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I’m trembling uncontrollably too terrified to move or think clearly. What’s happening down there? With three cars, how many men is Sebastian facing on his own? I’ve got to help him!
I set the gun down and fish in the backpack for a flashlight. I find it and switch it on to light up the space. I stick my arms through the sleeves of the shirt and pull on the jogging pants. The bag also contains wads of cash, a cell phone, false IDs for us, another gun, and some energy bars and water.
I hear muffled noises, the crashing of glass, and the bumping of furniture being knocked over.
“Oh, God, Bash,” I cry, clamping my hands over my mouth. I know Bash told me to stay inside here and wait for him. But he can’t face those odds alone! With Dmitri and his brother down, he’ll be overwhelmed. I’m not about to become a widow within 24 hours of becoming a bride!
I grab the gun out of the bag and stick in my pants pocket. I take the gun Bash gave and bring it to bear. I struggle with the door for a bit but manage to yank it open. I’m dripping with sweat as I shove the boxes aside.
I pause as I stand in the closet, mentally preparing myself to do what needs to be done. I could be killed, but I’d rather risk that than live with the thought that I did nothing while Sebastian was gunned down.
There’s the sound of more violent scuffling, raised voices speaking in a foreign tongue. I can’t tell if it’s Russian or another Slavic language. I ease out of the bedroom and get low to the ground, crawling on my belly out onto the landing where I can peer down into the living room. I immediately spot three bodies on the floor in pools of blood. Suddenly, two men come crashing into the floor, fists flying as they pound each other. It’s Sebastian and an assailant. He’s getting the better of him, slamming his fist repeatedly into the man’s face until it’s a bloody pulp. Just then something must catch Sebastian’s eye because he stops and turns to see another man approaching. He lunges off the assailant, grabs a gun, and fires twice dropping the intruder instantly. I’m astonished at how Sebastian managed to wreak this much devastation on his own, but I breathe a sigh of relief that the danger appears to be over. Only then does it occur to me that now might be a good time to slip back to my hiding place before Bash realizes that I left it.
I slowly crawl backward until I’m back in the bedroom. Halfway back inside the hidden hall, I hear more commotion and gunfire. I run back out to the landing, but there’s no one in sight except for the dead men on the floor.
Where is Bash?
The sound of car engines rumbling to life draws my attention. I run to the window in time to catch sight of Sebastian struggling valiantly as three burly men finally manage to shove him into the trunk of their car.
“No!” I scream in my helplessness and frustration. I attempt to note the license plate number, but it’s obscured by the angle of the car and the darkness. The driver hops back in the car, but the two others exchange words and then look up at the house. They’re coming back!
I fall back from the window and return to the closet. I close the door behind me and attempt to arrange the boxes so that it’s not obvious someone shoved them aside. I open the hideaway door, slip back inside, and shut the door firmly.
I hunch down, gun in hand pointed at the doorway. The second I see that nob turn, I plan to unload the bullets into them. Maybe it will be enough to stop them from driving off with Bash. My heart’s pounding like a jackhammer in my chest as sweat trickles down the side of my face.
I hear the creak of the bedroom door opening, hear the sound of boots clunking across the floor. My hands are shaking by the time they open the closet door. The sound of hangers being shoved aside, and the boxes being moved about have me nearly faint with fear. Perspiration rolls down into my eyes, stinging them, but I maintain my gaze steady on the door ready to blast the intruder clean into the next life.
Chapter 34 – Paging Dr. Mads
Itrytokeeptrack of time as I sit here somewhere halfway between death and life, in this dark and musty basement. Nothing but a naked lightbulb hangs overhead, offering meager light in my fetid dungeon. With no time to grab shoes, my bare feet are covered in grime from the filthy floor. There’s one folding chair and a card table across from me which is usually occupied by my tormentor – a guy they brought in from Albania who specializes in this sort of thing. My hands are bound behind my back, the ties cutting so deep into the wrists that I can’t even feel them anymore. The taste of blood fills my mouth. I can barely see out of eyes swollen shut and the broken nose isn’t helping matters.
But I’ll take this punishment and worse for the pleasure of knowing that Madison’s safe. Apparently, they’d been instructed to grab her too, but couldn’t figure out where she was hiding. Thank God she listened and remained hidden in the crawl space at the back of the closet.
They’ve yet to inform me as to why I’m here. They just keep wailing on me, working me over like I’m their favorite new punching bag. I recognized one or two of them that initially attacked me in the Hamptons. Unfortunately, I had to kill them to keep them from reaching Madison, otherwise, I would’ve worked them over until I got the truth out of them.
Who sent them? Whose authority were they under?
At one point when I told them they’d have to answer to the Russian wolf for putting their hands on me, they seemed to hesitate and took a brief conference before they returned to rain down a new hail of fists on me.
But the fact that they’d hesitated told me that they weren’t under the Wolf’s orders and that they were nervous about what they were doing. I find it hard to believe that the Albanians would be this bold and brash. Not in this region anyway, they’ve yet to establish a strong enough foothold.
No, the Albanians might be the attack dog, but someone else has got to be holding the leash. Maybe the Irish or the Italians? Surely, no one from our own camp would have the balls to go up against the Wolf. That was sheer suicide.
But it’s obviously someone who wants me out of the way but wants to pound on me first before delivering the coup-de-grace. So, it’s someone with a personal axe to grind, a very big axe. There’s only one person that could be that angry considering he’s already tried killing me once.
Gregor Orlov!
I broke my engagement with his daughter and set him up to take the fall for Sergei’s death. But he’s preoccupied with defending himself against murder and racketeering charges. The last thing he’d be caught up in is abducting me. Especially when he knows the Wolf has formally anointed me as the new family head. This little stunt would bring down the full wrath of the Wolf. Not because he’s sentimental toward me, but because of the flagrant disregard for his authority. I’ve known the Wolf to eviscerate men for far less.
Has Gregor lost his mind?
One thing’s clear, I’ve got to find a way out of this. I refuse to die in this shithole when I have Madison and a new baby on the way. We’ve got our whole lives ahead of us. It can’t end here, not like this!
I have to think.
Madison must be going out of her mind, frantic and worried. But she’s a smart woman, a very smart woman. She’ll see that I was taken away not killed, which means I’m likely still alive. She’ll try to figure out where I’ve been taken. She can’t do it on her own, she’ll call for help. Not the police…she’ll try Stieg, maybe even the Wolf. Most likely, she’ll start with Stieg. He’ll go there, investigate the scene and figure out that the Albanians were behind the attack. He’ll place Madison in a secure place, keeping her under heavy guard. He’ll track down some local Albanians, put them in a room similar to this, and work them over until they cough up the information on my whereabouts.
Stieg and Madison won’t stop until they find me. All I have to do is stay alive until they do. Stay alive or find a way to escape.
