Sobakin escaped,” I hiss. “He fuckingescaped.” Nikolai starts to ask questions, but I cut him off. “Pack a bag for Alyssa and Lev. It’s not safe here anymore. We’re leaving.”