The Trainer (military romantic suspense) (The Dregs Book 5)

by Leslie Georgeson

  I reached the street and let my acute senses scan for danger, turning my head from side to side to let my one ear pick up any suspicious sounds.

  Determining it was safe, I hurried toward the parking lot several blocks away where we’d parked our vehicles. I’d traveled only about a block and a half before a soft rush of sound came from my deaf side. I tensed, jerking toward the sound, shifting Nishi’s weight to one arm and reaching for my weapon with the other.

  Nishi gasped right before an electrical jolt shot through me. My limbs seized and I went limp, instantly dropping to the pavement. As if from a distance, Nishi’s scream penetrated my senses, “Logan!”

  Strong arms roughly yanked my hands behind my back. Handcuffs snapped around my wrists, securing me tightly. Then someone yanked a hood over my head, filling my world with darkness.

  “No!” Nishi screamed. “You bastards! Let him go!”

  She let out a soft grunt, then grew silent.

  What had happened? Had they knocked her out? Who had kidnapped us?

  They yanked me to my feet, shoving me blindly forward. Tires screeched as a vehicle rocked to a halt somewhere close by. Then they shoved me forward, and I stumbled into the back of a van. Moments later, we were racing away.

  A soft hand gripped my arm, then Nishi’s voice, “Logan? Are you all right?”

  “Yes,” I whispered. “Are you okay? Who has us? Did you see?”

  “Some kind of military,” she answered. “But not the ones at the entrance to the city. They’re all wearing black with Kevlar vests. I think it’s the ones who were paying my father to kill all the dregs.”

  Ah shit. The Company.

  “Shut up, Jap, or I’ll stuff my dick in your mouth.” The rough voice came from somewhere off to my left, the racial slur and the vulgar threat pissing me off.

  “Don’t call her that,” I growled out. Bastard. “If you touch her, I’ll fucking kill you.”

  A low chuckle followed, then a hard smack as he slammed his rifle into the side of my head. Stars swirled in front of my eyes. The blow knocked my mic from my ear, the earpiece dangling for several seconds before it fell down into the collar of my shirt. I couldn’t lose it. It was my only communication with the other dregs.

  Nishi gasped, her small body pressing close to mine. “Asshole! Leave him alone!”

  “Keep talking, little Jap,” the man threatened, “and I’ll hit you in the head, too.”

  Nishi grew quiet, her hand tightening around my forearm. I wanted to kiss her, pull her close, comfort her somehow, but my arms were held tightly behind my back and a hood covered my head. I couldn’t reach for her, let alone touch her. I couldn’t even see her.

  “It’s okay,” I whispered. “Keep quiet, little one.”

  She nodded against my chest. Lowering my head to hers, I whispered as quietly as possible, “My earpiece fell into the collar of my shirt. Can you get it?”

  The van rocked and bounced as we hit some bumps in the road. Nishi slid closer, her fingers searching over my chest and then higher. Was she handcuffed like me? I wasn’t sure, but if she was, her hands must be bound in front of her, rather than behind, or she wouldn’t be able to move them up so high. Her fingers gripped my collar, then slid over the skin at my neck.

  “Got it,” she whispered, cuddling back against me.

  Warmth filled my chest. Did I mention how much I loved this girl?

  “Hey,” one of the thugs muttered. “Is there a reason why you’re letting those two cuddle like lovers?”

  Strong arms wedged between us, pulling Nishi away from me. She made a sound of protest.

  “It’s okay,” I assured her gently. “Don’t fight them. Don’t give them a reason to hurt you.”

  She made no more sound after that, but her body heat flowed into me, indicating she sat not too far away. She’d found my mic. I guessed she held it in her hand. It was small enough that she might be able to conceal it for a while. If the thugs found it, they would destroy it, and we’d have no way to contact the other dregs. That little communication device was our chance at freedom.

  I had no idea where they were taking us. To someplace here in the city? To the facility by the zoo in Atlanta? To another location?

  I let my acute senses take everything in. I surmised there were at least ten of them, possibly more, hunkered down all around us. I didn’t know what they wanted with me, but since they’d caught me instead of killing me, then that could only mean they needed me for some reason. If they hadn’t caught Nishi as well, that wouldn’t bother me as much. They could torture me all they wanted, and I’d never tell them anything about my dreg brothers.

  But they had Nishi, too. They had my weakness. And I had no doubt they would use her to make me talk, make me do whatever it was they wanted. They would punish Nishi if I didn’t obey. I could only pray they weren’t after information on the other dregs.

  Being partially deaf was a handicap that might cost me my life tonight. Not just my life, but Nishi’s too.

  I flashed back to Himari’s murder and the way it had destroyed me inside. I had vowed never to love again, not wanting to go through anything like that ever again. But I hadn’t been able to keep that vow. And now, I had fallen in love with Nishi. She was my biggest weakness. She owned my heart. She owned me. Without her, I would be nothing.

  If they tortured Nishi, I would talk. I would tell them whatever they wanted to know.

  Because I couldn’t let them hurt her.

  I had no idea what they had planned for us. Torture? Death? Were they going to stuff me back into the lab like they’d done with Tracker and Tony? Conduct more experiments on me?

  Or did they have some other vile punishment up their sleeves?

  Whatever it was, I would do everything in my power to save Nishi.

  Even at the cost of my own life.

  Because I loved her that much.

  I would die for her.

  But I would rather live for her. My Nishi. My future.

  I was one of the chosen. A rare breed. Able to endure extreme torture and hardships. Able to adapt to just about any situation. Part man. Part beast.

  I was a dreg.

  And I would endure whatever I had to, to keep Nishi safe.

  CHAPTER FORTY

  Nishi

  The soldiers had handcuffed Logan and pulled a hood over his head, but they’d only handcuffed me, with my hands in front of me rather than behind. They didn’t blindfold me, letting me see all of them. Big, mean-looking brutes. Scary bastards with soulless eyes. They probably didn’t care if I saw them because they likely planned to kill me. But I had other plans. Somehow I was freeing Logan and getting us out of this.

  I clutched Logan’s communication device in my palm, vowing to keep it safe. It was the same kind we’d all worn the night we’d gone in to free my mother. An earpiece with a short wire that attached it to a mic with a small button that was pressed to talk. Noah kept a supply of them in his tech room. I didn’t know how far of a distance it reached, but I imagined the farther away we traveled, the less likely any signal would reach the others. If we were going to communicate with them, we needed to do it before we got too far away. I gently felt along the device in my palm, trying to feel where the “talk” button was. In the back of the dark van, with watching eyes, it would be difficult to use it without the thugs’ knowledge. But I might get an opportunity later. I closed my hand around the mic, gripping it in my fist.

  An ugly dude with cold eyes snickered across from me. “I hear your daddy sold your virginity to the Rapsters for more power in this city. That means if we all decide to fuck you, he won’t care. He’ll probably encourage us. We could have a group deflowering, what do you think, guys? All of us could break her in at once.”

  Bile threatened its way up my throat. No way in hell. I couldn’t deal with another Malik. These bastards weren’t touching me.

  “Leave her alone,” Logan commanded, his words hard. “Anyone touches her, and he dies.”<
br />
  “Shut up, dreg.” The guy who’d slammed his rifle into Logan’s head earlier, lifted his gun again. Logan ducked, as if he’d heard the man’s movement or anticipated his action. The gun smacked into the wall of the van next to Logan’s head, barely missing him. Even with a hood covering his eyes, Logan’s senses were acute. He’d managed to avoid a gun-butt blow to the face. Pride swept through me. Logan was amazing.

  The other soldiers snickered. “Damn, he’s fast,” one of them said, sounding impressed. “Hey boss,” he called, “why can’t any of us do that?”

  A snort came from one of the men sitting up front. “Because you’re not dregs. You’re not one of the chosen.”

  Silence descended, the soldiers all lowering their gazes. I wanted to snicker at them, “Neener, neener, you’re not a dreg!” but I wisely kept my mouth shut.

  Then the man in the front passenger seat turned around, his cold stare raking over all of us in the back. “Leave the dreg alone. I’m the one who gets to interrogate him. Your job was just to capture him. And leave the girl alone, too. She’s mine to play with. Not yours.”

  The man had golden hair, I noticed, but he turned back around before I was able to get a good look at his features in the semi-darkness of the van.

  It was only about ten or fifteen minutes later that the van stopped. Which meant we were still either in or somewhere near the city. The van had no back windows, so I couldn’t see where we’d gone. I palmed the communication device again, assuring myself I still had it. Did it work this far away? I let my thumb hover over the tiny “talk” button, waiting for an opportunity to use it to call for help.

  Logan remained quiet, and I took my signals from him. He had more experience with this type of thing, so I would follow his lead.

  The van doors opened, and they shoved us out of the vehicle.

  We were at an old abandoned warehouse, somewhere deep in the city. Not a soul stirred around us, not even a rat or a feral cat. A chill crept down my spine.

  Be brave, Nishi. You have to get Logan out of this mess. You have to free him and escape.

  But could I do it alone?

  They ushered us across the dark, empty parking lot and into the old building. The structure looked condemned, ready to collapse, large, gaping holes in the walls, windows broken out. I wasn’t sure if it was safe to venture inside. But I didn’t have any choice. The soldiers shoved me forward behind Logan, forcing me to enter the building.

  They’d set up a fog light in the center of the room where we’d entered, pointing the light at a single folding chair that sat all alone in the middle. I didn’t like the looks of that chair or what it implied.

  Interrogation.

  “Take her to the back room. We don’t need her just yet.” I turned to look at the “leader” who’d spoken, able to see him clearly now in the lighted room.

  Mid to late fifties. Average height. Slicked-back golden hair that contained far too much gel. Cold blue eyes. He was dressed in obviously expensive clothes, a dark gray business suit and slacks, with black dress shoes. He looked like a politician or a CEO of a huge corporation. My first impression of him was that he was a self-indulgent asshole. Smarmy. Fake. A man used to getting his way. I disliked him instantly. He gave me the willies.

  I touched Logan’s hand as I walked past, squeezing his fingers before they shoved me away.

  Two of the soldiers ushered me down a narrow hallway past several rooms. The moon shone in through the holes and the broken out windows, revealing a concrete floor that was cracked beneath my feet, and graffiti splattered all over the walls. This place was not only creepy, but structurally unsafe. It appeared to have been taken over by vandals at one point, but now was obviously unoccupied. What if it collapsed on us? What if we were crushed beneath rubble?

  Was that why they’d taken us here? So they could blow the building up and kill us beneath it? No one would ever find us here.

  They took me to the room at the very end of the hall. There was an old, stained mattress on the floor, along with discarded clothing that wasn’t much more than rags, and various garbage scattered about. The soldiers shoved me forward. I stumbled into the room, cautiously glancing around, half-expecting something to emerge from the garbage on the floor. But nothing stirred. There were no windows in the dark room, nothing but cracking concrete walls. But the ceiling had cracked open in several places, light from the moon streaking in through the cracks. Someone had once lived in this room. Probably long ago. Now, apparently not even the rats found it useful.

  The soldiers yanked the door closed behind me, the lock clicking with an eerie finality.

  Not wanting to waste any time, I quickly fumbled with the communication device, lifting it toward my face, using a streak of light from the moon to see it better in the dark. I pressed the button, activating the microphone.

  “Hello,” I said. “This is Nishi. Please help us. They’ve taken us hostage and are interrogating Logan.”

  I let go of the button, holding it close to my ear, and waited.

  No response.

  I tried again. “Please. Help us. They’re going to kill Logan.”

  I held it up to my ear again and waited.

  “Nishi?” a voice responded, the sound crackling. “Where are you?”

  Relief swept through me. I let out a sob, collapsing to my knees, uncaring what I might be kneeling on.

  “Noah?” I asked. “Is that you?”

  “Yeah. We all made it out, but Logan’s truck is still here, so we knew something was wrong. Who has you?”

  “Soldiers in black. Their leader is a slimy blond guy who acts like a pompous ass. I don’t like him at all.”

  Noah swore softly. “That must be Senator Collins. He’s part of The Company.”

  That evil man was a state senator?

  “We’re in an old warehouse of some kind. It’s really old and falling down. I’m not sure where we’re at, but they drove for about ten or fifteen minutes before stopping here.”

  “I’ll do a search of old buildings in the city,” Noah replied. “Hang on. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”

  I lowered the mic, palming it in my hand once more.

  Then the faint, faraway sounds of violence reached me through the door. They were beating Logan, torturing him. His grunts and moans of pain tormented me through the ancient door, making my hair stand on end and my heart pinch in horror.

  They were hurting him, and there was nothing I could do about it.

  Or was there? If I could get their attention, stop the torture, it might give Logan a chance to escape. Or at least to recover a bit.

  If you bring attention to yourself, they might use you to make Logan talk.

  I can withstand a little torture. I have to stop them before they kill him.

  I glared at the door. It was old wood. Rotting. Could I knock it down?

  I could certainly try.

  I stepped back, then kicked out at the door.

  “Eeeee yahhh!”

  My foot struck the door with a thwack!

  The wood splintered, a crack forming in the old wood.

  Triumph swept through me. I was getting out of here. I was going to save Logan.

  I kicked at the door again. “Yahhh!” And once more. “Eeee hahhhh!”

  On the fourth kick, the splinter opened up, the force of the kick pulling my foot clear through the door. I yanked my foot back into the room, my ankle burning from the scrape of wood against my skin.

  Footsteps thundered down the hallway.

  I snickered. Good. I’d gotten their attention. Maybe they would stop torturing Logan now and he would have a chance to escape.

  The lock clicked and the door swung inward, slamming against the wall with a bang.

  I held my ground as the same two soldiers who had ushered me here barged into the room, their expressions cold and angry.

  Roughly grabbing my upper arms, they hauled me down the hallway and back to the place where they were in
terrogating Logan.

  As we reached the room, I gasped softly, my heart squeezing at the sight before me. Blood everywhere. So much blood. Logan was slumped over in the chair, his face swollen and bloody, nearly unrecognizable. They’d stripped him of his shirt and the Kevlar vest, leaving his torso bare.

  What had they done to him?

  “You bastards!” I shrieked.

  The asshole with slicked-back golden hair smirked at me. “He wouldn’t talk. So now it’s your turn.”

  He waved at his men, who moved forward and hauled Logan out of the chair, dropping him unceremoniously onto the floor. Then they dragged me forward, shoving me down into the chair.

  I glared at the man as he stepped forward. “I know you,” I announced. “You’re Senator Collins. What would the people of the state of Georgia say if they knew their senator was corrupt and tortured innocent men?”

  His eyes hardened. Then he barked out a laugh. “Innocent men? Logan is hardly innocent, my dear. And since you’ll be dead soon, the citizens of Georgia will never know, now will they?”

  He flexed the fingers of his right hand, and a flash of gold caught my eye. My heart stuttered in horror. He was gripping brass knuckles in his fist. No wonder there was so much blood. Every strike had likely ripped Logan’s skin open, flaying him alive.

  Bastard!

  Logan moaned softly from the floor, something incoherent whispering through his lips.

  And now this man, this senator, this high-ranking government official, was going to use those brass knuckles on me.

  “No!” Logan slurred, raising his head off the floor. “Don’t touch her. I’ll killlll you.” Blood dripped down his chin, splattering onto the floor.

  One of the thugs kicked Logan in the stomach. Logan gasped, rolling into a ball.

  “Leave him alone, you assholes! I’ll tell you whatever you want to know!”