"We're going to leave prints," Magnus said as he scanned the ankle-deep snow.
"We have to risk it," I said. "This may be the only chance of getting him alone."
Magnus nodded and then we were out of the car. It took only a few minutes to hike to the edge of the property. I was pleased to see there weren't as many security cameras along this side of the house. But there were enough that if Aleks came to the fence line to talk to us – and that was assuming we could even get his attention – whoever was monitoring the cameras would see. And since there was no gate and the fence was too high for Aleks to climb, he'd be a sitting duck if he was discovered. We just couldn't risk it.
But we needed to get his attention somehow. Getting him out of the house without his help would be impossible.
"If we can get the security system offline for a few minutes, we can get in and get him out," I said. "But we need to know what room he's in in case he doesn't have free roam of the house at night."
"How are we going to get the security system offline?"
"I know someone who can probably hack it."
Magnus was quiet for a moment. "We should call Memphis and Ronan … get some backup."
I shook my head. "It will take too long to get someone here and up to speed. We need to get him out of there, Magnus."
"Dante-"
"Please, Magnus. The idea of him spending another night in that place … " I hated how desperate I sounded, but I couldn't hide the anxiety crawling through me. Now that I'd seen my brother, my sole focus was getting him out this place. The thought of whoever was holding him captive putting his hands on him made me want to vomit.
Magnus finally nodded.
Relief mixed with tension as I said, "We need to get a message to him. If we can get him to turn on a light in his room tonight or something … "
Another nod from Magnus. "Stay here," he said and then he was heading back towards the car. I couldn't see Aleks anymore since he'd gone into the greenhouse, but I was pleased that no one had come out to check on him. I scanned the house, but didn't see anyone watching him from a window either. Magnus returned within a matter of minutes. "Here," he said as he handed me a pen and small piece of paper. "Write him something he would know was from you. Tell him to leave the light on in his room tonight."
I quickly wrote the note in both English and Portuguese and then watched as Magnus searched out a small rock. "Old school, huh?" I said with a smile as I watched Magnus wrap my note around the rock. He pulled the hair tie I'd been using to hold my hair back and then wrapped it around the rock, securing the note in place.
"I ever tell you I was on the baseball team in high school?"
"Were you any good?" I asked as I tried to ignore the anxiety in my gut.
"We're about to find out. See that open window?"
I nodded when I spied the open window at the back of the greenhouse. It was up high and small and presumably had been left open to let fresh air into the small structure. It would be a tough shot and if Magnus missed …
I couldn't let myself think like that so I held my breath while Magnus got into position and then let the rock fly. I was sure I'd hear the sound of shattering glass, but there was nothing and I watched in disbelief as the rock sailed through the window.
We waited several long moments and I was sure it hadn't worked until I saw Aleks come out of the greenhouse. I'd warned him not to look in our direction since he'd be in view of the security cameras, but as he headed towards the house, he cast a glance over his shoulder and scanned the fence line. When his eyes came to rest on us, I froze and I swore my heart stopped beating. The encounter lasted mere seconds, but it was enough. And even if I hadn't been certain that he'd seen the note, his slight nod just before he turned and went into the house would have told me all I needed to know.
My brother knew I had finally come for him.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Magnus
"Okay, Daisy, do it now," I heard Dante say into his phone. The light had come on in one of the lower windows near the same side of the house the greenhouse was on a few minutes earlier. We'd lucked out when the IT girl who worked for Ronan had discovered that not only could she hack into the system controlling the security cameras, but that the entire security system was interconnected and in addition to controlling the cameras, she could control the gates permitting access onto the property as well as the security pads for all the doors.
After we'd left the mansion earlier this afternoon, we'd returned to our hotel to strategize. I'd tried once more to get Dante to wait until we had some backup, but he'd been adamant that we needed to move tonight and nothing I'd said had deterred him. And I'd known that if I pushed the issue, he'd simply go without me.
In addition to strategizing, we'd learned more about the man who owned the house after Dante had done a search on his address. His name was Marcus Parks and he was one of the wealthiest men in Chicago … and one of the most well-known. The man was a prolific philanthropist and moved in powerful social circles that included politicians and all sorts of pseudo celebrities. He was also married with four young children.
The house on Lakeview drive where he was keeping Aleks was one of many properties the man owned, but unlike the others, the lakefront mansion was under the legal umbrella of his company rather than a personal asset – most likely to keep the house along with the things that went on inside its walls, out of the public eye. His main residence where he lived with his family was a posh penthouse that took up three floors of a downtown high-rise.
The biggest irony was the man's esteemed reputation as an advocate for children. Dante hadn't had time to do in-depth research, but everything we'd seen showed the man had no secrets in any of his numerous closets … only we knew better.
The man's wealth and prestige were concerning in that it meant he likely had a lot of manpower at his disposal. Add in the fact that he was literally hiding a secret that would destroy his career and marriage and land him behind bars for the rest of his life, and we knew we could potentially be facing a dangerous situation once we got inside.
"Thanks," Dante murmured and then he hung up his phone and tucked it into his pocket. "They're down," he said to me and I knew he was talking about the two cameras covering the side door we were planning on entering through. "Let's go."
I nodded and pulled out my gun. Dante and I made our way along the fence to one of only two gates allowing access to the property besides the front one. I sighed in relief when the door clicked just as we got there and Dante pushed it open. Snow crunched beneath our feet, sounding insanely loud in the silence of the night. It was well after midnight and we'd waited for most of the rest of the lights in the house to go out, leaving only Aleks's light on. I scanned the property as I followed Dante to the side door. I'd found it interesting that Parks didn't have any men patrolling the yard, but I supposed the man was confident his security measures would keep people out.
That or his main goal was to keep one person in.
Dante and I paused when we reached the door. The feeling that all of this was easy – too easy – was hard to shake, but before I could say anything to Dante, he was opening the side door which Daisy's hack had managed to unlock as planned.
Our pace was slow as we made our way towards the room we suspected was Aleks's. The house was dark and quiet - eerily so - and the sensation that something was off again washed over me. I tapped Dante's shoulder to get his attention, but he ignored me and kept moving. I realized why when I saw the light coming from beneath a door at the end of the hallway.
My brain was sending out warning after warning as Dante turned the handle for the room, but I couldn't find any sign of danger. "Something's off," I whispered to Dante as I put my hand on his wrist to stop him from opening the door. "Why isn't it locked?" I asked as I motioned to the door.
Dante hesitated for a moment and then shook his head. "I'm getting my brother," he bit out, his voice barely a whisper, the determination clear.
Dante tugged free of my hold and then pushed into the room. I was right on his heels, determined to cover him no matter what, but when I saw the barrel of a gun being pointed at Dante's head from behind the door we'd just opened, I knew we were fucked.
And when I saw Aleks standing next to a man I already knew as Parks because of the pictures Dante and I had seen of him in the society pages, I knew how we'd ended up fucked.
Because Aleks had told them we were coming.
* * *
I flinched when another blow landed against Dante's face and I felt the warm spray of blood from his split lip hit my own skin. My own body ached where I'd been kicked repeatedly as I'd tried to fight back when the men had been putting me in zip-tie cuffs.
The room we'd walked into hadn't been a bedroom like we'd expected. It was an office and leaning negligently against the desk like he hadn't had a care in the world had been Marcus Parks. Standing quietly next to him had been Aleks, his expression blank as he'd watched one of Parks's men put a gun to Dante's head. Even now as his brother endured a brutal beating, Aleks seemed unaffected.