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This guy’s really into the culture, Mack thought.
Suddenly, they heard a noise to the left. Mack and Brenda swiveled towards the sound. There was nothing there except a doorway leading into another hallway. Mack and Brenda exchanged glances before Mack moved forward with Brenda bringing up the rear. They heard the noise again as they moved into the hallway. It was a knocking sound, coming from the door to the right. Mack tightened his grip on his gun and stared at Brenda. This was the moment. He gave her a count signal with his fingers. At the end of the countdown, both of them broke into the room, their guns at the ready, fingers coiled around the trigger.
To their astonishment, the room was empty. They’d just turned to stare at each other when they saw the tiny beams of red light. Then, they heard the coughing sound of a silenced shot, and it occurred to them that they’d been ambushed. But it was too late. Mack and Brenda surrendered to death even as sharp pain exploded on their necks.
Chapter Six
Dimitri looked down at his new toys. One of them was a young man. He’d even say they looked of the same age. His head was shaved clean and the tan was obviously false. The other was a pretty young woman. Dimitri licked his lips as he watched the woman’s breasts
heave as she breathed. He felt a thrill run through his body. He licked his fingers and used them to smooth his hair. The man and the woman sat side by side, unconscious, strapped to their chairs with ropes. Dimitri was extremely pleased to see them. These two had tried to hunt him down. It was fun turning the game against them. They were in the Play Room now. He intended to do with them as he deemed fit.
“Okay. I’m done inspecting the game. Let’s get done with this,” he ordered.
At the click of his fingers, Simon flung a bucket of icy water against the bodies.
Mack and Brenda gasped and coughed as the harsh blast jarred them to consciousness. Dimitri waited and watched like a patron saint. He loved this part: when the mind recognized that something was amiss and tried to ascertain what it was.
Brenda and Mack stared at their surroundings. It took their eyes a while to adjust to the dim lights, but the details of their location grew clearer by the moment.
They were in a fairly spacious room, with a shut door at the end and no windows. There was a table to their left with an array of instruments on it. What was most jarring about the room wasn’t the number of people in it, but the streaks of blood that adorned the walls like paint. Brenda could judge from the brightness in color that some of them were older than others. Mack spotted three or four bodies covered with tarps at the extreme right of the room.
“Welcome to the Play Room,” Dimitri said with a flourish, attracting the attention of his captives. Brenda and Mack stared at him, then began to strain against their bonds simultaneously. Dimitri fell into a bout of cheerful laughter.
Then he faced Simon and asked gleefully, “Don’t you just love it when they do that?”
The huge bodyguard smiled and grunted his agreement.
“Detective,” Dimitri called. “Why don’t you do the introductions?”
One of the people in the room stepped closer. Brenda raised her head up. A familiar smallish figure stood just out of reach.
“Boyce,” she growled.
Mack looked up as Brenda called out the detective and felt his rage shoot up.
“You,” he seethed. “You think you’re going to get away with this?”
The little detective watched them with an expression of indifference.
Dimitri laughed.
“I’m loving this,” he smiled.
Boyce cleared his throat.
“Detective Mack,” he began, “This is Dimitri Stankovich. Special Agent Brenda, Dimitri Stankovich.”
“Wow, a police detective and the FBI. I feel so honored,” Dimitri said in a flattery voice. “Well, you two are familiar with Detective Boyce. There’s one more person I’d like you to meet.”
Dimitri signaled Simon with a look. The huge man lumbered towards the exit and opened the door. Brenda gasped.
“Mrs. Cumming,” she called. “What are you doing here?”
The poor widow was shivering in fear. She cast her eyes around the room and seemed to shrink within herself.
“You leave her out of this,” she yelled at Dimitri. “She’s innocent. Haven’t you done enough? You’ve taken her son already.”
Dimitri smiled.
