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Mina cried softly, the hiccups continuing. I eased back in the chair, rocking her as I’d done as a baby. I’d never felt so fucking helpless in my life.

“I’m right here, my sweet girl. I’m not going anywhere and neither are you.”

When Isabel held up the picture so only I could see, I knew why. The detail was remarkable, something a teenager would draw. Perhaps good enough I could make an identification.

I waited as Mina cried it out and when she pushed away from me, I resisted allowing her to see my anger. Very gently, I wiped her tears away, somehow through the rage and hatred able to smile. My child’s eyes were cloudy, full of tears and even slightly dilated.

And she was so pale, as if all the life had been drained from her.

“So what flavor of cake would you like?”

It took her a few seconds to pull out of the episode. Very slowly, the light began to slip back into her eyes, especially when Shadow pushed himself between my legs.

No man could ever be so grateful in hearing a little laugh as I was at that moment.

“Chocolate! With chocolate frosting.”

“A girl after my own heart,” Isabel told her. “Sweetheart. Why don’t you run up and get dressed? Then I’ll make us some breakfast. You must be hungry.”

“Shadow too!”

“Of course, Shadow too.” My sweet guardian angel was having a very difficult time keeping her emotions flat if not excited.

“Okay. Don’t forget, Papa. You promised.” She slipped off my lap, rushing toward the door with Shadow following.

I felt as if I’d been gut punched. Isabel handed me the sketch. “He took the mask off to terrify her even more. That must have been when I was forced to make the recordings. They wouldn’t let her stay with me and I didn’t want her to hear what I was being coerced into doing.”

“You did the right thing, Isabel. Absolutely you did. You protected my daughter at the risk of your safety and your life.” I stood, taking several scattered breaths. “I know this is difficult for you to hear, Isabel, but I promised I wouldn’t lie to you and I meant it.” I lifted my head so she could see how serious I was. “When I find them, they will die. There is no court in the land that will offer the punishment they deserve. I hope you understand that and somehow find a way to trust me. I really do.”

“My sister saved me as well. When push came to shove, she remembered we were family. You are keeping her safe. Right?”

Her lower lip was trembling and with every heartache she suffered, every difficult moment, the anger seeped through the crevices. “Twenty-four hours a day. Nothing will happen to her. That I do promise you.” Promise. How many promises had been crushed?

“The man who forced me to record the audios acted as if I was of some importance.”

“Because of our closeness.”

She shook her head, looking me in the eyes. “I think there’s more to it. Someone from work? Or my past?”

“Don’t worry about it right now. You need to begin healing.” Seeing several beads of perspiration across her upper lip had the effect of tightening my stomach muscles.

She glanced at the picture again and, seeing how her body tensed, I wasn’t certain what to expect. “I don’t want to turn into a monster, Maxsim. But I will tell you this. For what those bastards did to Mina, they deserve to face your wrath.”

* * *

“Your daughter is an amazing artist,” Sergei told me as he studied his phone from where I’d emailed a picture of the sketch I’d taken. “Very detailed. A six-year-old. When I was her age, I couldn’t draw shit.”

“Yes, but for a six-year-old to want to draw a picture of one of her captors is fucking wrong.” The sketch had obviously evoked deep emotion in my daughter, but she hadn’t been the only one.

I’d seen a flicker of recognition in Isabel’s eyes. I was positive of it. Whether or not she had a grasp on the man’s identity at this point, I felt certain she would.

And that when she did, the information would be damning.

“Yeah, I’ll say.” He shoved his cellphone into his pocket, keeping stride with me as we headed to the fire station where the fire inspector had an office. “Did Isabel remember anything?”

“Slowly, certain details are coming back. She seems to think someone in her close circle is playing a part in this nightmare.”

“I don’t know who. I’ve checked everyone, including her family. The few who are left live far away and there’s no sign of any real contact.”