He set another layout down on top of the map showing the blueprint of Kalensko’s home. One of the men in the corner adjusted the light above them to make sure that everyone could see it. The small group moved in closer together with the exception of Anatoly, who spread his arms further apart to keep everyone out of his private space.
Running his hands over the paper to smooth out the edges, the leader looked over at Anatoly who attentively watched his every move. “This is Kalensko’s private quarters. Thankfully, he’s a creature of habit, and our Intel shows that he retires up to his room around the same time every night. Best entry is here through these hallways and up this stairwell.”
Gabriel chewed ferociously on a stick of gum and leaned against the table. Sucking his teeth, he looked at the schematics again. “We should come up from the opposite hallways and take this staircase,” he said, pointing on the paper. “This room directly across from Kalensko’s and the room adjoining it are probably where he’s going to have reinforcements…you know…personal security. If they come out of the rooms, especially if we don’t get to him within the five minute window, then we’re going to be approaching them first and him second, giving him time to get out and putting us in an unnecessary firefight.” He popped his gum and looked over at Anatoly.
“Da, da. Listen to him. He knows this shit,” Anatoly said, without thinking twice.
The leader retracted. “Fine. We take the team there. It is my understanding that we are responsible for breaking up into four groups: gate, outside perimeter, downstairs and upstairs hallway while you two go in an interrogate Kalensko alone. Correct?”
“Yep,” Gabe answered, studying the paper. He didn’t look up.
“No one goes in with us,” Anatoly sighed, shaking his head. “But I have a feeling that after we take control of the mansion, it’s still going to get pretty fucked up after we get what we want. So, don’t worry, you’ll have plenty to do.”
“Yes, sir. Well, we estimate a total of 6 minutes from the time that we hit the gate to the time that we connect you to Kalensko.”
“Sounds good to me,” Anatoly said, putting a K-bar in the knife sheath on his thigh. “Let’s go. I want to be on a plane out of here in two hours. We still have to visit Natasha before we get home.”
“You heard the man,” the leader said to the entire team scattered around the room. “Leave your cell phones here, and pick up your drop phones as you leave out of the door. Synchronize your watches and do one last weapons check. You have five minutes before we depart. If you somehow get separated from the team during the assault, remember that we will rendezvous at the stash house in Liesing to debrief and receive final payment. Let’s go make our paychecks, gentlemen.”
Anatoly quietly listened to the leader rally his men and gritted his teeth to hold his tongue. Anger sparked in him like a wick next to a flame. Because while to them, they were just making another payday, to him this was as personal as things could get. This was about his Anya. His sister. His blood. He had killed once before over a sister of his, but as a boy he hadn’t carried the rage that he had now. As a man looking at the situation, he was infinitely more aware of what the ramifications were behind the matter. Someone had actually watched, plotted and stolen his blood right from under their noses and did it was such brazen disrespect until everyone had to pay.
There was nothing textbook or normal about the matter. The Medlov name was in peril, and the only way to remedy the situation was make an example out of everyone involved.
“You alright, man?” Gabriel asked, throwing his backpack over his shoulder.
“I’m fine,” Anatoly lied. “Let’s just get this done.”
Chapter 15
The silence of the room was deafening. A teenage girl sat on the edge of the king-sized bed watching Upheil while he flossed his teeth in the adjoining bathroom and every once in a while looked her way with a twisted, toothy disgusting grin. She felt her small meal of oats and milk given to her earlier in the day begin to push against the lining of her stomach and beg to be uprooted from her gut into her small hands.
Pursing her mouth together to fight its watering, she stilled her racing heart that nervously beat against her chest and promised to stop all together if he did what the others had told him that he would do to her.
Tonight was her first night with the colonel. He had picked her from the handful of girls that he kept in his basement for “testing.” Whenever the girls were returned, they normally had cuts and bruises and cried for many days after. Some of them whispered about their experiences, confessing to each other about the depraved things that he would have them do both to him and his men.
It was disgusting to think about and unnerving to experience, but what could they do? They were all trapped in this sick demented nightmare with no chance of ever waking up.
Iyana was still a virgin and had hopes of one day becoming a music teacher, until about a month ago when she was plucked from her family’s clutches after school in Munich, Germany and thrown into the back of an unmarked squad car while she was headed home from violin practice.
The men had identified themselves as police officers, but later – much too late - she had found out differently. The men had taken her to a condemned house where she was drugged and then shipped here.
Iyana had seen what Upheil was capable of doing to the girls. Just the night before, he had savagely beat a young Asian girl only a year older than herself for refusing to have sex with one of the forty year old guards who had paid for her as part of his early birthday gift. She was now in the cellar below being treated by the other girls for her cuts and wounds that covered her feet and hands for her disobedience.
Upheil didn’t like to damage parts of the girls’ bodies that the clients thought were important like their faces, back and legs. So he focused his brutal torture on places that might not be thoroughly inspected when the time came.
Iyana didn’t want to be beaten like that…ever. So, instead of fighting, she sat quietly awaiting her inspection by him and praying that a miracle would happen. She still believed in miracles even though she lived in a nightmare, prayed every night for one, hoped that her family had not forgotten her, willed herself not to give up on the possibility of escape and returning home to them, even though the colonel regularly told them that that would never happen.
The water in the faucet abruptly stopped, and Upheil emerged from the bathroom in a silk crimson robe, open slightly to reveal his growing erection peaking pale and hard from his garment.
Iyana looked over unexpectedly at him and then away in repulsion, turning her glare to the ground.
“Now, now girl. Don’t be afraid. Tonight, I will make you a woman,” he said, walking up to her. He lifted her delicate chin and looked into her chestnut eyes. “How old are you anyway?” A lustful grin painted his hard face.
Iyana swallowed in fear. “I’m fourteen,” she said, feeling her lip quiver.
“Ripe,” Upheil hissed.
Just as he moved his hand from her face to her gown to push it down to see the small bulb of breast under the thin fabric, the power went off.
Iyana breathed a sigh of relief, but Upheil did not share her enthusiasm.
“Again with the fucking power!” he screamed. Unable to help himself, he leaned lower to her face and forcefully grabbed the back of her head. “A kiss before I handle this.” He kissed her sweet lips with thick laps of his meaty tongue. His mouth was cold and wet like a fish fresh out of water. And even though he had tried to do well of hiding his natural musk with cologne and body wash, he still reeked of the old man smell her grandfather had when she was girl.
Iyana was sickened to her stomach and could finally feel herself give way to her nausea. Upheil, oblivious to her current state, pushed the full weight of his body on top her and felt her small frame press against the mattress. Running a hand over her hip, he suddenly heard the girl gag and without notice, he smelled and felt hot fluid leap from her small mouth onto his f
ace and body.
“Bitch,” he lurched, jumping up. He rubbed the vomit from his cheek and reached back. Slapping the girl with the back of his hand, her head bobbed against the large ring on his finger.
He pulled himself, knees cracking, from the bed and went to turn on the light. It was then that he remembered that they were without power. Iyana was still in shock from the blow to her head and was lying on the bed crying.
“Shut the fuck up, you little cunt,” Upheil ordered. “Guards!”
There was no answer.
“Guards!!!” he screamed again, this time with more authority.
Still there was no answer.
The room was only illuminated by the open window and the pale moonlight that slipped into it, bringing also chilled winds, but Iyana could see Upheil’s wretched, scowling face.
His short, pudgy hand gripped the door knob and flung it open to scream again to find two unfamiliar figures standing and waiting.
With men behind them in the hallway, Anatoly and Gabriel stood side-by-side with guns pulled and quickly pushed him back inside the room.
As soon as the door was closed, the lights turned back on. The jolt of electricity surging through the house sent alarms sounding and televisions and lights blazing on. The alarm clock on the nightstand flashed 12:00.
Sitting up on the bed in her vomit, Iyana wiped her face and looked on confused at the two men that she’d never seen before, especially the tall one.
Gabriel glanced at her a minute before he reached over to the chair and passed her the throw hanging over it. She took it gratefully.
“You dirty old son of a bitch,” Anatoly said, pointing the gun at Upheil. “You get off fucking young girls?”
“Who are you?” Upheil asked, hands up. He glanced down at Anatoly’s Glock.
“You’ll know who I am soon enough.” Waving his gun towards the chair, he ordered Upheil. “Sit down and shut up.”
Upheil did as Anatoly said. Plopping down on the chair, he pulled his robe over his legs and looked over at Gabriel. “What is the meaning of this?”
“We’re here for some information on a little girl,” Anatoly said, checking his watch.
Gabriel went into his backpack and pulled out duct tape and rope. He threw it to Anatoly and went to check on the girl. Lifting her chin, he looked at her swelling eye. “He did this to you?” he asked the girl. His deep baritone rumbled in the quiet room.
“Yes,” she answered with a nod.
“Did he touch you anywhere else?” He hated to ask but could not help but be concerned. It was clear that the girl was underage and malnourished.
She began to instantly cry. “No. Not yet.” She looked over at Upheil. “He was about to but I threw up.”
“Hey, hey.” Gabriel stole her attention. “You don’t have to worry about him anymore. We’re going to get you home. You want to go home?” His eyes were bright with promise.
“Yes,” she said sobbing. “But there are more of us…down in the cellar.”
Gabriel clenched his jaw. “You don’t have to worry. We’ll get all of you.”
Anatoly looked over at the girl and rolled his eyes. “I’m not here about her. I’m here about another little girl. Anya Medlov,” he said to Upheil.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Upheil said, wondering where his men were.
Anatoly stood back. “Little girl…” He looked over at Iyana. “Take the rope and tape and secure his legs and arms to the back of this chair. You think you could do that?”
Iyana jumped up from the bed and quickly went to work without saying a word.
“Payback is a bitch,” Gabriel smirked. “We might even let some of the other little girls down in the cellar come up and play with you.”
“It all depends on if you tell us what we want to know,” Anatoly chimed in. “Now, I’m going to ask you this question one last time before I begin to carve very specific things off your old ass. Have you seen or heard about Anya Medlov.” Anatoly took his sister’s picture out of his pocket and put it in Upheil’s face.
The colonel looked hard at the picture and sighed. “I haven’t seen her personally. I only took bids on her.”
Anatoly’s heart sank into his stomach. “What kind of bids? Where is she? Who’s brokering the deal?”
“One question at a time,” Gabriel said, taking out his voice recorder. He hit record and placed the machine on the table beside them.
Anatoly started again. “What kind of bids?”
“And what do I get out of this?” Upheil asked, looking down at Iyana as she tied his hairy legs to the ends of the chair.
“For one, you get to keep your dick,” Anatoly said, fighting the urge to shoot him.
Upheil was sold. “I was contacted by a guy named Balthazar with a proposal to put the little girl up for bid.”
“What’s Balthazar’s last name?” Gabriel asked.
“I don’t know,” Upheil answered.
“And,” Anatoly said, gripping the gun. “Go on.”
“And I’m supposed to get her after the ransom money is paid. Medlov will pay Balthazar and the girl will be given back only to be re-abducted during the exchange and sold on the black market.”
“How do you get in touch with this Balthazar?” Anatoly asked impatiently.
“I don’t. He gets in touch with me. The number is next door in my study,” Upheil said, feeling Iyana tying up his hands now. “Is this really necessary?”
“Is fucking a child necessary?” Gabriel snapped.
“Who’s bidding?” Anatoly asked quickly.
“We have a list of twenty. The price so far is at 50 million in U.S. dollars,” Upheil said, shrugging his shoulders. Even though he was a hostage, Anatoly could still see the absurd pride in his demeanor.
“50 million dollars?” Anatoly repeated.
“A good price right. I tell you what… you let me go, and I’ll see that you get a cut of that.”
Anatoly smiled. “See that I get a cut of it.” His eyes narrowed. “Why would I want a cut of my sister’s piddly fee? I don’t know what to be more offended by, the little money she’s going for or the fact that you think that I’m such a suka.”
Upheil regretted his words. Trying to refashion them, he countered. “I did not…”
“Did not what?” Anatoly asked, moving closer to Upheil. “You. Did. Not. Know. What?!!” His loud voice echoed throughout the room.
Gabriel braced himself for the reaction.
“Please. Wait. Listen to me,” Upheil said, feeling the situation escalate beyond his control.
Anatoly could see the fear in his eyes. Slowly running the nuzzle of his gun over Upheil’s leg, he finally pushed it down in between his legs. “Where’s the list?”
“In my computer…next door,” Upheil answered, breathing hard. Sweat formed on his forehead. He looked down at the gun touching his balls. “Listen to me. I will do anything you ask. There is no need for this.”
“Gabriel, go next door. Get on Colonel Kalensko’s computer and pull the list and the address of this Balthazar for me, will you,” Anatoly said, looking Upheil in the eye as he cocked his gun.
“Oh, God. Wait,” Upheil begged.
“What is the password?” Gabriel asked, hearing gunshots get closer to their position. He got on the radio. “Foxtrot to Zulu. What’s your status?”
The voice on the radio answered back quickly. “Zulu to Foxtrot. The perimeter is nearly 100 percent secure. We found a few stragglers. How long do you need?’
“How long do we need?” Gabriel asked Anatoly.
“A few more minutes,” Anatoly answered grimly.
“Twenty minutes,” Gabriel answered the voice on the radio.
Opening the door that led to Upheil’s study, he walked over to his desk and turned on his computer. “Password!” he shouted from the other room.
“Clydesdale,” Upheil answered.
Gabriel typed in the password and accessed the computer.
While he looked at Upheil’s most recent files, Anatoly continued his interrogation.
“So what was the plan after Anya was re-abducted?” Anatoly asked, pulling a seat in front of Upheil.
“Balthazar would have his men fly the girl to Cape Town where the highest bidder lives. Once she was delivered and the payment made, then Balthazar would take his cut and I would take mine.”
“And just like that, you’ve sold a little baby.” He was amazed and disgusted at the same time. “How much do most girls go for?”
“The highest bid I’ve ever had for any person has been four million,” Upheil answered quickly. “You have to understand. This is just a business.”
Anatoly cut him off. “Nothing personal…yeah, I know the saying.”
“Got it,” Gabriel said, printing off the info on the bidders. But I can’t find the info on Balthazar.”
“It’s right there in the files with the other information,” Upheil said, turning his head to try to see inside of the study. “It’s marked Bal.”
“It’s not here,” Gabriel said, looking again.
“I’m telling you, it’s there,” he screamed back.
“I don’t have time for this shit. Gabriel, have one of the men come up here and take the entire fucking computer,” Anatoly answered. Sitting back in his chair, he pulled out his cell phone and called his father on a secure line.
Dmitry answered the call immediately. “Does he know anything?” he asked.
Anatoly knew his father wouldn’t be happy with the news, but he told him anyway.
Dmitry listened quietly and then pulled the phone away from his ear for a minute. When he returned, he had regained his composure even though the end table and lamp had been knocked over and destroyed.
Saving Anya Page 12