“I’d like to help you.”
“Help me, how?”
“As you will soon find out when your research comes through, I head an opposition party against my country’s current president, Andrew Kopsas. He and Soukis are like brothers.”
“I see. And what do you propose to do to help me?”
“I know you will soon be landing at the airport in our capital city. I have a small but loyal team of well-trained men and women who can assist you.”
“I’m not interested in your politics, Ms. Villas. And unless I have no choice, I don’t plan on any bloodshed.”
“Believe me, Mr. McCall. I don’t want you involved in my politics either. And I do not want Dimitri Soukis killed. He is a blight on our beautiful country and belongs in prison. I am merely suggesting that my people assist you in saving the young man and woman Soukis has stolen from you.”
“And what do you get in return? If Pavli’s president is indeed friends with Soukis, won’t he intervene and try to prevent prosecution?”
“No. It will be made public what Soukis has been doing. The people will not allow the president to take sides. President Kopsas will turn on his friend without a second moment of thought.”
As she talked, Noah read the information Deidre had been able to provide. From what he could tell, Aletha Villas was telling the truth. And even though she had her own agenda, Noah would gladly accept her help to achieve his own.
“Very well, Ms. Villas. This is how you can help.”
***
Hera, Pavli
Dimitri Soukis’s mansion
She woke in the box. Naked.
It was pitch dark, but Riley had no problem recognizing her location. The instant she realized, all breath left her body. Harsh gasping sounds echoed in the small area, pounding her ears.
Can’t breathe. Can’t breathe.
No. No. No!
A harsh voice screamed inside her head. She would not succumb to the terror. She was no longer the helpless victim she’d once been. She was Riley Freaking Ingram. LCR Elite operative. She could kick ass. She was a defender of the weak and no longer weak herself.
The self-lecture did the job. Air returned to her lungs, and though she continued to tremble, she forced herself to take slow, deep breaths. Calm flooded her senses, and at last she was able to concentrate.
What did she remember? Dimitri had been on the plane after all. The instant she had walked onto the plane, she had been Tasered. And then—
Horror swamped her once more. Justin! Where was Justin? What had happened?
Think, Ingram, think!
She had woken once. She’d been tied to a seat, the drone of a jet engine beneath her feet. She had raised her head, barely conscious of her surroundings. But she remembered one important thing. Justin had been sitting across from her, hands and feet bound, his head bent forward, unconscious. But he had been alive. She remembered focusing on his chest moving as he breathed. Yes, he was still alive. But for how long?
She had to get out of here. Fists clenched, her entire body stiff with tension, she licked her dry lips.
Think, Ingram. Think!
There had been occasions that Dimitri hadn’t locked the box. It had been a ruse to trick her. She had made the mistake of trying to open it once and had found him standing above her, waiting for her to try to escape. Her punishment had been swift, and she had learned her lesson. She had never tried to open the box again.
Could he be doing the same thing this time? Was he waiting nearby, hoping she would open the box? She hoped so.
As she was curled up in a fetal position, Riley raised one hand and tried to force the box open. It was locked.
She swallowed a frustrated sob. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy.
From what she could remember, the lid of the box was about two inches thick. The lock he’d used back then had been an old-fashioned padlock. Could she break through? Maybe split the wood? She never had tried before, simply because she’d been too scared of what he would do to her. Her fear for Justin far outweighed any other horror she’d ever felt. If anything happened to him…
Pushing that gut-wrenching thought away, Riley maneuvered herself onto her back. Her legs were bent, her knees touching her breasts. Raising her hands and knees, she shoved hard against the lid. No give at all. She shoved harder. Nothing.
Refusing to let up, she shoved again and again. Over and over. The heat was unbearable, and for the first time she thought she might be grateful to be nude. If she had been wearing clothes, she was sure she would suffocate. She drew in a deep breath, gathering strength, and shoved again. Was that the sound of wood splintering? She shoved again and again. She had to get out of here and find Justin. She had to!
***
His head pounding, Justin woke with a splitting headache and smelling the stench of his own vomit. His eyes were bleary. He blinked to clear them and groaned. Hell, even his eyelids hurt.
Where was he? What the hell had happened? He remembered a plane, someone screaming. And then…
Riley!
Reality crashed down upon him as he tried to sit up. Three things hit him instantly. There was no need to sit up, because he was hanging from the ceiling, his wrists locked in leather cuffs. The equipment on the wall indicated he was inside some sort of torture chamber. And he was naked.
Well, shit.
He told himself he’d been in tighter spots, but he wasn’t sure that was helpful. Worry for Riley overwhelmed everything else. What had that bastard done to her? Fury engulfed him, overwhelming the agony in his head. They’d made a crucial mistake. Their trap had backfired on them, and instead of capturing the asshole, they’d walked into his lair.
He searched the room for an escape route. From what he could see, there was only one way out, and that was the door across the room. Now for the biggest problem—getting out of the cuffs. At least his feet were firmly on the floor. That made things a little easier.
He pulled down hard. There was little give, but since there was no other option he could see, he didn’t let that stop him. He jerked repeatedly. At some point, the ceiling would give way. Patience wasn’t easy when all he wanted to do was rip the ceiling down and go find Riley. Since that wasn’t going to happen quickly, he put everything he had into his efforts.
The door flew open, and he glanced over. A man came into the room, and though Justin wasn’t a big believer in supernatural demons walking the earth, he could swear the room dropped ten degrees as the man came closer.
He got his first up-close look at Dimitri. This was the man who had purchased Riley, raped and beaten her, treated her like garbage. He looked as common as a housefly. Standing maybe five-ten, Dimitri had a wealth of curly black-and-silver hair. Thick, shaggy brows hovered like giant black caterpillars over eerie coal-black eyes. He probably weighed one-seventy soaking wet, and much of that weight looked as though it had settled into his middle. Justin figured the man to be in his early-sixties.
All in all, he was a disgusting piece of human excrement.
“Who are you?”
Apparently, Dimitri wasn’t one to waste time on idle chitchat.
Justin remained silent. The ice-cold look of a killer gleamed in Dimitri’s eyes. This was a man who preyed on the weak and helpless. He not only lacked the slightest amount of human decency but also courage.
“What were you doing with my Jessica? Are you her friend? Her protector?” His voice went shrill. “Have you touched my Jessica? Put your hands on my beautiful girl?”
Silence.
“Answer me, you cretin! Who are you?”
Justin maintained his blank expression.
The longer Dimitri waited without getting a response the more incensed he became. How dare this imbecile, this filthy interloper, act so arrogant, so unafraid? Did he not know who he was?
Perhaps that was it. He didn’t realize the power and influence of Dimitri Soukis. After all, Jessica didn’t know that much about him. She didn’t know that
he had enough wealth to buy anything and everything, including governments.
Yes, this man had no idea who he was dealing with. He would enlighten him, then he would be suitably impressed and frightened.
“Do you know who I am?” He swaggered toward the giant, feeling quite safe. The man was naked as the day he was born and hanging from the rafters. All that muscle and sinew was worthless now. He was at the mercy of Dimitri Soukis. Before he had the man killed, he would have him begging for his life.
The thought made him smile.
Like a powerful gymnast, Justin grabbed hold of the chains securing him and pulled himself up. Raising his legs, he kicked out with all his might. Dimitri’s eyes barely showed shocked comprehension before he went flying across the room, landing in a heap in the corner.
A small smile cracked Justin’s face. Now that had been fun.
Chapter Thirty-one
Sweat covered her entire body, and Riley knew that if she didn’t break out of the box soon, she would pass out. She had pushed, shoved, and hit the lid so many times, her hands and knees were ripped to pieces, drenched with blood. A sob built in her chest and tried to break free. The feeling pissed her off. She was not going to cry like a weakling, like some kind of sniveling coward. She was going to get out of this freaking box and go rescue her partner!
With one final shove, giving it her last ounce of adrenaline, she splintered the box apart. Riley drew a giant gulp of fresh air into her starved lungs. Gasping, she crawled out of the box and landed on her hands and knees. Standing wasn’t quite as simple. Thousands of tiny needles held her limbs hostage, and she had no choice but to allow her circulation to return. The instant she felt her legs would hold her, she stood. The pain was still there, but as long as she could run and fight, she was good to go.
She didn’t bother to look around the room for weapons. This was her former bedroom and would hold nothing that could help. She raced to the door, opened it, and peeked out. The hallway was empty. Dimitri had not lost his arrogance. He’d never expected that she would dare try to escape the box.
She crept down the hallway. The mansion was huge, and though she had only been allowed inside a few rooms, she had no real problem determining where she should look first. The torture chamber was on the first floor, at the back of the mansion. She had been there numerous times.
Knowing Dimitri as she did, he would need to feel in control. There was nowhere that he felt more superior than in the place where he considered himself master of everything and everyone.
She stopped at the landing and looked down at the giant marble foyer. A guard stood at the bottom, facing the stairway. He would see her the moment she started down the stairs. She needed a diversion.
Turning, she quickly took in her options. Up and down the long, carpeted landing were paintings that were probably supposed to be erotic art but looked violent and evil to her. Looking farther, she spotted a long, narrow table holding a sculpture, the perfect size for what she needed. Creeping down the landing, she lifted the statue. It was heavier than it looked but would do the job.
Returning to the top of the stairway, Riley hefted the statue over her head and threw with all her might. The sculpture landed with a crash behind the guard. The man rushed over to it, and Riley zoomed down the stairway. She made it to the bottom without detection. The guard was now looking up at the stairway, apparently trying to figure out how the statue had fallen. When she was inches away from him, he turned around. His eyes and mouth opened in shock. A naked, bloody woman was one thing he was not expecting to see.
He never knew what hit him. With swift precision, she delivered multiple punches to his face. He managed one swipe at her head, which she was able to duck. She then finished off with a one-two kick, first to his stomach and then his groin. His eyes rolled back in his head, and he collapsed at her feet.
She took precious moments to take off his heavy shirt and confiscate his weapons. Even though it was dangerous to leave him lying out in plain sight, she couldn’t spare the time to hide him.
Now to find Justin and get the hell out of here.
***
Dimitri crawled out of the corner, his ears ringing. What had happened? He shook his head to clear it and looked around. When he spotted the man hanging from the ceiling, he roared with fury. He dared to attack him? The stranger would pay dearly!
Stomping to a long, narrow cabinet hanging from the wall, he swung the doors open and viewed his selection. He had started collecting swords a few years ago. He’d wanted to learn how to fence, but taking on an opponent who had the same weapon and possibly better skills than his own wasn’t something he enjoyed. He preferred having an advantage in everything. He did, however, love the weapons themselves.
Withdrawing one of his favorites from its sheath, he swung the sword in an intricate, artistic pattern he’d seen in a movie once. Mocking male laughter from the other side of the room stopped him in the middle of his swing. Stumbling, he glared, stupefied, at the man who dared laugh at him. He was hanging from the ceiling without a stitch of clothing, and he dared laugh?
Dimitri stalked over to the insolent man, raised his sword, and slashed a long, bloody slice across the man’s broad chest. Instead of screaming, the man never changed his expression. There was still amusement in his eyes. And something else. Something that made Dimitri shiver.
His unease increasing, Dimitri swiped the blade down the man’s shoulder and then across his belly. Bloody lines appeared and oozed in streams down his body, dripping to the floor. And still the man continued to stare, his expression unchanged.
“Who are you?” Dimitri bellowed.
Amusement flashed on the man’s face. “Your man Ari told me it’s good to know the name of the man who’s going to kill you. My name is Justin Kelly, and I’m going to rip your dick off and make you eat it. Then I’ll use your sword to disembowel you. And if you happen to still be breathing after all that, I might be generous and tear your head from your body.”
Dimitri almost stumbled back but caught himself in time. Showing any kind of weakness would be an abomination. He was Dimitri Soukis. He had people like this giant maggot killed all the time.
“You’re very arrogant for a man hanging from the ceiling with no weapons but your mouth.”
The man said nothing more. Just continued to look at him, almost as if he were bored.
“Not that a weapon would be helpful. You can’t even shoot straight. You shot at me and injured one of my men instead. Perhaps I should use your weapon against you. Shoot you straight through your heart.”
The taunt had no effect whatsoever. The man, Justin Kelly, never blinked. It was infuriating!
With a loud curse, Dimitri lifted the sword. One hard swipe, and the insolent bastard’s head would be rolling on the floor.
“Dimitri!”
He was so surprised, he almost dropped his sword. Turning, he gawked at the vision in front of him. His Jessica, his beautiful girl, was standing before him with an M16 she’d obviously stolen from one of his men. The rifle was almost as large as she was, but she held it with a confidence he found stupefying. She was also wearing a thick, long-sleeved, olive green shirt, the kind his men wore.
Had one of the guards given in to her charms? That was the only explanation he could come up with. One of his men had betrayed him by letting the girl out and, adding insult to injury, had provided her with the shirt from his back and a weapon.
“Jessica, what are you doing? Put the gun down before you hurt someone.”
“Drop the sword, Dimitri.”
He waved the sword at her for extra emphasis and said in an imperious tone, “You do not call me Dimitri. Do you understand? You know the punishment for such familiarity and rudeness. Put that gun down, take off that ridiculous shirt, and get on your knees. You will beg for forgiveness. Then you will service me to show your remorse.”
The man hanging beside him gave a roar of protest and jerked on his chains. Dimitri smiled. That was more
like it.
“It’s your turn to get on your knees, asshole,” Jessica snarled. “You have three seconds to drop your sword before I put a bullet in your brain.”
Dimitri shook his head, bewildered. It was like he was in some kind of parallel universe where everything was the opposite of normal. This was surely a nightmare that he would wake from soon. His Jessica, his pretty, little slave, who hadn’t an ounce of gumption or bravery in her body, was ordering him about. She was like some kind of parody of a macho woman. It was unattractive and disgustingly unfeminine.
His eyes narrowed as he noticed something else. Her gaze kept skittering over to the man hanging from the ceiling. The anxious look she was giving him told Dimitri that this man meant something to her. The very idea that she had given her affections to someone besides him steeled his resolve.
Dimitri nodded. “Very well. If you insist. I’ll lower my weapon if you lower yours.”
“Think again, shithead,” Jessica snarled. “I’ll put sixteen holes in your body before you can take another breath. Now drop the damn sword!”
She would pay for every single insult she had uttered today. This he swore. Taking a bold chance, Dimitri moved in front of the hanging man. If she shot him, the bullets were powerful enough to go through him and into the man behind him. Feeling quite smug, Dimitri swung the sword up, bringing the blade against the man’s thick neck, right over his artery. And then he smiled.
“You twisted piece of garbage, I will kill you,” Jessica growled.
“Perhaps, but if you shoot me, you’ll kill him, too. Now drop the gun and do as you’re told.” He gave a jerk of his head. She would recognize the gesture. It was a command to go to her knees in supplication.
When she hesitated, he pressed the sword deeper into the man’s neck. “Do it now, or he bleeds out in seconds.”
Justin saw the indecision in Riley’s eyes. She was considering doing what the asshole ordered. “No, Ingram. Don’t do it.”
Dimitri jerked at Justin’s words, and the sword cut into his skin. Any deeper, and the dirtbag would get his wish to see him bleed to death. But damned if he’d let Riley subjugate herself to this monster to save him.
RunningScaredBN Page 24
