Tempted & Taken (Men of Haven #4)(80)
Knox looked to Beckett. “What difference does that make?”
“’Cause if I’m gonna track these guys, I gotta find ’em first. Helps to know where to start.”
Right. Now was the time for logistics. Knox speared his fingers through his hair and fisted it at the top of his head, forcing his mind to rehash the confrontation he’d had at Darya’s house. “With the footage she found, we know they’re at least marking her usual stops. The guy she showed me looked like he was getting the lay of the land more than on surveillance.”
“Yep,” Danny said. “I found it after Beckett mentioned it. Yesterday afternoon. Nothing else that matches the same MO before or after. At least not in camera range.”
“That ties with when the Koschei logins started. Early in the morning but same day.” Knox frowned at Beckett. “If we’re lucky, they’re just starting to dig in.”
“And if we’re not?” Trevor asked.
Knox met his gaze then shifted his attention to Beck. “If they got past the deadbolts and security we put in her apartment, they could’ve had bugs.”
“So we gotta run a sweep to rule that out. What else?”
“Nothing. We walked out of her place with a suitcase. Told her I’d come back for the rest of the bags she’d packed if we needed to.”
“You afraid them seeing her with a bag in tow is gonna send a wrong message?” Axel said.
“I don’t know,” Knox fired back. “Maybe.”
Zeke shook his head. “I don’t think so. You left her car behind.” He focused on Beckett. “If we can rule out bugs, they’d likely just take it as her going somewhere for a few days with a guy.”
“And likely upped the target size on Knox’s back if what Darya says about this guy is true,” Axel said.
Beckett zeroed in on Knox. “If I saw a mark coming out of an apartment with a suitcase, I’d follow her. You sure you didn’t see a tail?”
“Nope. Pulled every trick in the book to make sure of it.”
For a solid three heartbeats, Beckett just studied him, his mind obviously running at top speed. Finally, he nodded. “Okay. Tonight Danny and I will do a little snooping around. See if we can’t use the dark to our advantage and find who’s watching her.”
“I’ll start digging deeper into Ruslan’s background and the Koschei hack attempts,” Knox said. “See if I can set up a trap for whoever’s running Ruslan’s technical end. If they’re ballsy enough to slap their name front and center when trying to slip onto someone’s servers, you gotta hope they’re stupid enough to make a few mistakes along the way.”
Jace nodded. “Right. We’ll get the women we can pry away from Darya out to Haven and meet back here in the morning for an update and plan next steps.”
Axel chuckled low and swirled his tumbler of scotch. “Poor Russian fucker. Doesn’t have a clue what trouble he just bit into.” Axel lifted his glass to Jace. “The Haven men branching out into international intrigue. I fucking love it.”
Chapter Thirty
Almost eight hours since Darya had spied the word Koschei on Knox’s screen. Five since Knox had stormed into her apartment, seen the suitcases and demanded the truth. Now they were only an hour away from midnight with the bulk of his family on their way to Haven—a ranch she’d learned Jace and Axel owned on the outskirts of Dallas where only those considered family were allowed.
She’d also learned that family now included her, the resounding message delivered through a string of bear hugs and brotherly kisses that left her more than a little dumbfounded. What exactly family meant to them and when the change had happened, she wasn’t exactly sure, but none of them messed around with conveying their happiness about it. Through it all, Knox stayed steadfast at her side, only relinquishing his arm around her when well-wishes required it. Now he stood behind her, a rock-solid comfort as she said goodbye to the last of those headed to the ranch.
Standing by Knox’s front door, Darya hugged Gabe and muttered the same sentiment she’d shared with Natalie and Vivienne before they’d headed out with their men. “I’m sorry. For everything.”
Gabe tightened her arms around Darya’s shoulders and chuckled. “You clearly haven’t been to Haven yet. If you had, you’d know spending extended time relaxing there is anything but a hardship. You’ll know that for yourself soon enough, though.” She relaxed her arms and pulled away just enough to grasp both of Darya’s shoulders and hold her steady. Her expression sobered, a sincerity behind her pale blue eyes that penetrated deep. “I know it’s hard—coming into this group after so much time spent alone and acclimating to the idea you’ve got so many good people behind you. But believe me when I tell you, you will never be more loved, or more accepted and protected than you are with us.”
Knox stepped in close, his hands a calming weight on Darya’s hips and his heat a comfortable blanket against her back. “She’ll get it. We’ll talk tonight and she’ll understand we can handle whatever we need to.”
Zeke chuckled and steered Gabe out of his way enough to give his own goodbye. “Something tells me talking won’t be the highest point on the agenda. You’ve barely let her go since rally ended.” He kissed Darya’s cheek, stepped back and shifted his gaze to Knox behind her. “See you back here mid-morning.”