do what Sparrow said. I’m going to go get Madeline and bring her here.”
“Just like that?”
“She’s at Marion Elliott’s ranch. She isn’t bunkered down in the Ivanov bratva.”
Reid nodded. “First, before you go, come downstairs to 2 with me.”
I’d already spent more time up with Ruby than I’d planned. The flight to Dallas was a two-and-a-half-hour flight, and that didn’t include ground transportation. “Fine. I need to grab something from the apartment.” Less than a minute later, I was back. “Let’s go to 2. Tell me who’s going with me.”
“Marianne will pilot.”
We were now standing before the elevator. “Marianne? I thought Sparrow had a meeting out of town today with some bigwig in New York. She should pilot him.” I was having difficulty keeping up on everyone’s schedule.
“He postponed it,” Reid replied.
I scoffed. “I’m sure Stephanie is thrilled.” Stephanie was Sparrow’s personal assistant at Sparrow Enterprises, the headquarters for the Sparrow real estate conglomerate.
“Stephanie has been putting up with him longer than Araneae has,” Reid said. “She’s used to him. She’ll make some great excuse that will probably have the CEO jumping on his plane to meet Sparrow in Chicago.”
Reid was right. Though Stephanie had never been expressly told about the Sparrow outfit, she was Sparrow’s eyes and ears in the corporate world and knew he had a busy life away from Michigan Avenue. They’d come to an understanding years ago.
“Any capos?” I asked.
“Come downstairs. I have some information and aerial views of the ranch that will affect your plan, if you ever tell me what it is.”
Did I have a plan?
How fucking hard would it be to enter a ranch, demand to see Madeline, and remove her from the premises?
As Reid and I entered 2, multiple large screens shone high above, filled with different views of Elliott’s ranch.
“I came down after breakfast and pulled up some surveillance from the last few days. It all looks rather benign,” Reid said, “but since getting to know Mason’s ranch, I’ve started looking at less obvious signs. Elliott doesn’t have armed guards around his property, and there’s a lot of traffic from ranch hands as well as those working the wells. But check out this time-lapsed video.”
Leaning against the edge of one of the desks, I crossed my arms over my chest and watched. With the increased speed it was obvious there was a bubble of sorts over the main house and surrounding buildings.
“Watch the horses,” I said, zeroed in on their apparent aversion to the corral closest to the house.
“They’re actually what clued me in,” Reid said. “There’s nothing visible, yet they all slow when they get close, turn, and go the other way.”
“There’s traffic on the road to the house.”
“Yes, but watch.” He hit some buttons. A view of a long black car leaving the main house came into view. “This is Ivanov leaving early this morning.”
“Is he alone?” I asked.
“Yeah, I followed his car to the helicopter and from there to the airport. This is out of character. He usually travels with a caravan. That in itself is a clue that he feels safe and comfortable on Elliott’s ranch.”
“He went there because of Ruby. Any chance they know we have her?”
Reid shook his head. “Only if they can trace our flight. It’s well disguised in layers of ownership and shell corps. It’s not like you flew the bird down there.”
“But it’s possible.”
Reid nodded.
“What about the necklace?” I asked. “Or a message?”
Reid shook his head. “Nothing since yesterday afternoon. Regarding evidence of us having Ruby, I would have found it if this were the other way around. No matter what, we have time on our side.”
My head shook. “I won’t be confident until we get Madeline out of there.”
The steel door behind us opened.
“Then let’s go,” Mason said as he walked in dressed in his casual blue jeans and thermal shirt, its long sleeves pushed up to his elbows, revealing his tatted forearms. On his feet were his signature cowboy boots. It was what he’d been wearing at breakfast, only now his hair was pulled back at the nape of his neck.
“You have to stay with Sparrow,” I said.
“I am and so are you.”
Reid grinned. “I’d be there too, but I think it’s better if I keep things monitored here. Besides, we know this place is safe, but I’m not leaving those women upstairs.” His large hand landed on my shoulder. “That includes your daughter, Patrick.”
My head bobbed as I swallowed. “I appreciate this, but I don’t need the cavalry.”
Mason looked