by Serena James
She flinched when Dominic punched Tom hard in the stomach winding him. She turned away, still held in Connors grasp wondering if they were ever going to make it around those fields to the airfield in one piece. She felt Charles’s comforting hand on her shoulder. He gave her sympathetic look.
She watched Dominic turn back to the field and scan it for human predators once more. He took another handgun from the front of his trousers. She guessed it was Tom’s. He handed it to her and said sternly, “Tom is going to walk in front of you. If he takes one step out of line or approaches you, shoot him.” She glanced at Tom nervously. He was stony faced, blank without emotion. Dominic demanded her attention again.
“Put your conscience aside Rebecca. He is a trained killer who has more than enough motivation to end your life. If necessary, make sure you kill him first.”
She nodded.
“Good. Charles I want you behind Rebecca. Connor you bring up the rear.” They all fell into formation without question and began skirting the edge of the field under the cover of some trees behind Dominic.
They were making good progress when they heard the loud noise of a helicopter over head. The trees around them started to sway furiously in the heavy breeze created by the aircraft. The grass in the field moved in unison with them giving the impression of waves on the surface of an ocean. She saw Dominic immediately look above them. He gestured for them to crouch down. They all dropped to their knees. The helicopter flew low over the trees and their heads to swoop across the field towards the farmhouse. The noise was deafening. Rebecca watched it hover near the house as though It’s pilot was assessing the perfect place for landing. It flew around the house and then made a landing behind it.
Connor said, “That helicopter was an army one. It had Southern Bundenese markings. Looks like the invasion is in full swing.”
Dominic answered him. “Looks like it. We’ve got a problem. There is no other way to go without being seen by them. We have to go through the farm. We are going to have to take them out.”
Connor grinned. “Just like old times.”
“Yeah well this time we haven’t exactly got the fire power we need. The odds are against us.”
Connor sounded confident. “Yeah sir, it’s more of a challenge. One I am going to enjoy.”
Dominic gave him a wary look but Rebecca didn’t miss the same excitement blazing a fire in Dominic’s eyes. Once a soldier, always a soldier. She felt afraid for him.
He turned to her. She got his Royal Marines command voice. So clear and clipped in its tone, it always meant business. He’d talked to her that way in Afghanistan when her life was at risk and he was trying to preserve it. “I want you to stay here with Charles. Tom will have to stay with you. He steps out of line once, you have to shoot him. Don’t hesitate or you will be dead. I don’t want to lose you again. Do I make myself clear?”
She nodded, wondering if she could ever shoot anyone again. Maybe I should have said, yes sir. She made sure the look she gave Dominic was enough to convince him she would if necessary.
“Charles, I want you to look after Rebecca. Stay alert. Remember what I said. She needs your support.”
Charles said quietly. “She can rely on me.” Rebecca wasn’t convinced. He was in no state to help anyone. He was shaking and he’d been vomiting every now and again as they’d walked through the forest. But she guessed Dominic was trying to keep him going.
Dominic stood to move off. She caught his arm. “Be careful.”
He told her softly, “I will. I’m coming back for you. Stay put and no stunts.”
“Okay. I promise.”
She felt a hand sweep around her face and pull it roughly to one side. Connor. He pressed his lips against hers. They were wet, slimy. It made her skin crawl. “Never mind him. I am coming back for you. Don’t move.” He laughed at the disapproval on her face. Dominic was looking away. Connor grabbed one more kiss. She found herself struggling against his harsh persistence.
Dominic snapped, “Are you finished yet?”
“Yeah. I am now. I’m coming. Let’s go.”
Rebecca wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve deliberately to show her displeasure and contempt at his touch when he glanced back at her. He just grinned. Charles sat down with a thud and leaned back against a tree. He wiped his brow. He looked hot. “If we make it back to London I am going to make Anna go on holiday with me but somewhere cool. Right now I fancy skiing.”
Rebecca kept her eyes trained on Tom. “I remember Anna now. She wasn’t exactly in good health when I left. I doubt you will get her on skis.”
“Yeah. I worry how much longer I have with her.” He sounded desperate. “Her body seems to be disintegrating. I feel helpless. I don’t know what else to do for her.”
“You are a young man Charles. You will find someone else who can love you. I am not sure Anna can get more help.” She heard her tone sink with sadness. “I think it’s gone past that. Her organs are beginning to fail.”
He was angry. His tone filled with contempt. “Don’t say that. I don’t want anyone else. I love her. You don’t approve. You never have.”
Rebecca felt uncomfortable. “I never said that.”
“You never had to,” Charles spat back. “You’re just like the rest of them. You just see the age difference. I’d do anything for her.”
Tom was shaking his head. “You sound like a besotted prick. She’s an old bag. Get a life. Make your own money and power; she isn’t going to give you any. She likes it too much. I mean that’s what you want isn’t it? Power and money? It can’t be her body.”
Rebecca was startled when Charles jumped to his feet. He grabbed a handful of Tom’s hair and started shouting at him. She told him to keep quiet but he ignored her. He was out of control. He’d gone without cocaine for too long. She stood and tried to pull him off but he batted her away. His body was twitching and he was angry.
He leaned into Tom’s face. “Don’t talk about her like that. You are the prick.” He started to hit Tom with his fist in a frenzy. Rebecca struggled with him.
“You’re going to get us caught.” She did her best to pull him off and eventually managed to. It took all of her strength, what she had of it, to hold him back. Tom was sitting on the ground, using the distraction to loosen his bonds. She warned him as she fought to keep Charles back and quiet. But Tom was obviously too well practiced at it. He undid them quickly.
Rebecca acted fast. She let go of Charles and aimed the handgun squarely at him. Tom stopped in his tracks. Then he laughed hard at her. She panted her breath as she took the safety mechanism off. He started walking towards her. He told her in a mocking tone, “Look at you lassie. You can hardly stand. And you are bleeding.”
She didn’t dare make the mistake of looking to her side to follow his eyes. He would take advantage and knock the gun out of her hand. I am not that stupid and besides I’ve seen enough bloody movies to know that trick.
She told him firmly. “Sit down Tom or I will shoot.”
“Kane told you to shoot me if I stepped out of line. I have and you haven’t shot me. In my book that means you have no intention of killing me.”
He was right. She should have done what Dominic told her. She found herself walking backwards. She told Charles to stay close beside her.
“Come on lassie, you are going to drop any moment. I will overpower you. And Charles is in no state to help you. Come on give me the gun. Kane doesn’t have a chance of getting you all out alive. They might let him and Charles go if you give yourself up. I’ll make it quick, snap your neck. A clean break. You won’t feel any pain.”
“I’ve heard that before.”
“You have no choice like me. Give yourself up and you have my word I will let Charles go free.”
“Liar. It doesn’t make sense for you to let him go.”
“Ah, come on lassie.”
He made the mistake of lunging for her. Rebecca stepped back quickly evading his grasp. She made sure
she didn’t listen to any more of his words and pulled the trigger, hesitating no longer. There was wide disbelief on his face as he slumped onto the ground with shock. But she had only caught him in his shoulder with her trembling hands. He clutched at his wound. Then he removed his hand and looked at the blood.
He said, “I’m impressed lassie. I didn’t think you had the guts to do it up close. But it’s not enough to stop me. You are going to have to kill me.”
She aimed the gun once more. “Stay back.” Her heart was hammering. She thought of all the death she’d seen, that she blamed herself for. Her eyes began to cloud with tears. Don’t let the bastard get to you. Kill him.
Charles echoed her thoughts. He was agitated, fearful. “Rebecca you heard what Kane said. He will kill you. You have to do it.”
I don’t want to kill anyone else. I am not a killer. Kill or be killed. Choice is yours. You have lives to save. Die and you won’t be alone and all of this will have been for nothing. If you can’t think of yourself think of Charles. Why can’t you think of yourself?
Tom came for her once more. It was her last chance. She fired the gun with a sob. Tom stopped dead this time. His body crumpled to the floor. He wasn’t getting up again. She let her arms fall to her sides, still holding the gun. She stared down at him. She felt Charles’s hands on her shoulders. He turned her around and held her.
There was a sudden noise behind her. Charles shouted a warning but the gun was out of her hand before she could aim it. She turned around quickly to find herself staring into the face of her torturer. She reached for breath as his hypnotic cruel gaze sucked her back into the small dark room of pain he’d tormented her in. Her mind trapped her there once more, slamming the door to her inner prison shut with a bang. It replayed the horrific events of her torture from her bruised memory.
Chapter Sixteen
After Jed’s murder and her fake execution she had been dragged to one of the vehicles. When she had reached it the butt of a gun had come down hard against the side of her face. Everything went black.
Rebecca woke up in an upright chair. Her arms were tied tightly behind it. Her head pounded with pain and her body felt weak and lethargic. Instinct told her to struggle to free herself. Her blurred surroundings slowly came into view.
It was dark, apart from a shaft of light penetrating a small window. It shone brightly over her eyes, making her scrunch them up to avoid the glare. She moved her feet across the concrete floor. They were tied together by a rope around her ankles. She was stuck fast.
Her face felt swollen and numb. She blinked her eyes. She couldn’t see anyone else in the room, it was too dark but she was sure someone was there with her. She looked down at herself, feeling pain as she bent her chin.
The chilly atmosphere of the room settled on her skin. It had peculiar smell about it. Urine... it smelled of urine and fear. Maybe it was what slithered in the dark somewhere that made the room so cold. She’d seen this set up before when reporting on torture atrocities in other countries. She wished she’d been executed.
A soft gentle male voice spoke out to her from the darkness, “Good. You are awake.”
She peered into the darkness in front of her and strained forward trying to get a glimpse of the man. She wanted to assess what she was up against.
He spoke again. “You are very fortunate that you have a good friend here in South Bundhara who wants you kept alive. But before I am able to release you into his care we have to discuss a small matter.”
She jumped on his words, “Whom are you talking about? Who is he? Who are you?”
“Quiet. If you answer my questions then I will tell you and you will get to leave this place.”
She coughed with her dry throat in a mocking way and gave a small laugh of disbelief. She said hoarsely, “I believe you.” She wrenched her hands in their bonds, furiously trying to work on them. A voice in the back of her head told her the action was futile. Even if she got free she wouldn’t make it out of the room alive. It didn’t stop her.
The voice said casually, “You have entered this country illegally to visit a known activist and terrorist plotting to overthrow South Bundhara’s government. I want to know what you talked about.”
She was angry he wouldn’t come out of the shadows and show himself. Denying her meeting with Somwan seemed pointless. She answered him, “Nothing of interest. We gossiped.” There was blood in her mouth. She spat it out on the floor just to make sure he got the connotation of contempt in her voice.
She may have sounded fearless, reckless even, but inside she was terrified. It was an effort to keep herself together. Death seemed a preferable option to torture. When she’d reported on torture in the past she had been able to keep a professional distance from the horror of it all. It was one of her worst fears to be locked away, stripped of her rights, and at the mercy of some physical tormentor.
She hadn’t been able to watch it on the movies. Midnight Express had always been a nauseous turn off. Now she was facing it for real. She wondered how she would hold up. One thing she was sure of, they wouldn’t get any information from her without one hell of a fight. Stubbornness was in her nature and she was going to make full use of that personality trait.
The voice sounded grave, “I can see this is going to be difficult. You are a famous lady Rebecca. A champion of causes. You are not known for backing down on anything. I would have been disappointed if you had given in so easily.”
She interrupted him. Keep him talking; get some kind of bond going with him. You might be able to talk yourself out of this mess. Who are you kidding!
“You’re English, or at least English educated.” She tilted her head to one side and used a conversational tone that only hinted at mockery. “What are you doing in a place like this?”
She saw his figure step out of the darkness into one of the lighter shadows in the room. Come on face me. Let’s see who you are. Come on you bastard. Come out of your hidey-hole just a little further. I want to see you. As though hearing her thoughts he stepped out and stood in front of her. He was good looking, young. He was bald, no doubt by choice. She knew many men in South and North Bundhara shaved their heads as a mark of purity and respect for their religious prophet Aroon. She would use his religious beliefs to dissuade him from inflicting violence on her body.
She’d heard of torture in South Bundhara, especially the way it was disproportionally levelled at women who didn’t toe the patriarchal line. They were more likely than men to be killed afterwards and there had been talk of rapes and sexual mutilation.
“You are right. English educated at Oxford. I am here in South Bundhara because I love my country and want to protect it. But we don’t want to get into a political debate. I want to talk about you.”
“How boring! I have nothing to tell you.”
She watched him smile and fold his arms across the light brown army shirt he was wearing. Two officers came out of the shadows and stood either side of him. Rebecca got a lump in her throat and her stomach began to cramp with fear.
The officers wore black berets. She recognised them as soldiers from the Elite Squad. They had been set up by the Southern Bundenese Army to torture the government’s opposition and rid the country of its internal enemies. The people called it The Death Squad. She noticed he was standing right over her now, peering down at her pony tail that hung over the top of the chair.
He said very softly, “You have beautiful glossy hair Rebecca. It would be a shame to lose it all. Don’t you think? Baldness in your country is not fashionable for women. Why don’t you tell me what you and Doctor Somwan were gossiping about? Where is she? Where is that laptop you were carrying?”
She felt his fingers slither across the ridge of her cheek as he searched her eyes. His touch was light but she imagined it had a heavy side to it. She felt tension tighten her whole frame rigid.
He continued. “Such bone structure Rebecca. It would be a shame to ruin such beautiful porcelain features.”
She’d had enough. She grabbed hold of her anger and clung to it. Unable to bear the anxious wait for the first blow she snapped at him, “Come on cut the crap and get on with it. Dispense with the introduction and the formalities. I have no intention of volunteering any information.”
He smiled into her eyes and then stood up. “If you insist. I was merely attempting to give you the opportunity of giving in gracefully.”
It happened all very quickly after that. He was suddenly yanking her ponytail hard, forcing her head back. She fought to catch her breath and looked up at him panting with both fear and exertion as he held her there by her hair.
The man’s voice had a hard brutal edge to it now as he leaned over her face. He was so close she could feel his warm breath blow across her skin. He told her, “I could frighten you with death but then my officers told me how bravely you faced it. I don’t think it frightens you. And there is the small matter of the influential friend who wants you kept alive.” He paused and looked up at his officers. They came closer.
“There are worse things than death Rebecca. If you don’t tell me everything I want to know I will make you beg me to kill you every day. But I won’t. There will be no rest, no sleep. I will keep you alive and I will enjoy hearing you scream for the peace of death. Your world will consist only of this room and the pain I will inflict on you.” He let go of her hair sharply making her head snap forward. She found she couldn’t breathe. She heard him tell his men, “Beat her.”
The two soldiers at his sides began slapping her face and punching her body. The blows were hard and heavy. She reeled from them but there was no escape. One hit direct to her head had the room spinning. She fought to keep focus. Her body bucked violently in the chair trying to make its own escape without the intent of her mind.
She homed in on her anger, begged it to give her the strength she needed to survive. Her eyes were streaming when she gave an involuntary growl and snapped her head forward to butt one of them in the face. She heard the man tell them, “Avoid her sides, stomach and lower back. He wants them untouched.”