comrades in battle, tied together by the same paralyzing worry. However, unlike her, Langston didn’t look like he necessarily needed a reason to beat someone up. His fist was clenched tight and he was pounding it lightly on his thigh. He studied every single person at the table, and she could almost imagine him sizing them up, debating who would put up the best fight. The Hayden boys had an unnatural love of smashing things.
“I have preliminary IDs on the kidnappers.” Sidika’s voice broke through the chatter. The flat-screen TV on the wall clicked on and two mugshots appeared, side by side, their names written below their faces.
Miroslav Zoran and Vlado Milica.
Selene studied the pictures. “Who are they?”
Owen answered her question. “Miroslav and Vlado are high-ranking members in a paramilitary organization called Serbian Action. We’re dealing with the same group who already attempted to take Luca once. With one critical difference.”
“What?”
“The men you were dealing with in Pennsylvania were low-level members of the American Serbian mob out of Chicago, and individuals with loose affiliations to this main group. People with clean enough records they made it through U.S. immigration.”
They already knew that, but Selene bit her tongue to keep herself from snapping at him to hurry up and get on with it. There were people around the table who didn’t know this, and she wanted every single person here to have all the information needed for them to bring Luca and Oscar home safely.
“What we’re dealing with now is the main group. These are dangerous individuals—neo-fascist, neo-Nazis. They’re very good at hate and violence, and they’re well-equipped, experienced fighters.”
“What’s their poison?” Rhys asked in his cowboy drawl.
Several people frowned in confusion, but Percival understood and responded, “Guns, drugs, and they’re mercenaries for hire. They’re all military trained, and the organization espouses ideals of a free Serbia.”
“And they sell bomb-making supplies,” Selene said. “That’s how they know about Luca. The Bellator Dei buys bomb stuff from them.”
Owen took over from there, going over what the Trinity Masters had discovered about the paramilitary rebels, both from questioning the men before handing them over to the authorities, and in the ensuing investigation afterward.
“How did they know he was here?” Konrad asked when Owen was done.
“That’s the question we need to answer. If we find out how they’re tracking Luca, we trace it back to where they are now.”
“We are sure Luca and Oscar aren’t working with them?” Vadisk asked.
Langston snarled and launched himself across the table at the Hungarian man.
Selene accidentally on-purpose got in the way as Kristin, seated on her other side, tried to grab Langston. Rodrigo managed to nab him and haul him back across the table. Vadisk didn’t move, didn’t even uncross his arms, which was both impressive and alarming.
“We are sure,” Owen said, a hint of anger in his voice. That he too was pissed made Selene feel better.
Percival cleared his throat. “Every member of the organization is on a watch list—Interpol, Serbian BIA. As Owen pointed out, none of these men were part of the kidnapping attempt in America. They wouldn’t have made it through customs.”
“So if they’re being watched, where are they?” Langston demanded.
“They are on watch lists, not under constant surveillance,” Percival said primly.
On the long wall of the conference room, under the TV, was a bank of cabinets. The top of them served as the food service area, while inside were supplies for both catering and business meetings.
From inside the cabinet came the sound of the printer turning on.
Milo, who was closest, turned and opened the cabinet, pulling out the sheet of paper, while the rest of them continued to discuss the latest intel they had on the Serbian Action group.
“Who printed this?” Milo’s sudden sharp question cut through the chatter. Everyone looked to the people who had laptops open in front of them—Jennika, Sidika, Ridley, and Sarah.
They all shook their heads.
“Merde.” Milo turned the paper around. A single question in large black typeface was printed on the paper
“I don’t read Italian, what does it say?” Selene demanded.
“Can you save my brother?” Milo translated.
“Shit!” Jennika’s finger tapped against the trackpad of the computer. “The printer is on the hotel’s guest Wi-Fi, not the secure network I set up for us.”
“Luca’s sister? But how?” Selene asked.
“Do we have any idea what Oscar and Luca did before they were kidnapped?” Sidika demanded.
“They had the old computers from the Bellator Dei compound.” Langston sounded hopeful, and that got her hopes up in turn. “Oscar can do a lot