Claim Me

1 Lucas “Say that again?” I grip the phone tighter, nearly crushing it as my disbelief morphs into burning fury. “What the f**k do you mean she escaped?” “I don’t know how it happened.” Eduardo’s voice is tense. “We came back to your house a half hour ago and found her missing. The handcuffs were on the floor of your library, and the ropes were sawed through with something small and sharp. We had the guards scour every inch of the jungle, and they found Sanchez unconscious by the northern border. He has a hell of a concussion, but we got him to wake up a few minutes ago. He says he came across her in the forest, but she surprised him and knocked him out. That was over three hours ago. We’re getting the drone feeds now, but it’s not looking good.” My rage deepens with every sentence the guard speaks. “How did she get her hands on ‘something small and sharp’? Or open the f*****g handcuffs? You and Diego were supposed to watch her at all times—” “We did.” Eduardo sounds bewildered. “We checked her pockets after each meal, like you said, and we inspected the bathroom—the only place she’s been alone and untied—several times. There was nothing there she could’ve used. She must’ve concealed the tools somehow, but I don’t know how or when. Maybe she’s had them for a while, or maybe—” “Okay, let’s suppose you didn’t completely f**k up.” I take a breath to control the explosive anger in my chest. The important thing now is to get answers and figure out where the holes in our security are. In a calmer tone, I say, “How could she have gotten out without triggering the alarms or any of the guard towers spotting her? We have eyes on every foot of that border.” There’s a prolonged silence. Then Eduardo says quietly, “I don’t know why none of the security alarms were triggered, but it’s possible there were a couple of hours when we didn’t have eyes on the border at all locations.” “What?” I can’t hold back my anger this time. “What the f**k do you mean by that?” “We did f**k up, Kent, but I swear to you, we had no idea the security software would let anything slide.” The young guard is speaking quickly now, as if anxious to get the words out. “It was just a friendly poker game; we didn’t know the computer wouldn’t—” “A poker game?” My voice goes deadly quiet. “You were playing poker while on duty?” “I know.” Eduardo sounds genuinely contrite. “It was stupid and irresponsible, and I’m sure Esguerra will have our hides. We just thought that with all the technology, it wouldn’t be a big deal. Just a way to get out of the afternoon heat for a couple of hours, you know?” If I could reach through the phone and crush Eduardo’s windpipe, I would. “No, I don’t know.” I’m all but biting out the words. “Why don’t you explain it to me, all nice and slow? Or better yet, put Diego on the line, so he can do it.” There’s another bout of silence. Then I hear Diego say, “Lucas, listen, man… I don’t even know what to say.” The guard’s normally upbeat voice is heavy with guilt. “I don’t know why she decided to go past that tower, but I’m looking at the footage from the drones now, and that’s exactly what she did. Just walked right by us, heading west, and then got on the bridge. It’s like she knew where to go and when.” A note of incredulity creeps into his tone. “Like she knew we’d be distracted.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. f**k. If what he’s saying is true, Yulia’s escape is not dumb luck. Someone gave my captive key security details—someone intimately familiar with the guards’ schedule. “Did she come in contact with anyone?” The most logical possibility is that the traitor is either Diego or Eduardo, but I know the young guards well, and they’re both too loyal and too smart for this kind of double cross. “Did anyone talk to her besides the two of you?” “No. At least, we didn’t see anyone.” Diego’s voice tightens as he catches on to my suspicion. “Of course, she was by herself for a large portion of the day; someone could’ve come to the house when we weren’t there.” “Right.” Hell, the traitor could’ve even approached Yulia before I left for Chicago. “I want you to pull up the drone footage on any and all activity around my house in the past two weeks. If anyone so much as stepped a foot on my porch, I want to know.” “You got it.” “Good. Now get going and track down Yulia. She couldn’t have gotten far.” Diego hangs up, clearly eager to make up for his and Eduardo’s blunder, and I put the phone back in my pocket, forcing my fingers to unclench from around the object. They’ll catch her and bring her back. I have to believe that, or I won’t be able to function this evening. While I wait for an update from Diego, I do the rounds with the guards, making sure they’re all in position at Esguerra’s new Chicago vacation home. The mansion is in the wealthy private community of Palos Park and well situated from a security standpoint, but I still check the newly installed cameras for blind spots and confirm the patrol schedules with the guards. I do this because it’s my job, but also because I need something to keep my mind off Yulia and the suffocating anger burning in my chest. She ran. The moment I was gone, she ran to her lover—to this Misha, whose life she begged me to spare. She ran even though less than two days ago she told me she loved me. The fury that fills me at the thought is both potent and irrational. I don’t even know if Yulia’s words had been meant for me; she mumbled them while half-asleep, and I didn’t have a chance to confront her. Still, the possibility that she might love me had kept me tossing and turning the night before my departure. For the first time in my life, I’d felt like I was close to something… close to someone. I love you. I’m yours. What a f*****g liar. My ribcage tightens as I recall Yulia’s attempts to manipulate me, to butter me up so I’d agree to save her lover’s life. From the very beginning, I’ve been just a means to an end for her. She slept with me in Moscow to get information, and she played the part of an obedient captive to facilitate her escape. The time we spent together meant nothing to Yulia, and neither do I. The buzzing of the phone in my pocket interrupts my bitter thoughts. Fishing it out, I see the encrypted number that’s our relay from the compound. “Yes?” “We have a problem.” Diego’s tone is clipped. “It looks like your girl timed her escape perfectly in more ways than one. There was a delivery of groceries to the compound this afternoon, and the Miraflores police just found the driver walking on the side of the road, a few kilometers outside town. Apparently, he picked up a beautiful American hitchhiker just north of our compound. He had no idea she was anything other than a lost tourist—that is, until she pulled out a knife and made him get out of the van. That was over an hour ago.” “Fuck.” If Yulia has wheels, her chances of eluding us go up exponentially. “Search all of Miraflores and find that van. Get the local police to help.” “We’re already on it. I’ll keep you posted.” I hang up and head back into the house. Esguerra’s in-laws are already pulling into the driveway for their dinner with my boss and his wife, and Esguerra is likely not in the mood to be bothered right now. Still, I have to let him know what happened, so I send a one-line email: Yulia Tzakova escaped.