The Line: The Complete Series

by Nikki Rose

  I found my phone and go bag among the rubble. I was careful to brace myself as I unbuckled my seatbelt but even so, I fell onto my left side before being able to readjust and pull myself through the passenger window since the windshield was too crushed in. Glass tore exposed skin on my arms as I forced my way out but I couldn’t stop to think about any of that. I needed to get to Caroline.

  I glanced out at the road. The red car had tried to miss me, instinctively jerking the wheel away, and right into the Russians’ Audi which had now flipped on its side. The driver of the red car didn’t look in good shape. A guy probably no more than twenty-five lay in the driver seat unconscious—or dead, with blood dripping down his face. A sick feeling twisted in the pit of my stomach. Innocent casualties never got easier.

  I had to get to Caroline. I didn’t want to think how badly she could have been hurt if she was in the back of that truck. She would have been thrown around in that unforgiving metal box. I started toward the truck when a bullet zipped passed my head and ricocheted off of my car into the ground.

  I ran behind my car, using it for cover. I glanced around the back end of the car and saw three Russians armed with at least two guns each surrounding the truck. Another shot barely missed my head and I ducked back behind the car again.

  I checked my gun. I had five shots left. There were at least four of them including the driver, but I’d yet to see someone resembling their leader so I’d guess there would be at least one more somewhere. That meant I had only enough bullets for each of them and none to spare. From this position, my chances of not missing any were slim but with that many guns between them, I couldn’t sit and wait them out.

  I had a semi-automatic in the trunk but I’d be exposed the whole time if I tried to get that. I had to do something. I just wasn’t sure what. The driver climbed out of the cab and I caught motion near the back of the truck. There was someone in the passenger seat too. Most Likely their leader. I risked another shot, barely dodging another bullet, but missed my target as well.

  One of the men opened the back of the truck and climbed inside. I held my breath, praying that Caroline was okay. A car passed by, obscuring my view even farther for a moment but when it passed, there was Caroline in the grasp of the man I feared it would be. Nikolay Petrov. The leader of the Russian syndicate Director Applegate had taken down years ago.

  “Petrov.” I called out loud enough for him to hear. “Let the girl go and we can both walk away from this today.”

  “You seem to be missing the fact that you are vastly outnumbered. Tell Applegate I’ll make sure his daughter is sold to the highest bidder. Only the best for the Director’s daughter.”

  “You know he’ll never stop looking for her.”

  “That, my friend, is what I’m counting on.” He backed away from the truck, toward the cover of trees that lined the wilderness beyond, careful to keep Caroline in front of him at all times. A rain of bullets ricocheted all around me, hitting my car and the ground to each side. I needed to get to Caroline. Meeting them head on wasn’t going to work. They had me outmanned and out armed. I ran in the opposite direction into the cover of trees and overgrowth hoping to hide among the trees long enough to close in on them and reemerge with surprise on my side. A deafening explosion lifted me off the ground and sent me flying farther into the woods. I landed hard on the overgrowth that barely managed to break my fall. My ears rang and my vision blurred as I fought to keep my eyes open.

  The last thing I remember before losing consciousness was the pained scream of Caroline calling my name.

  CHAPTER 24

  Caroline

  “Chris,” The scream tore from my throat as his car burst into a blaze of burning metal. “Let me go. I have to save him. Chris!” I fought against the Russian the other men called Petrov but his grip was like an iron vice. I kicked and thrashed around with my zip tied hands to try and break free.

  Two of his men took me from him, forcing me into the woods, away from Chris’s burning car. Tears stung my eyes as I thought of what must have happened to him.

  A few yards into the woods, the men slowed down to a more even pace and I took the opportunity to plead with them one more time. “We can’t just let him die. Please? It’s not too late. We can turn back and—”

  “Quite little otrod'ye or I will have my men gag you as well.”

  I quieted down immediately. The last thing I wanted was to be so helpless as to not be able to scream should the opportunity arise. Getting myself gagged wasn’t going to help anyone. I needed to slow down, to think things through and make smart moves. Chris was right. I always tried to jump before looking.

  They were leading me farther into the woods and I didn’t know why. What I did know was the farther from the woods meant farther from help. The further out we went, the lower my chances were of saving myself or Chris. If I fought back or tried to escape, they might hurt me but I needed to at least slow them down. I gradually decreased my pace but it wasn’t going to do much good.

  I needed to figure something out. I couldn’t count on someone coming to my rescue. I didn’t know how many people knew Chris was coming to find me. My best hope is that someone would find the crash site, help Chris, and that he was okay. Then he could come help me. But if he was anywhere near that car when it exploded—I couldn’t let myself think about that.

  “Let’s go. Pick up the pace.” Petrov barked the order at his men.

  “It’s the girl. She’s dragging her feet.”

  “Then encourage her to move faster.”

  Without warning a barrel of a gun was shoved into my back making me yelp. It definitely encouraged me to move faster. The farther we got, the thicker the woods became until there was practically no trail at all. That was it. They were taking me deep into the woods to kill me. That way no one could hear and no one could find the body. My body.

  My breathing grew shallow and my head spun. Adrenaline coursed through my veins. This was it. Fight or flight. I had to get out of this situation somehow though I had no idea how. I scanned the woods in front of us and glanced to the sides. There was nothing but trees, no way to tell which way was which. If I ran, I’d be running in circles for who knows how long. If I did nothing, they might kill me.

  There had to be something else, another option I hadn’t thought of. The Russians’ leader seemed like a smart man. What reason would he have to take me out here to kill me, especially since they already left Chris by the road for dead. I shook the image of him lying there dead and bleeding from my mind. I had to focus on what I could do for now.

  That means there’s a reason they were taking me. If they wanted to kill me, they could have done that back at Chris’s car. Maybe it's ransom they want. If so, they’d have to contact my dad and even if it was more money than he had, they’d have to meet him to get it. He was smart, he’d save me. I just needed to hold tight and stay alive.

  A few more yards and we stepped through some overhanging branches to a clearing where more cars were parked. “Misha. Lev. You two and the girl are with me. The rest of you take the cars and follow formation.” Petrov motioned to the cars and everyone scattered.

  The one he’d called Lev grabbed my bicep with enough force I was sure they’d be able to lift fingerprints from the bruises. He dragged me toward the car, tossing me in the backseat and climbing in beside me. Misha climbed into the driver’s seat and Petrov sat on the passenger side.

  I wasn’t sure how it was, but almost all the men looked like they were out of some Russian GQ magazine. Except for the scars and half healed bruises, a quarter of them sported.

  The three cars found the road through the rustic trails and took off down the highway as though they’d done it a million times. I did my best to note any mile markers or landmarks but it was hard to distinguish one section of trees from the others.

  We turned onto a long private drive that was nothing more than a dirt path. It led up to a large farm house that I could tell had once been a beautiful home. It
had clearly been abandoned or fallen into disrepair. Its wrap around porch saggy with age and the roof was badly weathered. To one side was a big red barn that was missing half its paint. The lead driver got out and opened the barn door and each car pulled in. They’d done this before and I guessed it was probably some kind of hideout of theirs.

  We walked from the barn to the house and I did my best to take in as much of the surroundings as I could. By the look of the overgrown fields, rotting wood fence, and rusty tractor overtaken by weeds, the farm hadn’t been functional in years. At least not for the purpose of farming.

  They forced me up the old rickety porch steps and through the creaky front door. I was pushed into the living room covered in dated wallpaper that peeled at the corners. A couple of the men plopped down on the sagging threadbare couch in front of an old fashioned T.V.

  “Take her downstairs. I'm going into my room to freshen up. Make sure to secure her well.” Petrov ordered and I tensed.

  We'd come in on the ground floor so downstairs had to mean a basement or cellar. Lev gripped my arm again with bruising force as he guided me through to an old kitchen that looked like it hadn't been used in years. It was awkward to be led with both wrists still zip tied together but I managed.

  He opened a wooden door with white paint chipping off and I stepped back, away from musty stairs that disappeared down into the dark like some stairway to hell.

  “You can't be serious. I'm not going down there.”

  “That's cute. You think you have a choice. Get.”

  He yanked my arm, forcing me down the steps and I struggled to keep my footing. Once we were downstairs, he flipped the light switch which controlled the flickering fluorescent light above.

  The basement was worse than I'd imagined. Filthy concrete walls and floor echoed every sound. A small stream of water trickled down one wall and there was dirt mixed with what I feared was blood around a floor drain near the center of the room.

  A metal table and chairs were grouped to one side and was the cleanest section in the whole basement. Lev held me still by one arm and drug a metal chair over the drain with an ear-piercing screech.

  “What are you doing?”

  He didn't answer. He just shoved me down into the chair and grabbed a handful of zip ties from his pocket.

  “Please no. Please don't leave me down here?” I begged and thrashed around in the chair but it was no use with my hands already bound together.

  “Still.” he barked and roughly grabbed my ankle as I tried to kick away. He forced it against the leg of the chair where he quickly secured it with more zip ties. It didn't take him long until both feet were secure.

  He pulled out a large knife from a sheath on his belt and stepped toward me. My body tensed and I instinctively lifted my arms in front of my body as best as I could with my wrists bound.

  “No, please,” my scream echoed off the surrounding concrete.

  He grabbed hold of my wrist, controlling both arms at once. “Be still, you stupid girl or you could end up with your wrists slit.”

  I gasped, trying to control my panic. “No. Please don't hurt me. I'm sorry.”

  Just then another thick Russian voice called down from the stairwell. “Boss wants to know if everything is alright down there?”

  “Da. Glupaya suka panics for nothing.”

  “Let me see if I can help.” Misha stepped out of the shadows of the stairway and stalked toward me.

  He bent so that he was right in my face and I could smell the vodka on his breath “Scream again and I will give you something to scream about little otrod'ye.”

  Being so close to him reminded me of the self-defense training Chris had taught me. I reared my head back and brought it forward as hard and as fast as I could so that my forehead struck Misha right in the nose.

  Chris's lessons worked. I barely felt a thing but his nose made a loud crunch as the fragile bone broke and he stumbled back, blood seeping from his cupped hands as he held them to his face. The training had worked except for one small oversight on my part. I was outnumbered and still very much bound to the chair. All I managed to do was anger my captors.

  Lev rushed over to me but Misha stopped him. “Oh no. This little suka is mine.

  Misha wiped his bloody hands on a handkerchief he pulled out of his pocket. Before I could reflect on how ironic it seemed for a kidnapper to have a handkerchief like the ones gentleman carried in the old days, he charged after me. The blood covering his face only made him look scarier. I lifted my arms defensively but he grabbed them with one hand. The other came down hard across my face, flinging my head to the side, sending pain exploding through my cheek, and making my teeth rip open my lower lip.

  I cried out, keeping my head hung to the side and peeked up at him through the hair that now covered my left eye. He lifted his hand to strike me again and I screamed, my entire body tensing to prepare for impact.

  “Stop you idiot. The Boss said to keep her unharmed. We need her unmarked.”

  “And what about my retribution? She does this to me and I am expected to do nothing?”

  “You are expected to follow orders and know that she'll get what's coming to her soon enough.

  What's coming to her?

  The words echoed in my mind but I was too scared to reflect on what that could mean. Lev approached me again with his knife in hand. “I'm sorry. Please. I'm so sorry. I'll be good. Please?”

  “I'm glad to hear it kotik. Now hold still.”

  I held as still as I could, considering my whole body trembled, and closed my eyes for whatever was coming. Lev cut the ties holding my wrists together but I wasn't given the chance to try anything. He kept a tight grasp on my wrists, sheathed his knife and wrapped my arms around behind the back of my chair before securing them once again with new zip ties.

  Once they were certain I couldn't get free, the two Russian thugs went back upstairs, switching off the light, plunging me into complete darkness.

  CHAPTER 25

  Chris

  “Hey, He’s over here.” A male’s voice called out but I couldn’t distinguish who. My ears were still muffled from the explosion. I fought to open my eyes but they wouldn’t respond. I tried to get my mouth to form words but I wasn't even sure if I was awake or dreaming.

  “He’s breathing. Chris. Hey man, just hang in there. Helps here.”

  Finally, I was able to pry my eyes open but everything appeared like I was looking through frosted glass.

  “Mason?”

  “Yeah, man. It’s me. He’s awake. Can I get some help over here?”

  I blinked and my vision finally cleared. It took me a moment longer to get my thoughts in order. I remembered everything in vivid detail, including the horror filled cries of Caroline.

  “Caroline.” I cried out and grasped Mason’s arm.

  “She’s not here. They found her crushed phone in the back of the Audi and some tracks going off into the woods. They are assembling a search party now.”

  “I need to find her. The Russians—” I was suddenly surrounded by two EMS workers checking me out, one shone a bright light in my eyes making me follow his finger while the other checked me out for other injuries.

  “I know. The Director received a video from them while we were on our way to you.”

  I pushed myself up to sit despite protests from the EMS. “I’m fine. I wasn’t in the car when it exploded. I was running from it. The blast just knocked me down.”

  One of the EMS guys insisted on continuing to check me out. “We just need to—”

  “It’s a minor concussion at most.” I swatted my hand like he was a mosquito.

  “The Director is still going to want to have you taken to the hospital to be checked out.”

  “There’s no time for that. We need to find Caroline.”

  “Chris...” Mason’s face fell and my heart rate spiked.

  “What? What is it?”

  Mason shook his head. “The Director took you off the assig
nment.”

  “Like hell—assignment or not, I’m going into those woods to find Caroline.”

  “I figured you’d say that. Just promise me you’ll be careful and get checked out as soon as Caroline is safe?”

  “Deal.” Mason offered me a hand up and I took it.

  My head spun and the earth shifted beneath my feet when I stood. I stumbled and Mason offered me his shoulder for support. It took me a minute to get my balance. Mason helped keep me balanced until I could walk on my own.

  “The team’s all ready to go.”

  “Great, let’s get going.”

  “Figured you might need this.” An old familiar voice came from behind me. I turned to see the smiling face of Hunter holding out a handgun and holster.

  “Thanks man.” We took a minute to clasp hands and shoulders in the typical guy hug fashion. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  “Hey, your girl’s in trouble. You know I’m gonna be here. It's what we do.”

  The three of us led the group down the path, following the footprints and broken twigs through the brush.

  “So, tell me about this video the Russians sent.” I looked to Mason for an answer.

  “From what I hear, it was just a video of Caroline with a Russian talking behind the camera.”

  “Was she okay? What did they say they wanted?”

  Mason glanced at Hunter and my stomach dropped. “What are you not telling me?”

  “She was okay. She had a busted lip and a bruise on her cheek. Probably got slapped for fighting back. From what you told me about her, I’m sure she’s giving them hell.” Hunter forced a smile of reassurance but the idea of those bastards laying a hand on Caroline made me see red.