by Stella Night
“You’ve got that right,” Garrett said, returning the death stare. “Let’s just get them inside.”
The men marched Sadie and Dimitri inside the warehouse and shoved them into what looked like a closet. A couple of chairs were brought in, and they bound the two captives to the chairs, facing away from each other.
Garrett leaned in to Dimitri, so close only he and Sadie could hear. “Just sit tight. I’ll do my best to get you out of this. But if you try anything, I can’t ensure your safety.”
“Like I’m going to trust you now,” Dimitri said.
“You don’t have to trust me,” Garrett said. “You just have to listen to me. Now behave. I’ll be back.”
Then the men were gone, shutting the door behind them. Leaving Dimitri and Sadie alone, trapped, and waiting for someone else to decide their fate.
***
Dimitri strained against his bonds. The ropes dug into his wrists. They wouldn’t budge. These people knew what they were doing.
He called over his shoulder. “I’m cinched up tight. Any luck on your end?”
“No. Can you shift? Won’t the ropes fall away?”
“No, not when I’m tied up like this. I won’t be able to shift at all.”
“Well then, I guess we’re screwed,” she said, laughing bitterly. “Some heroes we are.”
The sadness in her voice broke Dimitri’s heart. “Sadie, I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“What do you mean for what? For this. For all of this. I should have never showed up on your doorstep. I should have never dragged you into all of this.”
“If you didn’t, you’d be dead right now.”
He sighed. “Maybe that would have been for the best. From the looks of it, I’m going to die anyway. There was no reason to get you killed in the process.”
Sadie’s chair legs scraped against the concrete floor. Dimitri strained to look over his shoulder to see her turning her chair, jerking her body upwards to hop around. He followed suit, wanting to see her face. He didn’t know how much time they had left. He wanted to spend as much of it as possible looking at her.
When they were face to face, Sadie’s eyes met his. “I’m happy you showed up in my life. Despite all of this, I’m very glad to have met you.”
“Even though it’s gonna get you killed?” he asked.
“Don’t give yourself so much credit. I’m a big girl. I made my choice to help you. I knew what I was getting into.”
“Did you?You thought you were helping a sick man, not getting into a fight with a drug ring. Not putting your life at risk.”
She shrugged as best as she could, considering she was tied up. “Well, that was a bit of a surprise. But even if I had known, I would have helped you.”
“I know. You have a good heart.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “Like you’re any different? That’s how all this started. You were trying to help a friend in trouble.”
Dimitri snorted. “Yeah, and look how well that turned out.”
“Still, it doesn’t change the fact that you were trying to do something good. How could you have known he’d been poisoned, too?”
He shook his head. “He still could have taken our help. He could have come with us. Instead of betraying me.”
“Don’t be so hard on him. He doesn’t think he has a choice. He needs the antidote. Just like you do.”
“Even after what he did, you still see the good in him? You’re a better person than I am.”
Sadie nodded. “He’s still trying to help us. Don’t you get it? That’s why he pulled the gun on you. To keep his cover up. He’ll have a much better chance of helping us from the inside. Not locked up in here like us.”
Dimitri considered it. “You might be right. I guess he already saved our lives once. Which gives us a chance.”
“Exactly. We still have a chance. So I don’t want to hear any more talk of dying or giving up from you.”
The look in her eyes struck a chord in his heart. She looked so determined. So sure they could still get out of this. It gave him the one thing his life had been missing for so long. It gave him hope.
“I love your spirit,” Dimitri said. “But I can’t see a way out of this.”
“Well, not yet. We’re going to have to improvise. Roll with the punches.”
Dimitri laughed and shook his head. “That’s not exactly a plan.”
“I guess not.”
“If I can get you out of this, I will. Believe me.”
Sadie shook her head, almost angry. “Not just me. Us. We both have to get out of this. Not just me.”
“I’d like that very much,” Dimitri said. “But that may not be possible.”
Sadie sat up in her seat. “You better not be thinking about making some kind of heroic sacrifice for me. I won’t allow it.”
“If it means saving you, I’ll happily trade my life for yours.”
She groaned with frustration. Dimitri imagined she would be right up in his face if she wasn’t tied down.
“Don’t you dare,” she said. “You think dying for me is noble?”
He shrugged as best as he could, somewhat taken aback by the anger in her voice. “Yeah, I do.”
“Well, it’s not. It’s selfish.”
“How is that selfish? Giving up your life for someone else is the most selfless thing a person can do.”
“It’s selfish because you’re not thinking about me and how I’ll feel if I live and you die. You’re forcing a lifetime of guilt on me. Making me feel like I’m the reason you’re dead. It’s almost like I killed you myself. That’s bullshit.”
He frowned, mulling it over. “I never thought about it like that. But what are you saying? You’d rather die than let me save you?”
“There’s only one good ending to this. We both get out, together. And we both get to live our lives together. I don’t want to live with just the memory of you. I want to live with you. To have you hold me in your arms. To wake up next to you.”
“Wait, is that what you really want?” She’d never opened up to him like this. He knew they’d been getting closer. And certainly, he wanted all those things she was talking about, too. But he didn’t know she wanted them. He didn’t know her feelings mirrored his own.
She looked down for a second, almost shyly. Then she turned her gaze to his, locking her eyes with his. “It is. If you want that, too, I mean.”
“I do. Of course, I want that. You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. Ever since you locked me in a cage, I started falling in love with you.”
She grinned. “That’s good. Cause I’m falling in love with you, too. And that’s why I’m not about to let you ruin things by getting yourself killed. We’re going to make it through this together. We have to.”
Dimitri exhaled heavily. Her words filled his chest with a warm, glowing feeling. To know that she wanted to be with him was like feeling the warm sunshine on a cold day. It pushed him to want to live.
But that was easier said than done. “Sadie—”
His words were cut off by the sound of locks being turned on the door. Someone was coming.
***
Sadie’s insides clenched at the sound. She’d meant every word she’d said to Dimitri. She believed they could get out of this. Destiny had brought him into her life, and it would be the ultimate cruelty to have him snatched away from her so soon.
But that didn’t mean she wasn’t afraid.
The door opened, spilling bright white light into the dim closet. Two men stood in the doorway, outlined in silhouette.
“Here they are, boss.” She recognized the voice as Garrett’s.
“So this is the guy who’s been causing all this trouble? How the hell is he still alive?” The boss’s voice was vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it. There was something slick and slimy about it. Something that sent shivers up her spine.
“No idea, boss.” She hated the subservient sound of Garrett’s
voice. Even though she’d defended him earlier, it still pissed her off that he was the reason they were trapped in here, facing an uncertain fate. If he’d just come with them when they’d asked, they could have figured out something else. Some other way to get the antidote.
The boss man stepped into the closet. Dim light from the bare bulb lit his face.
“Patton?” Sadie asked, shocked. “Patton Conrad?”
Chapter 14
Conrad looked at her more closely. Recognition lit in his eyes. “Ms. Fisher? Now this is unexpected. I was looking forward to seeing you again, but I didn’t expect it to be under such unseemly circumstances.”
“You know this guy?” Dimitri asked, looking from Sadie to Conrad.
“We’ve met,” Sadie said.
“Oh, come now, Ms. Fisher. We may not be old friends, but I’d like to think we’re more than just acquaintances.” Conrad ran a hand down her cheek.
She swung her head away. His touch made her feel dirty. Violated. Like she’d been swimming in raw sewage. “Get your hands off me. We’re not friends, we’re not acquaintances. We’re nothing.”
Conrad shrugged, seemingly unaffected by her disgust. “Considering your position, you are whatever I want you to be. But I’ll deal with you later. So I can take my time. Right now, I’m more interested in your friend here. Why aren’t you dead?”
Dimitri glared at him defiantly. “I guess I’m stronger than you thought.”
Conrad rolled his eyes. “Save the bravado. That poison should have killed you. I invented it myself.”
“I’m not telling you a goddamn thing,” Dimitri growled, straining against his bonds. “Unless you let me out of here. Then I’ll have plenty to say.”
Conrad shook his head. “Be careful what you wish for.” Conrad pulled a gun from inside his jacket and pointed it at Dimitri’s head. “Tell me how you survived the poison or I’ll kill you.” He said it in a bored tone, as if this was all incredibly tedious. As if he wasn’t threatening a man’s life.
“Alright,” Sadie interjected. “Don’t hurt him. I’ll tell you.”
She related the details of the herbs she used to treat the poison’s symptoms. Conrad listened to her, his expression interested and thoughtful. He would have looked almost funny if it wasn’t for the fact he was holding a gun to Dimitri’s head.
“Very clever, Sadie. I assume I can call you Sadie now?” She didn’t answer. “Very clever indeed. I could use someone like you working for me.”
“I’d rather die than work with you,” she spat.
He smiled, looking like a shark. “That is the choice I’m offering you, yes.”
“Why would you even want me to work for you?” she asked. “I don’t know anything about smuggling drugs.”
Conrad laughed. “Oh, that’s just one business I dabble in. I have my fingers in a lot of different pies. One of my projects has to do with shifters. Shifter biology is quite unique. Few people even know about the existence of shifters, much less how to treat them medically. Your expertise in that area could be most useful.”
“And how do you know so much about shifters?” Dimitri asked. “We keep our existence a secret.”
“You have your secrets. I have mine.” Conrad smiled enigmatically. “Let’s just say I see the value of having shifters under my employ. They’re stronger, faster, and I know how to force their undying loyalty.”
“The poison?” Dimitri asked.
“Yes, although I like to think of it as an incentive policy.”
“Incentive?” Dimitri asked.
“Indeed. Once they’re dependent on me for treatments, their survival is linked to my survival. It’s in their best interests to keep me alive.”
“How many shifters do you have working for you?” Dimitri asked.
“Only a handful, right now. Garrett’s the only one here. The others are working on other projects. But I’m looking to grow the ranks.”
“Good luck with that,” Dimitri said. “Sure, there’s some bad apples out there, but most of our kind aren’t interested in hurting people. They’re not criminals.”
Conrad nodded. “You’re not wrong about that. But see I’ve recently figured out a great source of recruits.”
“Oh yeah? Where?”
“You. Garrett. And shifters like you. How many shifters did you serve with in the military? Don’t answer. I already know. It’s a fair amount. And when they get back home, they tend to be lost. Adrift. In need of employment. Well, I can provide that for them.”
“You lure them in with false promises. Then you enslave them.” Dimitri strained against his bonds again, violence in his eyes.
“The way I see it, I’m providing a service for them. I give them a place in the world. A new family to replace their old one.”
“You’re a monster,” Dimitri said. “Preying on my brothers.”
“Either you’re a predator or you’re prey. I refuse to be prey.”
“So why do you want me to work for you?” Sadie asked. “Where do I come in? I’m not a shifter.”
“Well, the poison and the treatments are very difficult to make. But you’ve already figured it out on your own. I need someone with your skills while I build my shifter army.”
“Why would you ever think I’d agree to that? You think I’d help you force these people to work for you? You’re crazy.”
He shrugged. “Maybe. But sometimes crazy is just another word for ambitious. I have my sights set on bigger things. I want to build an empire. With enough shifters under my control, I’ll be unstoppable.”
“Sadie would never agree to help you,” Dimitri said. “She’s better than that.”
“I’m not just offering her a job,” Conrad said, turning to Dimitri. “I want you to come work for me, too. Garrett told me about you. You’ve got just the skills I’m looking for. Special ops. A natural leader. You could be the key to making this happen. Work for me, and I can make you a king.”
“And become like you? I don’t think so.”
“Better to rule in hell than to serve in heaven,” Conrad said. “Work with me. The both of you. You can get everything you’ve ever wanted. Sadie, you can keep your little sanctuary alive. Just by doing some work for me on the side. And you, Dimitri, you’re a soldier without a war to fight. I can give you a purpose again. I can give all your brothers a purpose again.”
“You’re pretty quick to offer us work, considering you’ve been trying to kill us,” Sadie said.
“Well, sure. At first I saw you two as a problem. But behind every problem is an opportunity. That’s the mark of a successful man. When my businesses started failing, I found new ways to make money. When my rivals threaten me, I take them down and take their business. And when two people like you become a thorn in my side, I want to turn that thorn into a weapon for my own personal use.”
“Okay,” Sadie said. “Let’s just assume for a second we would agree to this, which let’s be honest, is unlikely. How could you ever trust us? Why wouldn’t we just turn on you as soon as we got the chance?”
“I’m no fool. I know you two would be reluctant to work for me. But that’s why I’ve got my insurance.” He reached into an inner pocket in his coat and withdrew a small black case. He opened it and pulled out a syringe filled with green liquid.
“What the hell is that?” Sadie asked.
“This is the poison I injected into Dimitri here.”
“He’s already poisoned. You can’t poison him again.”
“Him? No. But I can poison you.”
“I thought it only worked on shifters,” Dimitri said.
“It’s more effective on shifters, but poison is poison. It will kill Sadie just as easily as it will kill you.”
“Don’t,” Dimitri cried out. “Please. I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll work for you. I’ll help you. Just don’t hurt her.”
“Dimitri, no,” Sadie said. “It’s not worth it.”
“Ahh, a lover’s quarrel. It doesn’t matter
. The thing is, Dimitri, I don’t believe you. But with this.” He held up the syringe. “I don’t have to believe you.”
“Stop!” Dimitri called out.
Conrad didn’t listen. He plunged the syringe into Sadie’s arm and injected her with the toxic green liquid.
An inferno raged through her body, screaming through her every nerve ending. Her world was fire. Her body seized up, wracked with convulsions. She could hear Dimitri shouting, as if from a great distance.
