All The Way

by Tricia Jones

  Nikolai stood, slowly, his hand going to his right trouser pocket. He smiled at Leah, stretched out his left hand as if to offer her support as she got off the bed, then pushed her back across the bed at the same time as he pulled the gun and spun around to face Pavel.

  The gun Pavel was holding flew across the room, knocking the wall, as Nikolai pushed Pavel against the nearest wall and put the gun to his temple. “You move and I’ll blow your head off, you bastard.”

  Pavel sniveled. “You won’t get away with this. My men—”

  “Are being surrounded by my men,” Niko countered. “Or will be as soon as I put you out of action. Leah!”

  Nikolai heard a scramble across the bed. “Bring me that rope. The gag too.”

  He heard another scramble and seconds later she was beside him.

  “Get down on the floor,” he ordered Pavel. “Put your hands behind your back.”

  Nikolai hunched over Pavel, keeping the gun to the man’s head as he looped the rope around his hands and secured it. “Get me the sheet,” he told Leah, who immediately pulled it from the bed. He put down the gun as he secured Pavel’s feet, then tied the gag around his mouth. He picked up the gun, stood and shoved it into his pocket.

  With Pavel suitably secured, he turned to Leah who stood at his side, looking as if she would have gotten in his pocket if it were possible. He smiled and received a shaky smile back.

  “Are you okay, milenkaya?” He reached out, laid his hands either side of her head and looked into her eyes. “Are you hurt?”

  “S-scared. I was so s-scared.” She flung her arms around him again. “He was going to—”

  “Shh.” Knowing he had to get her out of there before he could let her relax, Nikolai drew her away from him but kept his hands firmly on her arms. “Now I want you to listen to me. I need you to do exactly as I say, no arguments.”

  He wanted to smile at her emphatic nod. Christ. She looked like a baby. He’d remind her of this moment when they were safe and she was back giving him lip.

  Drawing strands of damp hair back from her forehead, he tucked them firmly behind her ear. “We’re going to walk downstairs and out into the street. I want you to look as if we’re out for a casual stroll, like we’re tourists doing some sightseeing, okay?”

  She nodded. “We’re going to walk toward a car parked up on the right of the quay. Grace is waiting for you.”

  She squeezed her eyes shut and tears sprang again. He gave her a little shake, needing her to focus on what he was saying. “Do you understand what I’ve said?”

  Again, she nodded, but he kept hold of her until he was certain she had understood. Then he led her along the corridor, down the stairs into the narrow hall and toward the side entrance he’d spotted on his way in.

  When they were in the street, he pulled out his phone.

  ****

  Grace’s eyes itched and blurred as she continued to stare at the entrance to the bar. Vadim had yet to re-emerge from the shadows and the nausea that had been a constant companion showed no signs of diminishing as the minutes ticked by and nothing happened.

  She had to shake her head to clear it when a car pulled up in the side street and four men got out, each one more brutish looking than the next. Their demeanor as they walked toward the bar gave the impression they were not exactly out for a pleasant evening’s entertainment.

  The man who followed at the rear of the group looked around the street as they moved toward the entrance. He reached back, pushing away his jacket.

  Steel flashed and Grace went cold as she glimpsed the gun tucked into his waistband. Forgetting Vadim’s instructions to stay low, Grace bolted upright at the sickening realization they were likely Pavel’s contacts. Her hand went to the handle of the door before she even thought about it, her heart in her throat as she watched the men disappear into the bar. Frantic, she searched the shadows for Vadim, but the whole area was eerily empty.

  She could barely feel her legs as she hurried across to the bar and peered through the nearest window. She saw three of the men make for a table by the entrance while the man with the gun went to a door to the left.

  Grace tried to steady her breathing, but her heart pumped so wildly she could barely get control. Briefly, she closed her eyes. What chance did Niko have of getting Leah away and both of them to safety with four thugs backing up Pavel?

  She had to think. She had to act.

  Opening her eyes, she took a steadying breath and turned toward the entrance door. A few heads turned her way as she stepped inside, but she ignored them and headed for the bar. As casually as she could manage, she ordered a drink then asked the barman for the cloakroom. She already knew it was off to the left where the man with the gun had disappeared, but it was vital she appear like a tourist or as if she were meeting someone for a drink.

  Grace felt the unwanted attention of some of the bar’s patrons as she walked toward the hallway. Beyond the cloakrooms, a narrow staircase meandered up in a spiral to the floor above.

  Glancing back to check she was alone, Grace started toward the staircase. Halfway up she stopped. What the hell was she doing? She had no plan. Nothing to defend herself with should she need it. What if Niko and Leah were in real danger, how was she to help them with no leverage, no weapon?

  In the ladies room, Grace searched for something, anything, she could use as a weapon. The only possibility was an old chipped vase on the window sill of a cubicle. She unrolled some toilet tissue, wrapped it around the glass and smashed it again the cistern. The vase shattered into pieces.

  Choosing a lethally jagged piece, Grace wadded toilet tissue around it, wincing as the glass cut into her hand.

  She took a moment to lean back against the cubicle door, closing her eyes as her heart beat a mile a minute. How had it come to this? Where had she gone wrong? When was the moment she’d let her sister down so badly?

  No time to think now, Grace decided as she opened her eyes, straightened up and went out into the gloomy hallway. She took a covert glance through the door into the bar and saw the three men still at their table. Her stomach gave a nauseous roll. They looked so bloody formidable.

  Shutting out the fear, Grace started up the stairs again. The board gave an ominous creak as she crept up through the murky light, but the broken glass was a reassuring weight in her hand. She wouldn’t allow herself to consider that she might have to use it.

  At the top of the stairs, she listened. Nothing. Only the steady rumble of music and voices from the bar below.

  Grace sucked in a breath, her heart still beating like a mad thing. With her back to the wall, she crept along the landing, constantly checking that nobody lurked in the shadows or crept up behind her. Her hand shook as she reached for the handle of the first door. She drew the glass up in front of her chest, then slowly turned the handle.

  The room was empty except for a bed in the corner, its covers rumpled and in disarray. The sheet had been pulled off and a chair in the opposite corner was overturned. A wardrobe door was open.

  Her blood ran cold. All the signs were that someone had been held here against their will. Was it Leah? Had she struggled and fought to get free?

  Fresh agony pushed into her heart, but Grace knew she had to put it aside. There were other rooms along the landing, she had to check them out.

  She went cold as she peered into the next room. A young woman sat on the bed, her hands and feet bound, her mouth gagged. She stared at Grace with wild, terrified eyes.

  The girl scuttled back against the wall and curled in on herself, her eyes not leaving Grace. After checking behind the door, Grace glanced around the room. Satisfied they were alone, she hurried across the room. She put down the makeshift weapon, then loosened the gag.

  “Please,” the girl begged in broken English as Grace worked. “Let me go. Please.”

  Grace worked the knot that bound the girl’s hands. Hell. She couldn’t have been more than Leah’s age, possibly younger. What sort of monsters treat
ed people like this?

  “Shh.” Grace drew a finger to her lips, tasting blood where the glass had cut her hand. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

  Any fears Grace had, were lost beneath a layer of fury as she continued to unfasten the ties. “We’re going to get out of here,” she whispered. “Have you seen another girl? English. She has short hair, dark eyes. Very pretty.”

  “I…” The girl’s voice cracked as she started to shake. “I don’t know.”

  “It’s okay. What’s your name?”

  “D-Danielle.”

  “Okay, Danielle. I want you to stay here for a minute while I check the other doors and then we’re getting out of here. Okay?”

  The girl nodded, her terrified gaze not quite landing anywhere. Grace took her by the shoulders. “Danielle. Look at me.” When the girl complied, Grace gave her a shaky smile. “Stay here. I’ll be back in a few seconds.”

  When she received a nod, Grace picked up the glass and left the room. She tried the other rooms. Two were empty, but in the last room she found another girl in the same state as Danielle.

  Grace whispered the same reassurances as she untied the girl—Krista—took her hand and quietly led her out of the room. They collected Danielle and Grace had to forfeit her weapon as Danielle grabbed for her other hand. She stuffed it into the waistband of her skirt, gasping as the glass cut into her stomach, then hand-in-hand the three of them crept along the landing. Grace wasn’t sure who shook the most, but she knew the girls were relying on her, which meant she had to keep her head.

  Niko, she thought. Where are you? Where is Leah?

  Ice cold terror pushed into her soul and for the first time in her life she felt desperately alone. Even when she’d lost her parents, she hadn’t felt this wretched, probably because she’d never really had them anyway. But the thought of losing Leah, and, oh God, of losing Niko…

  Don’t think. For God’s sake, don’t think. Not yet.

  She squeezed both women’s hands as they reached the top of the stairs, when out of the shadows stepped the thug with the gun.

  He pointed it straight at Grace’s chest.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “What the hell do you mean, you left her here?”

  Niko hissed at Vadim, red hot fury melding with a terrifying fear. He stared at the empty back seat, as Leah clung to his side.

  “I told her to stay put.” Vadim shook his head. “I couldn’t let you walk into that bar alone, Niko. There were goons on your tail.”

  Niko eased Leah away, then turned her by the shoulders to face him. “You’re going to get in the car and stay with Vadim until I get back.”

  Her huge, shattered eyes looked up into his. “Grace? What if—”

  “I’m going to find her and I’m going to bring her back.” He couldn’t give in to the ice that threatened to freeze his blood, nor the weakness assailing his limbs. All he knew was that he had to get back into that bar. He had to find Grace. Please God, he had to find her.

  He swallowed, forcing his mind to settle and focus. Dammit, he should have taken care of Pavel when he’d had the chance. If the piece of garbage had managed to loosen his ties and somehow escape, he might have Grace.

  About to take off at a run, Nikolai felt the tug at his jacket. He swore viciously as he turned and gazed into Leah’s ashen and tear-soaked face.

  “Nikolai…”

  She looked so damn vulnerable he touched her cheek. “I’ll find her. Perhaps you should think about how you’re going to apologize to her for making her chase half way across Europe looking for you.”

  Unwilling to waste another moment, he bundled the girl into the back of the car, slammed the door then turned to Vadim. “Don’t leave her. Whatever the hell she says, pleads, you stay with her.”

  Vadim stepped forward, his eyes ragged with apology. “Niko, I—”

  “Stay with Leah.”

  As Vadim inclined his head, Nikolai took off, his chest tight as fear gripped his heart. When he reached the door of the bar, all hell had broken loose. Timo and Leo each had a man in a headlock, while three French special ops surrounded a group of men prostrate and handcuffed on the floor.

  Frantic, he searched the bar but saw no sign of Grace. He grabbed Timo’s arm. “Grace...have you seen her?”

  Frowning, Timo shook his head. “I thought she was in—”

  Nikolai didn’t wait to hear any more and raced for the stairs. He hurtled up them, his feet barely making contact with the treads. At the top of the stairs he heard voices and barreled into the room where he’d found Leah.

  His legs crumpled with relief when he saw Grace sitting on the bed between two other women, each of whom clung to her like a buoy adrift in perilous seas. Ignoring the man who knelt over Pavel with his knee in the small of Pavel’s back, Niko strode to Grace.

  She looked up and saw him, her breath catching on his name as she reached out her arms. He plucked her up as if she weighed nothing, closed his eyes as he wrapped his arms tight around her. Like a man starved of life-giving oxygen, he drew her in, and felt his world slip back to a place that only existed when she was in his arms.

  She clung to him, whispering his name over and over like a comforting mantra. They stayed that way, oblivious to what was going on around, until the man restraining Pavel cleared his throat. Reluctantly, Niko drew her back an inch and looked at her.

  He felt the room tilt, his head swim, even as his hand went to her lip, her temple. Blood. There was blood on her. “You’re hurt.”

  “I’m okay.” Her fingers lightly touched his lips. “That man said you had Leah and that you were both safe.”

  He nodded, not sure he could speak yet. There’d been blood on her. Memories flooded back before he could stop them. Sounds… Scents…

  “Niko? Are you okay?” Grace took his head between her hands. “You’ve gone really pale…Niko?”

  She was safe. She was alive. He had to grab hold of that and push the memories away. “I’m fine.” To cover the emotion that flared up inside him, he took her shoulders and drew her back. “Why the hell can’t you do one simple thing I tell you? Stay in the car, I said. What part of that didn’t you understand?”

  She ran her hand down his arm. “The part when I saw four thugs striding into the bar, one of whom had a gun.”

  “We all have guns.” The man who yanked a duly restrained Pavel to his feet grinned at them. “The lady didn’t realize we were the good guys.”

  Niko grabbed Grace’s hand, then turned to the man. “Did you get them all?”

  “Oui. But if anyone slipped through the net, likely the others will squeal quick enough.” He grabbed Pavel by the arm and led him to the door. “If they’re anything like this one, they don’t have the brains they were born with. Found him hiding in the wardrobe. Must have crawled like the insect he is.”

  With her hand still tight in Nikolai’s, Grace stepped forward and stood in front of Pavel. “And if I’d known he was there when I looked in the room, I’d have stepped on him. Squashed him like a piece of vermin.”

  “I’m going to get him out of here,” the man said dryly as Grace all but hissed in Pavel’s face. “Before I have to add another arrest to the sheet. Sounds like the ambulance is here,” he added as he shoved Pavel to the door. “Let’s get these women checked out.”

  ****

  Pushing her way out of the dream, Grace woke with a start. She turned from the chair beside Leah’s bed and stood over her sister. Before leaving the hospital, the doctor had given Leah a sedative and she was sleeping soundly.

  Grace kissed her lightly on the forehead, then drew up the duvet to cover her shoulders. God. She looked so vulnerable lying there and Grace wondered if her sister’s dreams were any less troublesome than her own had been.

  She glanced at the clock. A little after 7 a.m.

  She left the bedroom Gabrielle had prepared for Leah, and went to her own half expecting to find Niko crashed out. The bed looked as if it hadn’t been sle
pt in, so Grace went quietly downstairs.

  At the hospital, Niko had insisted Grace and Leah return to the house with Vadim, while he went with the police for a debrief. Vadim had been unable to hold out against a determined Grace and had finally confessed that Niko had been working with the authorities to get Leah out, but at the last minute had failed to wait for instructions from the special ops team and had dealt with Pavel himself.

  During a fitful night, Grace tried to figure out why Niko lied to her about not involving the police, but all she really wanted right now was for him to be back and safe. Plenty of time for questions later.

  She found him on the sofa in the living room, eyes closed, head back and nursing an empty glass. His shirt was unbuttoned at the neck and his jean-clad legs were stretched out and crossed at the ankles. Asleep, Grace realized, as she moved noiselessly across the carpet with the intention of covering him with a throw and disposing of the empty glass.

  But as she neared, his eyes drifted open. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to wake you.”

  Blinking, he raised his head. “How’s Leah?”

  “Still asleep.” Grace came to perch on the sofa next to him. “That sedative did the trick.”

  He nodded, frowned as he looked at her bandaged hand. “They gave you painkillers?”

  “Yes.” She waggled her fingers. “It’s fine. They said the stitches are the dissolvable type and I just have to make sure I keep the dressing dry.”

  He reached out and tugged the top from her waistband, his frown deepening when he saw the bandage at her waist. “And this?”

  “I was lucky. It wasn’t deep enough for stitches. They just cleaned it and gave me some salve.”

  He gave a slight nod, then turned his head away, his expression almost vacant as he closed his eyes. An eerie tension settled between them.

  “I didn’t hear you come in. What time did you get back?”

  He inhaled, stretched a little. “Sometime after five.”

  She took the glass from him. “Why don’t I fix you coffee and breakfast? Then you could go to bed for a while. You look exhausted.”