Chapter 9
Taking cautious steps, Igor gripped the banister with his sweaty palms as he made his way up the stairs. More pain-filled cries came from farther down the hall. It sounded like Boris, but then again, it didn’t. He cried and blubbered and cried some more, begging for mercy like the sissy he was.
An unfamiliar chill ran up Igor’s spine as he reached the top of the stairs. He took a few tentative steps. A curio stood in the corner, while a delicate table coupled with an antique chair was set along the banister.
A glimmer, a shiny reflection of something from under the decorative table caught his eye. Someone was hiding underneath there.
Finally realizing what it was, he rushed forward and caught April’s arm before she could swing the hammer in her hand. “What do you think you’re doing?” he spate.
April giggled and shrugged. “It worked the first time,” she said through a bright smile. “I hid in the very same spot when your friend came up.”
“He’s not a friend,” Igor said. “He’s my partner.”
“Same difference.”
“No. The man is an idiot. I could never be friends with such a dimwit.” He squeezed, tightening his hold of her wrist. “Speaking of which... where is he?”
Giggling, the young girl shrugged. “How would I know?”
“Does your father often leave you home alone?” Igor said, trying to pry a little information out of the valuable girl.
“I’m a big girl,” April said. “I can take care of myself.”
“Your father appears to be a very important man,” Igor went on. “A very wealthy man.”
“He’s done very well for himself. He’s smart, innovative and has a work ethic like no other.”
“An industrialist, this Doctor Ang?”
“Father studied science and worked as a scientist until a few years ago. He became fascinated with engineering, and this led him to inventing a variety of gadgets.”
“Gadgets? Like weapons?”
April shrugged. “I guess you could say that.”
Licking his lips hungrily, Igor looked at the young woman and tried to calculate just how much she might be worth to Dr. Ang.
How much would the old man pay to have his innocent, young daughter back?
The papers strewn across his desk had indicated interest in weapons and the development of a superweapon.
.. exactly what Russia would need to regain power over Europe.
“Come on,” he said, yanking the young girl’s arm. He had to find a way to exchange this girl for control over those weapons, weapons Russians could put to good use.
“What are you doing? Where are you bringing me?”
“Does your father love you?”
Frowning, April looked up at him. “Of course, he does.”
“How much does he love you?”
“He is a devoted father and would do anything for me.”
“Anything?” Igor said with a cunning grin. “Exactly how much to you think you are worth to him?”
“Worth? What do you mean, worth?”
“How much would your father give to see you again... safe and sound?”
A loud clatter from downstairs caught his attention and he momentarily released his hold of April and looked over the banister. Seconds later, he turned to her, but she was gone.
“Hey!” he called out. “Hey, you little tramp!”
Down the hall a door closed, and he headed in that direction.
“Think you can outsmart a Soviet spy, you brainless little girl?” He marched to the door and pushed it open. The lights instantly went out.
“We’ve played this game before,” he said into the dark room. “You ladies like to use the cover of darkness to hide behind. Well, it’s not going to work.”
The sound of scrambling footsteps crossed the large room.
“It’s pointless. Come out.” He pulled a lighter from his pant pocket, flipped the cap back and flicked it on. “Where are you hiding?”
A strange gurgling sound came from the other end of the room. He turned his lighter toward the sound to better see what was happening.
The weak flame from his lighter flickered, throwing an unsteady light on a wild animal, its fangs dripping with blood.
“What the hell...?” Igor muttered. He was imagining things... of that he was certain.
A series of groans and grunts almost made him want to gag.
“Igor?” Boris’s frail voice whispered.
“Boris?” Igor said.
A strangely familiar sound came to him; the sound of breaking flesh.
“Ah!” Boris cried out. “No! Stop! Ah!”
With his heart beating like never before, Igor took a tentative step closer to the sound. Someone or something was eating, slurping.
“Oh, God. Make it stop!” Boris cried. “Stop! Help me. Help...” A deadly slashing sound finally put an end to his desperate cries.
Igor froze, unable to move. Every thump of his heart was deafening, leaving him dizzy. Cold sweat trickled down the side of his face and the hairs at the back of his neck stood on end like never before. He licked his dry lips, uncertain what to do next.
Then lights suddenly came on, blinding him. Squinting through the bright light, he looked down at the floor. A trail of dark red blood marred the shiny white tiled floor.
With more dread than he would have thought possible, he followed the trail of blood to find Boris lying on a table.
He rushed to him but froze in shock and horror when he got a good look at him. Chunks of flesh were gone and blood slowly oozed out of the open wounds. His arms, legs and torso were covered with bite marks, and his face had been clawed, leaving three clean streaks of blood across his cheek.
“What in the world happened to you?” Igor muttered.