Chapter 36
Sklad
Orrin woke on a soft bed, but kept his eyes closed. Something wasn’t right. The last thing he remembered was . . . Melanie. His stomach clutched painfully. Melanie. His Melanie had been there, in his arms.
Angel or ghost, he’d spoken to her. It made his eyes burn with unshed tears, but that was a weakness he could ill afford others to see.
“Will he live?”
Anger swarmed him at the sound of Yuri’s voice.
There was movement next to him, and then a feminine voice with an American accent said, “He should. His fever is gone. I set his shoulder back in place, but I left the break in his wrist, per your instructions.”
“Good,” Yuri said. “You may go.”
The sound of quick footsteps soon faded. Orrin remained still. He didn’t want Yuri to know he was awake. Not yet, at least.
“You thought you could escape the torture I have.” Yuri laughed. “I will not let that happen. I have so much more planned, stariy droog.”
Yuri’s large hand rested upon his broken wrist. Orrin knew what was coming. It was years of training that kept his breathing even and his face impassive—even when Yuri squeezed.
He thought of Melanie, he thought of his sons. He imagined what his boys were doing to keep the bioweapon safe and out of everyone’s hands.
“So you are still asleep,” Yuri said and released his grip. “Too bad.”
He counted to a hundred after Yuri left to allow the pain to subside. Only then did he crack open an eye. He was no longer in the tiny, damp cell. He was still in the same compound if the peeling paint and yellow lights were any indication.
He held on to the pain of his arm. It was all he had. If it would keep him conscious and prepared for whatever Yuri had in store for him next, then he welcomed it.
Slowly, he moved the fingers on his good arm before attempting it with his broken one.
“You’re going to cause yourself more pain.”
His gaze jerked to the doorway where he found a woman. Her dark red hair was parted to one side and fell straight to brush the tops of her shoulders.
She glanced at the floor before entering the room and checking the IV in his arm. “You nearly died,” she stated in a clipped tone.
“You should’ve let me.”
Her eyes swung to him. They were a soft gray, but held all the wariness of someone being forced.
She returned to examining the IV. After a minute she said, “I didn’t have a choice.”
“Yuri rarely gives one.” He swallowed, his throat raw and hurting.
The woman held a cup with a straw before him. “Here.”
He tried to lift his head, and he was shocked at how weak he was. It took her hand behind his head to lift and hold him before he could drink.
When he finished, he dropped his head back on the pillow. If he were going to get past Yuri and however many men with him, Orrin was going to have to be much stronger.
“I thought you were Russian,” the woman said.
Orrin turned his head toward her. “Where are we?”
Her forehead furrowed as if she wondered at his question. “Virginia.”
Thank God. They hadn’t taken him to Russia yet. He still had time to get away, because once on that plane, that was the end of him.
He licked his dry lips. “I work for the US government. Yuri killed my team. I need you to alert the authorities.”
She looked away, refusing to meet his gaze while shaking her head as he spoke. “I can’t.”
It was the way it seemed to pain her to hear him talk that finally hit home. “Who has Yuri threatened so you’d help him?”
“My son.”
“Do whatever Yuri asks. Don’t ask questions, and don’t look long at him or his men. You and your son should get out of this fine.”
“I tried to set your wrist.”
Now that surprised him. “I can do it now that my hands aren’t tied.”
She didn’t say anything else as she pulled something out of her pocket. Owen saw the bottle and syringe. He lifted his gaze to her and frowned.
“I’m sorry. This is all I can manage now,” she whispered as she stuck it in his IV. Without another word, she left the room.
The woman wasn’t a killer, so he knew she hadn’t poisoned him. But what had she given him? It wasn’t painkillers, that was for sure.
He lifted his broken wrist and took a deep breath. Then he set the bone back in place. It was his weaker hand, but if he didn’t get out of there soon, the break might heal wrong, which could hinder him later.
He thought of Melanie and her urging for him to listen. So Orrin closed his eyes and opened his ears. It was quiet, making him think he was the only one in the building even as he knew otherwise.
Then he heard the distant rumble of voices. Men. He couldn’t make out how many. They grew louder as they suddenly laughed. A moment later, a door creaked open. It sounded heavy, probably made of steel.
That’s when he heard them—seagulls. They were by water.