She and Buck had to get away before the ship reached Russia. That certainty echoed down to her bones. She had to find Buck. Not only would she never leave the ship without him, but he was equipped to deal with this sort of thing. It was his area of expertise. If there was any chance of escape, it would be Buck’s doing. She needed him, and thinking about him made her worry. What had the Russians done to him? After seeing him cuffed in that dark, dirty cargo hold, she didn’t trust them to treat him well.
The thought of finding him, holding him, having him by her side calmed her anxious nerves and cleared her mind. He brought her comfort, but he gave her confidence, too. Helped her believe in herself outside of academics and the lab.
“Done?” Nikolai asked as he headed back to the door. He wasn’t really asking as much as telling her.
“Yes,” Melinda said, taking one last deep lungful of fresh sea air.
She followed him inside, and as he headed downstairs to take her back to her bunk she started plotting how she’d find Buck.
***
Buck tiptoed down the passageway from the cargo hold, straining his ears as he went for any sound other than engines or the slap of waves. He had to be on one of the lower cargo levels of the ship. Probably not much below him other than engine room and maybe some storage.
As he followed the passage, he ran into no resistance.
He took the first set of steps he found, stopping at each level to check. He found a couple of cavernous cargo levels, one half full of luxury cars, and one full of bags of something—maybe corn? He continued up to the next level where he found an empty hallway rather than a cargo hold. Now he was getting somewhere. In the upper levels he’d find the staterooms and bunks and public rooms. The business end of the ship.
He followed the passage until he came to a junction where he flattened himself to the wall and peeked around the corner. At the end, two guys left a room carrying AK-47s and shutting the door behind them before turning to head his direction. He could find a room and hide until they passed, or he could take them out. He didn’t like killing people. They may be the enemy, but they were still people. Unfortunately, from a practical standpoint eliminating the enemy made more sense. Fewer bad guys with guns meant fewer threats.
So, he waited, silently sliding his borrowed knife from its sheath. When the footsteps were close enough, he rounded the corner and attacked, stabbing one of the guys in the throat before either of them could bring their weapons up. Before that guy could even drop to the floor he rounded on the other, swinging his elbow up to slam into the guy’s temple. His eyes rolled around in their sockets and his knees buckled, but he didn’t go down. When the guy reached for his weapon Buck stabbed his knife between the guy’s ribs, and that put him down.
As soon as they were neutralized, he continued down the main passage. He had no idea where Mindy was, or the scope of their situation, but he struggled to squash the burning panic in his belly. He felt like he might go full Hulk with the need to find and save her. Usually rescue missions meant getting in and extracting a valuable asset. It was never someone he knew personally. This time he had to save a woman he cared about, and it messed with his mojo.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, reaching for calm again. He usually went into missions with a cool head and eyes on the prize, whatever the mission goal was. But now he struggled to keep anger at bay. All he wanted to do was find those responsible and wring their necks.
What was it about Mindy that got him so riled? They’d only known each other a few days, but there was something there he couldn’t explain. Some connection that drew him to her. She was smart, and vulnerable, and she cared about people. In a way, they both did the same job—protecting others.
Whatever it was, they clicked, more than he’d ever connected with a woman before. He wanted her in his life, but he had to get them off the ship for that to happen.
It wouldn’t take long before someone started discovering the trail of bodies he left behind. If he’d had time, he’d hide them to slow his discovery, but the two he’d just killed had already bled all over the floor, so there’d be no hiding that.
Instead, he’d have to elude and strike using stealth, picking them off one at a time.
He hurried down the passage, checking open doorways as he went. He passed a closed door, but when he’d moved a few feet beyond, the door opened and someone said, “Hey.”
Buck spun to find a guy reaching for a gun. For an instant they stared at each other, then Buck sprinted a couple of steps and dove for the guy’s knees, knocking him flat and tumbling over the top of him. He rolled, and scrambled back to wrench the gun from the guy’s hand, and punch him in the face. He didn’t have time to pull out his knife, so he jammed his knee into the guy’s chest and wrapped his hands around his throat and squeezed.
It didn’t take long before he was finished.
Buck didn’t take the time to think about it, he climbed to his feet, grabbed the body by the wrists, and dragged him back to the door he came out of. At this higher level of the ship, it might be wise to hide bodies wherever possible.
He dropped one of the guy’s wrists to open the door. It swung inward and before grabbing the other wrist, Buck glanced inside.
The room was a lounge of some sort, and three other guys sat at a table watching a small TV. They looked up when Buck popped the door open, and everyone stared at each other for a handful of heartbeats.
Buck came to his senses first. He dropped the wrist, jumped over the body and bolted. His actions broke the spell and the other three guys thundered after him, yelling as they followed. Buck found the stairs and took them two at a time. It killed his bare feet, but when gunfire started behind him and bullets whizzed by his ear, his feet didn’t matter anymore.
At the top of the stairs he darted out into the hallway, by some unknown instinct turned to the left, and around the first corner he slammed into Mindy.
His arms went around her as his momentum forced them into the two suited-up goons behind her. One of the suits toppled sideways under the onslaught, but the other managed to stay on his feet while Buck and Mindy ended up in a pile on the floor.
The three guys from the lower level spilled out of the stairway and boxed them into the passage.
Damn
“Buck?” Mindy said.
“You okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine. Are you?”
He glanced up at all the angry Russian faces around them. “For now.”
He helped Mindy to her feet and the suit who’d stayed standing pulled a gun from a shoulder holster and pointed it at Buck’s forehead.
Mindy stepped between them. “Don’t you dare,” she said.
Her voice sounded strong, but she stood close enough that her body trembled against his. He reached out and held her by the hips to steady her. That connection calmed and focused him, and her trembling diminished some, too.
“I should kill you both right now,” the suit with the gun said.
“You can’t do that, Mikhail,” Mindy said. “You need me.”
“We don’t need you. We have chemists who can figure out your work. We want you because it would be better to have the drug’s designer do the work.”
“We have the drug, we have your research, and taking you deprives Triada and the Americans from being able to start over with the original source,” the other suit said.
Mindy started to tremble again. Maybe she’d thought she was indispensable to them. Buck had thought so, too, but in this kind of game, nobody was immune.
“Take them back down to the hold and deal with him. Let her watch,” Mikhail said.
His words had the effect on Mindy that he intended, in that she stiffened in Buck’s grip then leaned back against him, presumably to protect him or draw strength from him. Either way, he liked it. As long as they were together, they were stronger.
“No,” she said. “I’ll do whatever you want.”
Buck didn’t like that.
“I’ll take care of you later,” Mikhail said to Mindy. He smiled while the downstairs thugs zip-tied Buck’s and Mindy’s hands behind their backs. “One way or another, the two of you will learn how to behave.” He bopped Mindy on the nose with the end of his gun, then leaned in and said, “It’s so easy to motivate couples. Neither wants to see the other hurt. Just think about that while Nikolai works on him.”
Mindy shook like a leaf but she jutted her chin and looked Mikhail in the eyes and said, “I’m not afraid of you.”
She clearly was, but Buck’s heart swelled that she stood up to the guy, even if it might cost her later. It would certainly cost him, but as long as she stayed safe, he’d pay the price.
Mikhail used his free hand to take Mindy by the chin, caressing it enough to make Buck’s blood boil, then chuckled. “You will be, Dr. Emerson.”
“Anybody ever tell you you’re a cliché?” Buck blurted to divert Mikhail’s attention. “The suit, the accent, the cheesy lines and attempts at intimidation. Sad, really. I expected something scarier.”
Mikhail’s expression didn’t falter so much as get harder. And his eyebrow twitched. Buck wanted to get the sleazebag’s attention away from Mindy, but he also needed an idea what he was up against. Maybe Mikhail was the practical businessman. Maybe he was a cold, violent nut-job, too. Either way, he didn’t think Mikhail and his crew knew Buck was a SEAL, which played in Buck’s favor.
“I’ll show you scary,” the other suit said, shoving Buck until he stumbled. This guy was the cartoonish one.
Buck had no idea what they planned for him or Mindy—other than it would likely be bloody and painful—but if he continued to needle suit number two, he might learn something useful.
The two thugs headed for the stairs, and Nikolai gave Buck a shove from behind, then grabbed Mindy by the upper arm and dragged her along with him.
Neither he nor Mindy said a word. What was the point? Nothing he said would help her, but it might solidify in the Russian’s minds a deeper relationship between them, and put Mindy in danger. He didn’t particularly want her to have to watch him being beaten because no matter how stoic or snarky he managed to be, it would get ugly and upset her. He’d watched fellow soldiers tortured and even though he’d been trained to withstand it, he found it far harder to watch than endure.
As they descended the stairs, every fiber of him wanted to escape, to rescue her from the ship and the situation. To save her from what lay ahead. Mikhail had said he’d take care of her later. He didn’t want to think about what he might do to her, especially since Buck would by that time probably be incapacitated and unable to help her. He hated surrendering, even for a minute, but one of the things he’d learned from his teammates—especially Chill—was patience. It was the reason for his nickname, after all. The man was always cool as the proverbial cucumber, no matter what. So Buck took a deep breath and tried to calm his heartbeat. He attempted to channel his inner Chill. As long as he kept his eyes and ears open, he’d find the right time to escape again—no matter his physical condition—and this time he’d do it right. And if Mikhail hurt Mindy, the guy would pay for it, dearly.
In the meantime, Buck needed to steel himself for the beat-down he was about to take.
Melinda squirmed in the chair she’d been tied to. On the way downstairs Nikolai had radioed Ivan to meet them. Once there, Ivan had zip-tied her wrists and ankles to a chair while the other guys bound Buck to the same pole he’d been cuffed to earlier. This time, though, they kept him standing and tied his arms behind him around the pole. It had to be painful the way it stretched his shoulders, but his expression remained flat.
Melinda’s stomach churned like a paddlewheel. She had to swallow hard to keep the bile down. Logically, she knew their intention was to scare her into submission by beating Buck. They knew it would be devastating for her to watch, and they guessed correctly how she felt about him and that it would hurt more because of that. She hated playing into their game, but she couldn’t help herself.
She caught Buck’s eye and he gave her a stern glare. The gaze seemed to say “Toughen up. Don’t give them what they want.” He was a SEAL. He had to be trained to withstand this kind of thing, and maybe already had, for all she knew. He seemed like such a sweet, easygoing guy on the outside—which she loved about him—but he also had an elite military core. His strong blue gaze bored into her, calming her and imparting confidence. He didn’t look afraid. He looked strong and determined. If he could be, so could she.
So she sat up straight in her chair and gave Buck a little nod, so he’d know.
He nodded back and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, they sparkled with defiance and it took Melinda’s breath away. She found herself more attracted to him than ever. He looked like a god standing tall and resistant despite being strapped to a pole and surrounded by men determined to break him. He might suffer, but he’d win. She had no doubt, and it gave her confidence.
“Let’s get this party started,” Buck said, grinning at Nikolai to goad him on.
It worked. Buck was right when he called them cliché. If they planned for hurting Buck to get to her, they completely missed the irony of how easily they could be provoked.
Nikolai wouldn’t kill Buck. At least she hoped not. They’d made it clear she wasn’t critical to their operation, but she sensed she was important. That they’d rather have her than not. So although they wanted to scare her, they had to know if they killed Buck she wouldn’t cooperate.
“Yes, let’s,” Nikolai said. He stepped up to Buck and they stared each other down for a ridiculous testosterone-filled, intensely competitive moment. Each eyeballed the other and sized him up, communicating how determined he was to win.
Nikolai sneered and backed away, gesturing to the rest of the Russians who had filtered in as word spread. Melinda had no idea who was actually operating the ship, since it seemed like the whole crew now circled her and Buck.
“Gentlemen?” Nikolai said. “Who would like to go first?”
A roar went up from the watchers, and one of Ivan’s men stepped forward. He made a show of cracking his knuckles and grinning for the crowd, which got him a lot of cheers. The atmosphere in the room was electric. Melinda’s gut squeezed as she waited for the violence to begin.
Nikolai had made his way over to her and laid a hand on her shoulder, a not so subtle reminder that though Buck would take the physical beating, she’d take a psychological one.
The first man turned to face Buck, only to find Buck waggling his brows at him, egging him on and stealing some of his thunder. How he could manage that kind of defiance when faced with a roomful of men eager to crush him, was beyond Melinda.
Pride as much as fear for his safety choked her as the first man threw his first punch. Buck’s head swung to the side under the impact, but he straightened and jiggled his jaw, and said, “That all you got, junior?”
The energy in the room shifted after that from high-spirited and jovial to determined to crush Buck’s spirit.
The first man hit Buck a few more times, working up a sweat, but Buck held up to it without complaint.
“Looks like you’re done, junior. I’m warmed up now. Better send in the next guy,” Buck said. His accent had thickened noticeably the more they beat on him.
The first guy shook his hands as if his knuckles hurt, then turned his back on Buck. He said something in Russian and the crowd laughed, then another guy stepped up.
“Many of these men do not speak English,” Nikolai said, leaning down to speak into Melinda’s ear to be heard over the enthusiastic group. “This man said, ‘who’s next? I’ve warmed him up for you.’”
Buck’s face had started to swell, and blood oozed from his nose and lips, but his eyes still glittered with contempt. Melinda didn’t want to see that die in him, but she didn’t see how he’d survive all the men who clearly wanted a turn to hit him.
A second guy stepped up, rolling up his sleeves. He cracked his neck, wh
ich made Buck roll his eyes and fake a huge yawn.
The second guy didn’t take the ribbing well. His face screwed up into an ugly sneer and he hauled off and punched Buck in the face, snapping his head to the side. Buck didn’t laugh after that one, and Melinda squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head.
Nausea roiled in her guts at the same time tears stung her eyes. How could Buck survive this? And if he did, would he be the same afterwards? Surely he’d suffer some kind of brain damage. No matter what happened—whether they ended up in Russia or if they escaped and went back home—Melinda vowed she’d care for him as long as it took to see him back to normal. He’d done everything he could to see to her safety, including taking this beating. She’d do everything she could for him, in return.
“Looks like your boyfriend isn’t as tough as he thought,” Nikolai said.
She turned and glared at him. “It’s easy to beat a man who’s tied to a pole and can’t defend himself. None of your men would be that tough if they had to face him man to man. Neither are you, for that matter.”
“Maybe. But I’ll bet you aren’t willing to put him through this more than once. No woman in love would do that to her man. Am I right?”
Melinda turned her attention back to Buck. Was she in love? No decent human being, in love or not, would willingly allow another to suffer like this if they had the power to stop it. Nikolai was right about that. But he was also right that she cared about Buck beyond just being a decent human being. His cocky charm, his determination to protect her, his sweet, gentle kindness, and something vulnerable he hid deep inside, all of it had captured her heart. She may have only known him a short time, but they belonged to one another now.
She lost track of time as one after another men stepped out of the crowd to take turns beating on Buck. But that time would be imprinted on her memory as the single worst moment of her life. She’d never witnessed anything so horrifying, yet Buck displayed the kind of courage she didn’t believe possible outside of Hollywood movies.
Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Bang for the Buck (Kindle Worlds Novella) (SWAK Series Book 1) Page 8
