Chapter 8
Sklad
Orrin jerked at the chains holding his wrists. His broken left wrist twinged in pain, but he disregarded it.
The only way he knew what time of day it was came from one of the machines he was hooked to that flashed the time.
It had been nearly twenty-four hours since Yuri taunted him with the news that someone had died at the ranch.
Every time he wondered if it was one of his sons or Callie, he wanted to bellow his fury.
His beloved Melanie had died because of him. Now, someone else he loved had been taken. And why? Because of some fucking bioweapon the US government had to have because they weren’t smart enough to develop it themselves first?
They’d used the excuse that it was to keep the Russians from using it. But Orrin knew the truth. His government wanted it in their arsenal.
How many injections had he been given throughout the years to combat various—and numerous—weapons that could be released through the air or in water?
He fought to keep his country safe, but the truth was that no one was safe. Ever. First, it was nuclear weapons. Now, it was bioweapons. What would be next?
He closed his eyes and blew out a breath. The duty he felt to serve his country had cost him everything. His wife, his sons, and his happiness.
No matter what, he pushed on with the knowledge that he was keeping the world secure for his sons and their wives and children. It struck him hard that it had all been in vain.
Everything he’d done had been for nothing. He’d been betrayed by someone he trusted. Of that, he was certain. Only a handful of people knew of his mission to Russia to steal the bioweapon.
One of those individuals was responsible for his team’s assassinations, the killing of his brother and sister-in-law, the destruction of his home, and now, the death of one of his sons or Callie.
Orrin wasn’t as young as he used to be. Age slowed him down more than he liked. The hits hurt more, and his body took too long to heal.
None of that was going to stop him from getting free of his old friend, Yuri, killing him, and then tracking down those responsible for coating his family with more blood.
He wouldn’t rest until everyone responsible had paid.
The door to Orrin’s room creaked. His eyes opened, and his gaze fell upon the familiar red hair and beautiful face. The doctor was being blackmailed by Yuri. She had to treat Orrin if she didn’t want her son to die.
He wanted to ask her name, but to do so would alert Yuri and his men that he worried for her. If it was the last thing he did, Orrin was going to do everything in his power to get her back to her son.
“How are you feeling today?” she asked as she came to check the monitors.
He didn’t answer. The less communication they had, the better. Already, she risked much by having given him something to help him heal faster.
There was nothing she could do about his broken wrist or ribs, though she had put his dislocated shoulder back in place. It was going to be a hell of an escape, injured as he was, but when it came to family, he would walk through the fires of Hell itself.
She checked his IV, her head bent so that a lock of her thick hair brushed his arm. Orrin’s gaze was drawn to her hair. It was such a vibrant red that he itched to touch it, to let the silky strands run through his fingers.
“He’s in a meeting,” she whispered.
She meant Yuri. Orrin couldn’t look away when her head lifted and her gray eyes met his. She was a stunning woman. Despite the fear, he saw courage in her gaze.
“I’m not worth it,” he told her. “Do the minimum you must and protect your son.”
In response, she took out another syringe from her pocket and stuck it in his IV before slowly pushing it in the saline. When she’d finished, she tucked the syringe back in the pocket of her white lab coat and picked up his file.
She then turned her back to him but stayed beside his bed. “I won’t allow you to remain here and be hurt. You’re an American.”
“These men will kill your son and you in the blink of an eye. Don’t test them,” he warned.
But he knew his words were falling on deaf ears. He’d wanted her help at first, had been ready to say or do anything to get it.
The death of one of his sons had brought everything into crystal clear focus. Too many people had already died because of him. He wasn’t worth any of it.
There was too much blood on his hands. He couldn’t have any more.
“He lied,” she said.
Orrin closed his eyes again. He didn’t want to hear any more. He needed to concentrate on taking the names of all those he would kill when he got out.
A warm, gentle hand briefly touched his. “It was his men that were killed. Not your family. I overheard them talking.”
The words were said in a quick whisper. Orrin’s eyes flashed open. His heart thumped with renewed hope. Could everyone still be alive?
He knew just how good his sons were, and Callie could match them any day. It had come as a shock that the Russians had managed to surprise them.
Now Orrin knew the truth. He wanted to smile, but he kept it hidden—as with all of his emotions. Yuri wanted him broken. Orrin could give him that.
It would feel so good to kill Yuri. Would he choke the life from him? Or would he sink a blade into his heart through his ribs? Perhaps a bullet through the brain.
They all sounded justifiably perfect. Because there was no way Orrin would allow Yuri to get free. The US government would readily take him in and offer Yuri protection. Then Orrin would never get his revenge.
No, Yuri would die. Slowly. Painfully. But the life would be extinguished from his body.
Every man and woman who worked under Yuri, who’d attacked his family and destroyed his ranch, would die. It didn’t matter how long it took, Orrin would see it done.
“Thank you,” he whispered to the doctor.
He hated that there were no windows for him to catch a glimpse of the sky. Then again, it was meant to disorient him.
The door suddenly opened again. His gaze landed on the tall form of a soldier with blond hair and hard, brown eyes. The rifle he carried was pointed at the floor, but he held it as if he wanted to turn it on Orrin.
Orrin watched him, wondering what he was up to. The soldier ordered someone to “come” in Russian. He moved farther into the room, followed by two more men.
“Doctor,” the blond said in a thick Russian accent as he handed her a syringe.
Her face was grim as she stared at the needle. “What is that?”
“Something to make the patient sleep.”
Orrin put the faces of the men to memory. The doc had no choice but to do as they asked. She turned to him with the syringe in hand, her gaze full of remorse.
He didn’t look at her. Instead, Orrin kept eye contact with the tall Russian. Almost instantly, from the time the liquid hit the IV, Orrin felt the medicine pull him under.
Sleep weighted his eyelids, and even though he knew there was no use fighting it, he did. Within seconds, the blackness took him.
“He’s out,” Kate said and took a step back. She wasn’t at all comfortable being around so many armed Russians.
The blond soldier in charge gave a nod to the men. A ladder was brought in along with equipment. She tried to see what they were doing, but the blond’s large hand wrapped around her upper arm.
“Time to leave,” he said.
She was unceremoniously ushered out of the room. Kate walked slowly as the Russians began to speak. She didn’t understand their language, which was of no help to her or Orrin.
Ever since she’d discovered he was an American, Kate had done whatever she could to discover who he was. It took her far longer than she cared to admit before she learned his name.
With the way Yuri and his men monitored her electronics, there had been no time to look Orrin up or find someone to contact to let them know he was alive.
Her “vacation” to Bermuda kept her from having to go into work. Thankfully, that was coming to an end soon. Not that returning to the hospital was going to solve anything. In fact, it would most likely put more people in harm’s way.
Then there was her son. He had no idea what was going on, and she wanted it kept that way. While he stayed with her ex-husband, enjoying some “guy time,” she was fighting for all of their lives—his, hers, and Orrin’s.
At first, all she thought about was her son. But that had quickly changed after talking to Orrin that first time and overhearing his conversation with Yuri.
Yuri was one of the most evil people she had ever encountered, and she couldn’t get away from him fast enough. Though she had no idea why Yuri was holding Orrin and torturing him, the fact that he was doing it on American soil was enough to feed her anger.
There were a few things she’d overheard while being held at the warehouse. Sklad, she’d heard them call it. It must be the Russian word for warehouse.
Orrin was in the US military. She didn’t know what branch, and it didn’t matter. He was an American citizen being held against his will by a foreigner.
For the most part, Kate kept to herself except when she needed to check on Orrin. She was given free access to the room full of various medicines.
It’s how she had gotten ahold of the calcium, magnesium, Vitamin D3, and Omega-3 to boost Orrin’s bone healing. She wasn’t sure how much longer she would be able to secretly give it to him, though. The blond soldier Yuri had put in charge watched her like a hawk.
She’d begun to suspect that the blond knew she was giving Orrin something extra. He hadn’t seen her, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t keeping track of the doses.
Kate slowed her steps on her way back to her room when another three soldiers passed her in the hall. She spotted a small camera in one of their hands, and her heart skipped a beat.
More troubling was that there were more men now that weren’t in uniform. She wasn’t sure if they were Russian or American, and it really didn’t matter. Whoever was involved was an enemy.
Why was Yuri installing a camera in Orrin’s room? That had to be why they wanted Orrin knocked out, so he wouldn’t know. And neither would she.
Kate was horrible at hiding things, especially her emotions. She was the world’s worst mom at Easter and attempting to hide the eggs. And this was a hundred times more dangerous.
It would be best if she stopped giving Orrin the dose of vitamins for a while. And somehow, she’d have to let him know about the camera. Though she didn’t know if it would have audio or not. That was something else to take into consideration.
This was giving her a headache. How in the world was she going to continue her ruse? The face of her son flashed in her mind. His wide smile with his braces. His long hair that fell into his eyes all the time. His tall, lanky form and voice that pitched low every now and again as his body changed.
He was her world. He was the only thing she had to live for. Her maternal instinct told her to protect him at all costs. But she also felt the need to safeguard Orrin.
Kate stopped and watched the soldiers pass her. It was then that she realized the blond was following her, his dark eyes watching every move.
The yellow, fluorescent lights overhead were harsh, casting shadows onto his face. She hurriedly turned away, kicking a flake of paint that had fallen to the floor as she did.
She walked into her room and immediately went to her bed. She sat, her hands gripping the mattress in a bid to keep her fear locked inside.
The blond halted within her doorway. For long minutes, he stared silently at her. She wanted to shout at him to say something or go away, but her throat locked around the lump of terror.
“Remember your son,” he said.
Kate jerked her gaze to him. “Always.”
“Good. It would be stupid to do something foolish and jeopardize him.”
With that, the blond closed the door and walked away.
She buried her face in her hands and cried.