The Porter Resolution: The Cari Porter Series, #6

By Mike Ryan

Porter, with the help of some new friends, escapes from the grasp of the police, and immediately seeks to find Evan again. And she won't stop until she frees him from the clutches of Dark Sky. Before she's able to do that, and disappear again, she's going to have to contend with Dark Sky agents, as well as several traps that are set for her to step into.

Will Porter be able to rescue Evan before one of those traps ensnares her? And will she ever be able to finally figure out what exactly happened to her? A mysterious key may hold all the answers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ryan Publishing
• Release date: Jun 22, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223214762

Book preview

1

Porter pressed her head against the glass of the police car. She was sitting in the back seat, an officer next to her. They were driving along the dirt path that led through the trees.

Where am I being taken to? Porter asked in Ukrainian.

Police station, the officer answered.

Then what?

I don’t know. It’s beyond my pay grade.

There was a line of three police cars, with Porter in the middle one. The fourth police car that was involved in capturing her had left in a different direction.

As soon as the first car left the line of trees, a Jeep rammed it from the side, spinning the car almost completely around. The other two police cars slammed on their brakes. They were immediately met with gunfire as another Jeep pulled up.

Officers from the second and third cars got out of their vehicles to exchange gunfire, but they were quickly mowed down. The officers in the first car were disoriented or hurt and never got out. A couple of Vasyl’s men went over to the car to make sure those officers didn’t present a problem. They were still alive, but out of the fight.

With the other officers dead, Vasyl went over to the second police car and opened the back door. He helped Porter get out of the vehicle.

You shouldn’t have done that, Porter said.

Vasyl spread his hands out wide. What? You don’t want to be rescued?

Not like that.

I thought you’d be happy.

Porter looked around at the dead police officers. I didn’t want this.

Vasyl looked at the dead bodies as well, though it didn’t have the same impact on him. What? You feel sorry for them? Don’t be. They are not innocent. This is part of the job, no? We all take risks.

Porter sighed. I just…

If you prefer to go back in car, I can put you back in.

No. Thank you. I’m appreciative of you being here. I am. Though this’ll probably bring more heat down on you.

Vasyl shrugged, also not seeming to care. Heat is heat. Once you have stove turned on, what difference does a few more degrees make?

Porter chuckled. You certainly have an interesting way of looking at things.

Come with us. I will get you to safety.

No. I have to find Evan. I’m not leaving without him. That’s what we came for.

Vasyl shook his head. I’m afraid your friend is gone. There is no hope for him now.

You should’ve stayed on him.

I had a decision to make. Either go after him or come back for you. I chose you.

I’m grateful. I am. I don’t mean to sound like I’m not. I’m just…

You grieve for your friend. I understand. Perhaps we can pick up his trail again.

I don’t see how, Porter said.

Well, let’s get in and get out of here before more police show up.

Everyone piled into the two Jeeps, and they sped out of the area. They drove toward the previous spot where they’d pulled off the tail on the vehicle Evan was traveling in, hoping they could miraculously somehow pick it up again. Unfortunately, no miracle occurred. The car Evan had been in was long gone, and though they continued driving around for a while to look for it, they had no hopes of finding it again.

Eventually, the two Jeeps stopped, pulling over to the side of the road to figure out their next step. Vasyl shifted his body around to look at his pretty American friend in the back seat.

What now?

Porter shook her head as she looked out the window. She didn’t have any answers at the moment. I don’t know. I need to find him, though.

What is this guy to you? Boyfriend? Lover? What?

No, he’s just a friend. He’s helped me out of a few jams.

Vasyl’s sympathy meter still wasn’t being pushed much. These things happen in this business. My advice would be to forget him and move on. You can find new guy. Perhaps even me if you stick around.

Thanks, Vasyl. But I’m not looking for a boyfriend. I want my friend back. I owe it to him to keep looking.

Would he do it for you?

Porter didn’t hesitate in her answer. She knew Evan would. Yes. He would.

Vasyl sighed and scratched the back of his head. I think you are both crazy. Right now, you are free. If you look for him, you may find him. And that may be unlucky for both of you.

Porter understood what he was saying. But she couldn’t worry about being in Dark Sky’s crosshairs again. She knew that was likely if she continued looking for Evan, but she couldn’t just let him go. She couldn’t. She had to do everything imaginable in order to free him. Whatever it took.

Who do you know? Porter asked.

What? I know lots of people.

I mean, who do you know that’s good with computers? I’m sure you must know someone.

I may know a few people. Why?

Maybe we can track him somehow, Porter replied.

How are we going to do that? How can we find people who disappear? Whoever took this man is not going to put his name in some database for us to hack into and find. Those things only happen in movies. It is not real life.

There must be a way.

The only way is to know someone on the inside that can give you that information. That is it.

Porter wasn’t willing to take no for an answer. There had to be a way. There just had to be. She pulled out her phone and called George Watts. Thankfully, he picked up right away.

I see you’re still in one piece.

For now, Porter said.

Are you now ready?

Not yet.

Why not? Watts asked.

I still don’t have Evan. They slipped away from us.

That’s too bad. I’m sorry about that. I really am. But it’s time to move on, Cari.

As I keep telling you, I’m not willing to do that.

So you’re still going after him?

Well, there’s a slight problem with that.

Which is what you’re calling me for, right?

I don’t know where they went.

That’s not my specialty, Cari. I help people disappear. I try not to find anyone who’s already gone.

But they can’t be far, Porter said. They’re in the area. They’re close. They’ve gone somewhere. I just need a hint.

Evan’s been taken by a secret government agency with no paper trail. How do you expect him to be found?

I don’t know. The despair was evident in her voice.

Honestly, your best bet is the person you’re traveling with.

What?

Vasyl has a treasure trove of contacts. Why do you think I lean on him there?

He was the only one willing to work with you? Porter said with a laugh.

Well, maybe that’s partially true. But it’s also because of his network. He knows more people than you can shake a stick at. Why do you think he’s lasted as long as he has?

I don’t know. How long has it been?

Ten or fifteen years, I think.

Vasyl had stepped out of the car while Porter and Watts were talking. After a few minutes, he got back in the car. Porter quickly wrapped up her conversation.

I’ll call you back, George.

Anything he can do? Vasyl asked.

Not at the moment.

Shame.

What about you?

Funny you should ask. I was just talking to guy I know. He’s not sure, but he thinks he may be able to help.

Help how? Porter asked.

I don’t know. I told him the situation, and he thinks he can help. I don’t get into specifics.

You know, sometimes I think you try to play dumb. Like you don’t know things, or just get by in a simple manner. I get the feeling you’re much more in tune with things than you like to make it appear.

Vasyl smiled. Perhaps it is so.

Anyway, about this guy. Who is he and what can he do? Is he a hacker or something?

No. I told you, hacking will get you nowhere in this. We’re not dealing with a normal agency who will document everything. The people we are after will document nothing. Hacking is no good.

Then what’s this guy do? Porter asked.

Connections. The man has lots of connections.

Even more than you?

Vasyl laughed. Even more than me. This guy makes my list look tiny in comparison. He knows everyone and everything.

Yeah, but does he know how to find what we’re looking for?

If anyone does, it is this guy. Trust me.

Guess I really don’t have much choice in that, do I?

There is always a choice. You just have to be willing to make it.

How far away is this guy? Porter asked.

Maybe forty minutes. An hour. Somewhere in there.

A little longer than I’d prefer. But I guess it is what it is.

Vasyl smiled. It is.

Let’s go see him.

Vasyl tapped his driver on the arm to get the car started.

How much is this gonna cost me? Porter asked.

Nothing extra. It is all part of doing business. Besides, George gets the bill, no?

Yeah, but I don’t want you to bleed him dry, either.

No worries. George is my friend. He will just owe me extra favor.

I’d hate to see what that will entail, Porter said.

Vasyl laughed. So will he.

You really think this guy we’re seeing will know something? Or is this just a shot in the dark?

I think this might be our best hope. If someone knows anything, he is as good a person to ask as any. You must have hope.

Hope. Yeah.

Hope wasn’t exactly something that Porter was swimming in these days. Still, hope was all they had at the moment. She had to pray that it would pay off.

2

Myers was summoned from his office and went into the room in a panic. They’d had Porter locked up, and now they were going to have to start from scratch again.

What’s going on? Myers asked.

It’s still developing, an analyst replied.

Tell me what you have so far.

Four dead police officers, two wounded with minor injuries.

And Porter?

She’s gone.

Myers grimaced. Damn. How did this happen?!

We don’t know yet. Preliminary reports seem to indicate there was another car involved. Who, what, how many… all of that is still unclear.

She had help. That is clear. We need to find out who these people are. What do we got in terms of video?

Nothing. It’s a remote spot. No cameras or videos that I can find.

Myers sighed. She was in our grasp. We had her. How did she slip away again?

Chatter is that there were two other vehicles involved. Not sure how many people. At least two.

She’s aligned herself with another group, Myers said. Or she had them standing by in case something like this happened. We need to find out who they are.

We’re working on it.

The last thing we need is for her to disappear again.

I don’t know if we have to worry about that.

Why not? Myers asked.

It seems as if she was tracking Evan. She followed our team from one location to the other.

She wants to free him. Myers sat down at his former desk, staring at the monitors on the wall. Where’s Evan now?

Being taken to another safe house.

Porter’s after him. She’s trying to find him. Myers kept thinking. Maybe we should let her.

Pardon?

We don’t know where Porter is. But we know she’s after Evan. That’s our next play. She’s gonna have to find someone, or she already has, that can help her do that.

It won’t be possible.

So let’s make it possible, Myers said. Stands to reason they’ll do some digging, try to hack into something. Let them do it. Put some bread crumbs out there, and see if they can find them.

They’ll know it’s a trap.

Not if we do it right. We’ll make it seem like it’s hush-hush. Top secret. No names, though. Put in a general location to try and disguise it a little. Not too tough it can’t be cracked, though.

I’ll get right on it. So you want us to leak the location of the safe house?

Myers nodded. Yes. If we do it properly, we won’t have to find Porter again. She’ll find us. And we’ll be ready. And waiting.

Vasyl’s Jeep pulled up to the house. Once they all got out, Porter was a little surprised. She’d expected that they’d go to some remote, desolate place. Nobody around for miles and miles. But here they were, right in the middle of the city, it seemed. Buildings and people all around. Porter looked around for the second vehicle. She hadn’t realized it was no longer with them.

Where’s the other Jeep?

Oh, I sent them away, Vasyl answered. They have other matters to attend to. They are not needed for this, anyway.

Kind of an odd spot for this type of thing, don’t you think?

Why?

I dunno. I always thought these kinds of guys operated in secrecy. Maybe in a warehouse or farmhouse miles outside of the city.

Vasyl laughed. You have seen too many spy movies. Besides, what is it they say? The best place to hide out is in plain sight, no? In country, you are visible. In the city, with other people around, you can hide.

I suppose there’s some logic to that.

Come. Let’s go.

Porter and Vasyl walked into the building while the driver of the car stayed outside to stand guard in case trouble found them. Once inside, they walked up the steps until they got to the fourth floor. Porter took a careful look at their surroundings. It didn’t look like a dump of a place, at least in terms of the way the building was kept up to date. It certainly wasn’t a million-dollar residence, but this wasn’t a place that one would associate with someone who was hiding out. Of course, maybe the person they were seeing wasn’t really hiding. Porter wasn’t told that much about him, other than the fact that he was the one who could help her.

Vasyl knocked on the door. It only took a few seconds for the door to open. Once Porter saw the man standing there, it wasn’t quite what she had envisioned. She had pictured some young twenty-something guy, with unkempt hair, walking around in his pajamas, maybe smoking a cigarette. This was anything but.

Instead of what she imagined, what she got was a balding man, with stubble on his face indicating he hadn’t shaved recently, and who looked like he was pushing seventy. Vasyl instantly stepped into the room with a big laugh, giving the man a hug, patting him on the arms.

Maksym! How are you?

I am well. It’s been too long.

Much too long, Vasyl replied.

He looked over at Porter, who had remained outside the door, and waved for her to come in. She did, though she did slowly, not sure what she was walking into.

This is Cari.

Porter smiled and put her hand up halfway, as if she were uncomfortable. Hi.

I hear you’re having some troubles, my dear? Maksym asked.

Uh, yeah, I guess you could say that.

Let’s see if we can clear them up for you. Come in. Sit.

As Maksym closed the door,