I snatch the phone from her. "Harris, it's Rush."
"Rush. What does he want, do you think?"
"For me to suffer. I double-crossed him to save Bryn. I…fuck, I should have known he'd do this. I guess I…I thought if he had even a smidge of humanity, he'd leave a dying child out of it. It's one thing to use her as leverage to get me to do what he wants. That's indirect and I hate him enough for it as it is. But this? This is a step too far, mate. I know I don't have any right to ask your lot to help me, but I am. Please, please help me. Not even me, help my daughter. She's an innocent girl, sir."
"Rush, you don't have to even ask. This is what we do, and we're the best in the world at it. We'll get your daughter back and we'll make Pugli pay for his sins. And you can trust me when I say I'm not going to be leaving justice up to the courts." Harris's voice is cold and vicious. "I have assets in the UK mobilizing as we speak. Give me an address and they'll start the investigation. I've got Lear doing his thing—he'll be able to track their movements and give us a place to start."
"I can't wait for an investigation, Harris," I snap. "I need to find my daughter. I need to find Pugli."
"You can't do both, son." His voice is stern but not unkind. "You're gonna have to trust us to handle one of them. You call it. Are you going after Pugli or your daughter?"
I look at Bryn—the guilt ravaging her beautiful face is utterly heartbreaking. "I trust Bryn and she trusts you. If you can promise me you'll track her down and get her to safety, then I’ll take the promise and go after Pugli."
"Rush, you have my vow—as a man, as an operator, and as a father, I will personally rescue your daughter. I'll find her, I’ll kill those who took her, and I won't let her out of my sight until she's back in your arms."
My throat is hot and tight. "That's good enough for me. Get me a lead on Pugli."
"Done. You'll have something shortly."
"Harris, sir—"
"Save it, son. I know who you are and what you do—I've had a better look at your file, and even with what's been redacted, it's obvious you're one hell of an operator. So now it's time to do what we do. Set your personal feelings aside. Trust me and my men to do our jobs, and you do yours. And right now, you have one fucking job: hunt down and kill Roberto Pugli."
When you've spent the kind of time I have in the military, you automatically respond to the tone of authority. This man's voice snaps with that authority. I find myself straightening. "Sir, yes sir."
"Good man. Now. Hang up and keep this phone ready. And tell my daughter…" There's a significant, heavy pause. "Tell her Daddy's on the job. And for god's sake, son, take care of her."
“With my life, sir."
"Harris, out." Click.
Even in the circumstances, I can't help but find it funny that the man ended the call with "Harris, out."
Bryn notices my half-hearted sniff of laughter. "He said it, didn't he?" She shakes her head, bemused. "He can't help it. Mom and I have both told him repeatedly how cringey it is when he ends a call with 'Harris, out', but he just can't help himself."
I take her hand. Hold her gaze. "It's not your fault, Bryn. I don't blame you."
The humor in her eyes and voice evaporates. “Yeah, well…I do."
"I know. But you shouldn't. There's no one to blame but the people who did it." I scrub my face. "I should've known better. I should've hidden her or gotten one of my old mates to watch the house or something. I didn't do nothin'. I underestimated how evil that man is."
"Will he…" she stops, shuddering. "I can't even think it."
'Will he actually hurt her?" I nod, shrugging. “Got to assume he will. The stories I've heard? I heard one about this gypsy lad who crossed Pugli, tried to investigate him, take him down. Pugli hogtied him, pried his eyes open, and made him watch as his wife and infant children were burned alive in front of him."
Bryn covers her mouth, shakes her head. "My god, no. What? How can—how could anyone do that?"
"Mankind is capable of incredible acts, Bryn," I say. "The worst evil and the greatest good. And Pugli takes a twisted sort of joy in being the evilest cunt who ever lived."
"I know you're British and it's different over there, but I really hate that word," Bryn says. “In this case, however, I'll make an exception."
"Your dad told me to tell you he's on the job, by the way."
"Alpha One Security is the best in the world at recovering kidnap victims," she says. "It's how Dad got his start. Well, that and working for Uncle Val."
I can't help a snort. "I'm not sure I'll ever not find it amusing that you refer to the richest man on the planet as Uncle Val."
"So what do we do?" she asks, ignoring my non-sequitur about Valentine Roth.
