by Julia Crane
Yes, she would take pleasure in ridding the world of Dasvoik, but like Erik always said, you cut off one head and another takes its place. But if they could rescue the innocent victims, she’d feel like she was doing what she was made to do. Like her life truly had a purpose.
Kaitlyn tilted her head to observe her partner’s expression. “Are you really concerned about the mission?”
Erik shrugged. His face remained impassive. He was a very hard man to read, even with all of her internal knowledge of human facial expressions. “Not really, I just wish we had more time and more data. Not to mention Harrington’s way too damn cocky.”
“Is this so different from what you were used to?” Kaitlyn asked, ignoring the Harrington comment. She’d grown to like the man over the last several months. If it weren’t for his vision, she would have never had this second chance at life. And behind the surface, Harrington really did want to make a difference.
“Oh, yeah, there was always lots of planning beforehand. This feels like we’re shooting from the hip, and I don’t like it.”
She stared at him for several seconds before asking, “Is that such a bad thing? I mean we can adapt as we go. That’s how we’ve been trained.”
“Put it this way, if it were anyone other than you, I would tell Harrington to take the job and shove it up his ass.”
The statement startled Kaitlyn. “Even Ace?”
Erik laughed, “Especially Ace. That guy’s a hothead.”
Kaitlyn scanned the slang meaning. So Ace had a temper, and was always looking for trouble? That didn’t sound like an ideal partner at all.
“I like your laugh.”
Erik looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “My laugh?”
She nodded. “I’ve never heard it before this trip. You are more relaxed around Ace than me.”
He scratched the back of his head. “I’m sure that’s true. The dynamics of team guys are different, and I’ve known Ace for a very long time.”
“That’s exactly what Lucas said. Do you regret leaving your team to come work for IFICS?”
“Not yet,” he smiled ruefully. “Ask me again after we complete the mission.”
Kaitlyn felt a rush of pleasure at the fact that Erik would rather be with her than Ace.
They entered the kitchen and were met with a pleasant smell of fresh bread. Ace and Nick sat eating stew and freshly heated rolls.
“Hired help hiding out in the kitchen?” Erik said with an easy grin.
Ace spread his hands out in front of him. “The wonderful life of a civilian contractor.”
Erik reached down and grabbed one of the rolls. “Why’d you get out anyway? I thought for sure you’d be a lifer.”
“Probably the same reason you did. Burnt out and the pay of a glorified chauffeur is oh so much better.”
“Ain’t that the truth.” Nick held his hand out for a fist bump. Kaitlyn looked down at her own hand. She and Erik had never bumped fists before.
“You guys feel like stretching your legs?” Erik asked, turning his neck from side to side.
“What do you have in mind?” Nick asked, leaning back in the chair.
“Harrington told me there’s a gym with a wide open area in one of the outbuildings.”
Ace cracked his knuckles. “I’m game.”
Erik looked towards Kaitlyn with a raised eyebrow. “You in?”
“Sure, why not,” Kaitlyn said, hiding her smile. The idea of going head-to-head with Ace sent a small thrill through her.
Her gaze shifted to the table, and she eyed the buttery rolls, but resisted the urge to grab one.
Kaitlyn started to pull her shirt over her head, but Erik grabbed her arm. It took her a moment to realize the mistake. Even with the change of the plastic to skin tone in hand to hand, it would be obvious she was not quite human.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Erik smiled, and she was surprised to feel her heart swell or more accurately, her chest, since she didn’t exactly have a heart.
“Ace won’t know what hit him.” He chuckled.
Kaitlyn wondered if their relationship had grown with the introduction of his buddy, Ace. A smile and a laugh that were directed at her, all in one day. She realized that she would like to be friends with Erik. Something she hadn’t given any thought to until this trip. Before, it was strictly business.
“Man, this place is state of the art.” Nick whistled.
“No shit. Your company must be loaded,” Ace said, taking in the large space. The walls were lined with padding. Fifteen foot climbing ropes hung from rafters, and a large rock-climbing wall sat off to the left in the back. On the other side were Olympic lifting platforms with weights, medicine balls, concept two rowers, and other fitness equipment. “Harrington told us there was also an indoor and outdoor range.”
Kaitlyn thought it was a nice setup, but nothing compared to what they had on the compound.
“Yeah, the whole nine yards,” Erik agreed.
“Up for a little hand-to-hand combat?” Erik asked looking at Ace.
“Always.”
Ace reached up to stretch, and Erik shook his head.
“Cold, no stretching. You and Kaitlyn first and Nick can take the winner. I’ll take the winner from that match.”
“Rules?” Nick asked.
“None, other than tap out when you’ve had enough.”
“I like it.” Ace grinned. “Anyone want to put some money on the table?”
“Money?” Kate asked, confused.
“You know a bet? Where have you been under a rock?” Ace laughed at his own joke.
Now a bet she knew. “One thousand dollars that I win.”
Ace’s eyes widened and Nick looked Kaitlyn up and down as if seeing her as competition for the first time.
Ace rubbed his hands together in front of him. “Daddy could use a little extra money.”
“You have a kid?” Kaitlyn asked, surprised.
“No, I don’t have any kids. It’s just an expression.” He gave her a strange look.
Kaitlyn mentally kicked herself. She wasn’t doing a very good job of blending in it seemed.
“How about you, Nick?” Erik asked.
“Nah, I’m good. That’s a little too rich for my blood,” Nick said as he took off his jeans to reveal black shorts he was wearing underneath.
“My money is on Kaitlyn.” Erik nodded in her direction.
“You’re going to bet against yourself? What the hell happened to you after you left the corps? You’ve gone soft,” Ace said, disgusted. “I’ll tell you right now, no girl is going to kick my ass.”
Right. Kaitlyn thought while suppressing her smile.
Ace clapped his hands together. “Let’s get this party started. I apologize beforehand, if I mar your pretty face, but once the gloves are off …”
“Two thousand says you never touch my face,” Kaitlyn said evenly.
“Whooa, didn’t you learn overconfidence could be an operator’s biggest nemesis?” Ace said.
Kaitlyn shrugged. “It’s just money.”
“Just money? Okay, you’re on.” Ace tossed off his jacket and swaggered towards the middle of the room, bouncing from foot to foot and throwing punches at the air.
Kaitlyn could attack him before he made it to the middle, since there were no rules, but she’d try to make it last a little longer. She liked the idea of toying with Ace. Nick was nice and made good hot chocolate, so she’d just end it quickly with him.
Ace towered over her with a cocky grin that she couldn’t wait to wipe off his face. He leaned forward slightly on the balls of his feet, knees bent, ready to spring, in a typical fighting stance. But she could tell by the look in his eyes, he was relaxed, like he was ready to have some fun. Ace really thought she didn’t have a chance at taking him down. She was both perplexed and intrigued by this.
Ace made a slow move towards the left, and Kaitlyn slid towards the right.
“You afraid, pretty girl?”
“Not even slightly,” Kaitlyn retorted. She and Erik never bothered with trash talking. She’d seen it countless times in the movies and always thought it was rather silly, but she had to admit it was a little fun.
“Bring it on, sweet thing.” He brought his hands up close to his face, palms closed like a boxer.
Ok, well, she definitely didn’t enjoy being called sweet thing. Time for a little ass kicking.
“You’re going down, Ace.”
He laughed loudly, and Kaitlyn almost smiled herself. Maybe she was funny after all.
Ace motioned for her to come forward.
Kaitlyn kept her palms open Krav Maga style. She could do a lot of damage with the web or the palm of her hand.
She loved the ritual of the dance, the heightened perception of every flicker of movement. It truly was a game of sorts trying to guess her opponent’s next move.
Ace continued to circle her and Kaitlyn mimicked his moves; together they were making the figure eight. Ace was cocky, but he also wasn’t about to underestimate her. He was a large man, though he moved gracefully on his feet. Maybe she hadn’t given him enough credit.
Kaitlyn threw a jab that Ace easily anticipated and blocked.
Ace pivoted from his front to his back foot and launched a counterattack, a frenzy of jabs mainly towards her face that she deflected with ease. He was taking this bet seriously, Kaitlyn thought, amusing herself.
Kaitlyn delivered a blow to his midsection, and Ace gave her a lopsided grin. “Nice.”
Why was he talking to her? Kaitlyn took advantage and swept her left foot catching him in the ankle. Ace lost his balance and landed on his ass, but quickly sprang back onto his feet. Now he didn’t look so happy.
He lunged forward and took a hard swing towards her solar plexus, but she blocked the blow with her right forearm.
Kaitlyn ducked when Ace threw a left hook that would have knocked her across the room had it connected. She switched directions and threw two hard right jabs. The first one missed and the second connected with his chin, but Ace held his ground and didn’t even stumble.
Erik and Nick were laughing in the background.
She could see the change in his demeanor. This was no longer a game. His face was slick with sweat and eyes blazing while his chest heaved up and down. She could sense his next move. A strategy to counter him and win was already formed in her mind. Ace let out a loud battle cry before he charged, just as she knew he would.
Kaitlyn feinted to her left and hit him with a solid kidney punch.
Ace grunted, staggering back a couple of feet. Pissed off, he attacked again, but she blocked the blow with her left hand, wrist to wrist. They parlayed back and forth for nearly fifteen minutes. Everything he threw at her, she deflected. She was always faster and managed to land her own blows. Ace was now drenched in sweat, face covered in blood, and she wasn’t even breathing hard. She could see the worried look in his eyes, and it gave her a small amount of pleasure. She was, after all, just an odd, pretty little thing.
Suddenly, she realized her mistake. She was not acting like a normal person. Not even an advanced trained person. She needed to take him down quickly. Moving quickly forward, she swiped the side of his kneecap. He lost his balance and fell forward on his knee. In one swift move, Kaitlyn was behind him, wrapping her arm around his neck and jerked him backwards.
Eyes wide, Ace tapped the ground as soon as he hit the floor.
Kaitlyn looked up and saw the concern in Erik’s eyes. She screwed up. It was okay for her to go all out on Erik, he knew what she was, but it was unacceptable in this situation. Perhaps Adams was right and she had too much pride.
“Looks like you owe my partner two g’s,” Erik said, shaking his head.
Ace hung his head. “I must be having an off day.”
Relief washed over her. She was going to have to learn to be more careful. She’d gotten lucky that Ace hadn’t called her out.
“You ready Nick?” Kaitlyn wiped her brow as if there were actually sweat on it.
“I was thinking you deserved some more hot chocolate after that ass kicking,” he said with a disarming smile.
“Don’t want to be thumped by a girl?” Erik teased.
“Something like that.” Nick grinned. “I’ll even throw in extra marshmallows.”
“Deal.” Kaitlyn and Erik exchanged a look, silently acknowledging that had been a close call.
CHAPTER 9
How many days had passed? Five, six, more? Aaliyah lost count. Without the rise and fall of the sun, it was impossible for her to keep track. It could have been weeks for all she knew. At first, the loss of time had really bothered her. She couldn’t stop wondering what her family was doing. Did they miss her at school? Most of all, did Noah think she had forgotten about him? Was he going crazy or had he already moved on? No, he couldn’t have moved on that quickly. He cared too deeply for her. But what if he thought she had willingly ran away? The thought caused her chest to constrict. If only she could somehow get word to her family that she was okay. Relatively, anyway.
Everything felt surreal. How could she possibly be a prisoner?
Her head was pounding, and it was becoming more and more difficult to think straight.
A noise made her jerk her eyes toward the left.
The door creaked open and she involuntarily flinched, fear burned in her stomach. God, she hated when she did that.
In came the taller man, the one who had brought her into the hellhole. He shut the door behind him. She hadn’t left the room since she arrived. The only time she left the bed was to shower and go to the bathroom. Dasvoik insisted she needed to be clean when he came to his bed.
Clean? She would never be clean again. Her body and soul had been soiled. She spent hours alone staring at the ceiling feeling like she was losing her mind—knowing she was losing her mind. Oh, dear God, why was this happening to her?
Aaliyah fought to control and conceal the dread that swept over her.
The only thing that kept her sane was the faint hope of saving her brother and her memories of Noah. Like a movie, she replayed their time together. Noah had been so sweet and loving. She recalled the way they danced in the rain, walked hand in hand through the streets, how they used to laugh together. He had been so proud to be with her. He didn’t care about the color of her skin or the slums she lived in. Even though they came from two different worlds, they had somehow found a blissful middle ground. She knew she didn’t belong in his world, any more than he belonged in her world. But when they were together, their love could not be denied. In their sacred space, they belonged to each other. It was as if they had been destined for the other. Two halves of a whole. Her heart ached. Could someone die of a broken heart? The pain was so deep it infused every inch of her body. She thought it could be a possibility.
Sometimes, she had conversations with him in her head. If only he were really there, to talk with her, and help her figure out a way to escape.
Aaliyah could no longer think about their kisses and sweet caresses. She couldn’t think of Noah’s lips on hers without recalling Dasvoik’s hands on her skin. He had claimed her body in such a vile way that she didn’t think she could ever think of anyone touching her again. Soiled. He had soiled her. There was no coming back from something like that. Even at her young age, she knew that to be true.
Noah would never understand. He would never forgive her. She would never forgive herself.
“It’s time to move.” The voice startled her. She had forgotten the man had entered the room. She found herself doing that more often lately. Drifting.
“Move where?” she asked dispassionately. She didn’t care where they went. She knew no matter where they moved her, Dasvoik would still come to her. He would still hurt her. She would never get away.
“You should be happy. You’ll briefly be reunited with your brother.”
“My brother?” Her pulse raced at the words. She tried to sit up, but her hands were bound�
��as usual.
“It’s time for you to join the others, I’m afraid.”
He’s afraid? What others? Suddenly, she didn’t like the sound of the move at all. But the thought of her brother, of seeing his beautiful smile again. For that she would endure anything.
“Okay.” Unconsciously, she wet her lips and tried to mentally steel herself for the move. She had to appear normal to her brother. It was not going to be easy. She couldn’t even recall what normal felt like.
“You’re not going to cause any trouble are you? The boss is agitated. He always gets upset when it’s time to move the merchandise. I would advise you not to anger him.”
Why was this man warning her? She already knew what the monster was capable of. Even the slightest thing wrong caused her to be punished. It was amazing she could still move. She didn’t bother to answer him. It suddenly hit her that she didn’t even care he was seeing her nude. She was no longer self-conscious or even repulsed. When had that part of her changed?
He came over, cut the rope between her feet and pulled her legs off the side of the bed. Her arms were tied in front of her, and he kept them bound. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
Stupid? You mean like stop and talk to strangers in the middle of the night in the ghetto? She’d already made enough stupid mistakes to last her a lifetime. She would not enrage his boss. Not if her brother was around to witness it.
Maybe Dasvoik had grown bored of her? No, the tall man had said something about moving merchandise. Before she had time to give it anymore thought, she was pulled to her feet.
He stood beside her and waited till the blood rushed to her feet, a kind movement. The shorter bald one always pulled her forward and laughed when she fell to her knees. Then, he would drag his hands over her naked body when he pulled her back up. His grubby little fingers lingering way too long on her breast. Only if Dasvoik wasn’t around, of course. He wouldn’t dare touch her inappropriately in front of her true owner. A shudder flew through her—owner. When had she accepted his words as truth?