by Liliana Hart
She felt the air move behind her just before a black sack was tossed over her head. She kicked out blindly, but against so many she knew she was better off saving her energy. Her hands and feet were bound and she was tossed unceremoniously into the backseat of a car. A foot shoved her to the floorboard and then gave her another small kick as someone got into the backseat with her. She heard the distinct sound of a bullet being chambered into a gun and went completely still.
But it was the rapid spatter of Russian that had her breathing out a sigh of relief. It wasn’t Jonah who’d found her. At least not yet.
CHAPTER FOUR
It had been three weeks since Declan had passed on the assignment to bring in Audrey Sharpe. Archer had to hand it to Dec, he never hired anyone who wasn’t the best of the best. And Audrey Sharpe was pretty damned good.
If he hadn’t read her file from cover to cover, memorizing her patterns and trying to get inside her head and see how her mind worked, then he probably never would have found her. And he hated to admit it, but luck had been as much of a factor as his skill with this job. If he hadn’t seen her get tossed into the back seat of an SUV, she more than likely would’ve been long gone by the time he got close enough to make contact.
She’d been alive when they’d bound her hands and tossed the black cloth bag over her head, so he wasn’t particularly worried about her safety for the time being. He was more curious as to why Russian intelligence agents wanted her. It had been a while since he’d used the language, but from his hiding place, and the direction the wind was blowing, he heard and understood enough that they needed Audrey. At least for the time being.
Archer waited until the three all-terrain SUVs, one of which had Audrey in the backseat, started the drive north. There was only one road in that direction—a two-way stretch most people only used when they were headed to fish in the many rivers around the area. There were some abandoned campgrounds and the remains of a town that had once been popular during the gold rush, but the population had dwindled and the buildings had mostly fallen into disrepair. Only a couple of hundred people called it home now.
Archer waited a couple of minutes and then started up his Jeep to follow behind, turning the heat to high. He hit speed dial on his phone and then set the call to speaker so he could keep his hands free.
“MacKenzie,” Declan barked out. “Someone had better be dead.”
Archer’s brows rose at the uncharacteristic display of irritation from his friend. Dec was about the most level-headed person he’d ever known, and he’d always said temper was counterproductive to getting the job done.
“Is this a bad time?” Archer asked.
On the other end of the line, Declan tried to get his brain in working order while Sophia wreaked havoc with his libido. They were having a lazy Saturday morning in bed, but no matter how much she was tempting him with that sweet mouth, he was the boss and he was always available to his agents.
“We’re good, but make it fast.” He narrowed his gaze and shook his head in warning at Sophia. And then his fingers dug into the sheets as she gave him a wicked smile and tucked the head of his cock between her plump lips.
“Jesus.”
“Boss? You there?”
“Have you found Audrey Sharpe?” Dec tried thinking of anything and everything but Sophia’s magic tongue and the way her hand tightened around the base of his cock and squeezed. She licked over the engorged head, sending electric impulses through his entire body.
His fingers threaded through her hair, and he had the brief thought that he should hold her off, but instead he guided her down so she took him in completely, surrounding his cock with the wet warmth of her mouth. She was playing with fire, and he couldn’t wait to return the favor.
“You could say that,” Archer said. “I just watched a group of Russians toss her into the back of a car and drive away.”
“What? Wait—” he said to Sophia and then sat up straighter in bed.
“Wait for what?” Archer asked, the confusion evident in his voice.
“Sorry, wasn’t talking to you. Where are you? Is she still alive?”
“We’re in Alaska. And she’s alive. I’m following behind as we speak.”
“It wouldn’t be good for MacKenzie Security to have any disagreements with Russia. We’ve got several contracts for services at the moment.”
“So noted. I’ll make sure I’m not wearing my MacKenzie Security T-shirt when I kick their asses.”
Dec’s lips twitched and he relaxed against the headboard. Archer would take care of any situations and he’d protect MacKenzie Security. He could always count on Archer. Sophia made a satisfied hum in the back of her throat and continued her task of driving him crazy. His balls drew up tight against his body and he could feel the come building, waiting for release.
And then Sophia did the unthinkable and crawled up his body until she straddled his hips. His heart thudded in his chest and he leaned forward to nip at the plump breast she offered him. And then he held back a groan as she sank down on his cock with no mercy, her pussy clamping around him like a vise.
She couldn’t hold back her own moan as she took him to the hilt, and he forgot about the agent waiting for some kind of response on the other end of the line. His fingers gripped the phone with one hand and Sophia’s hip with the other. And then she threw her head back and began to ride and he was lost.
“Good work,” Dec said, his voice strained as he reversed their positions so Sophia was flat on her back. He slid deep inside of her and watched her face as she climaxed beneath him. “Gotta go.”
Archer’s brow crooked at the sound of moans of pleasure being cut off as the phone disconnected. Now he felt a little bit like a voyeur. And he was a little turned on, which made the situation even worse.
He blew out a breath and tried to remember the last time he’d had a woman in his bed. It had been too long to remember.
“Declan gets sex, and I’m chasing down Russians and a woman who doesn’t want to be found. Life is so unfair.”
***
Audrey probably would’ve disagreed with Archer’s statement had she heard it. She very much wanted to be found.
After an hour-long car ride over a road that felt like it had been made completely of potholes, her legs and hands had fallen asleep. Fighting back would’ve been a useless effort when they stopped the car and pulled her out by the collar of her shirt. She immediately dropped to her knees since her legs wouldn’t support her, and laughter erupted from those who circled her. Snow seeped through her black cargo pants and she was grateful for the neoprene skin suit she wore beneath them.
“Pick her up and bring her inside,” one of the men said in Russian. “Stop playing.”
Audrey’s head hung down and the blood was rushing back to her extremities. Her skin prickled like it was being stuck with hot needles. She bit back a groan as they jerked her to her feet and pushed her forward. She’d managed to work her gloves off and she’d started loosening the ropes before she’d lost feeling in her hands, but she hadn’t progressed far.
The black bag still covered her head, but she could see pinpricks of sunlight through the fabric. The smell of salt and sea was still strong, though the wind wasn’t near as piercing as it had been closer to the shoreline.
Her feet kicked chunks of ice and snow as they led her about fifty yards from the car. The sunlight disappeared, shaded by the building they’d led her to, and she listened as a bolt cutter was used to cut through the lock.
“Hurry. Gregor wants us finished within the hour.”
A laugh slithered against her skin and an arm curled around her body as a hand roughly squeezed her breast.
“Have you gotten a look at her face?” the man holding her said. “I’m not going to be done in an hour.”
The other men laughed and Audrey had to resist the urge to fight against them. It was best to make them think she was weak so she had the advantage of surprise later.
The door slid
open noisily, on rails that were in desperate need of oiling, and she felt the rush of air across her skin as it whooshed past. The smell of rotten fish over an underlying odor of motor oil and decaying meat had the gorge rising in the back of her throat, and she had to take a moment to breathe in shallow pants through her mouth.
“Go,” he said, shoving her through the opening. The door slid closed behind her with an ominous clank that sent sweat snaking down her spine.
Footsteps crunched over the broken concrete floor and they pushed her further inside—another thirty steps. They untied her hands and she flexed them to get the blood flowing again and then hands unzipped her jacket and stripped it down her arms. She was left in the long sleeved black thermal top, but without the jacket there was a noticeable difference in the temperature.
Multiple hands patted her down, taking the weapon at the small of her back, the knife sheathed at her wrist, and the other knife in her boot. They turned her around and shoved her again so the backs of her legs hit something hard, and at the same time hands pushed down on her shoulders so she was sitting in a chair.
Her arms were jerked back, straining the muscles in her shoulders, and they retied her hands. Whoever was tying them wasn’t as experienced as the last person because she was able to get her hands in a position where there’d be extra room to maneuver. They bound each of her ankles to a chair leg, and then the bag was jerked off her head.
Audrey blinked a couple of times as her eyesight adjusted, and then felt a sharp sting against her face as one of the men backhanded her, snapping her head back. She tasted blood from where her teeth had cut the inside of her cheek and she spat it out at his feet.
“Bitch,” he said in perfect English.
And then she smiled and relaxed back against the chair. The ropes that banded her wrists together burned as she worked at them.
She took note of her surroundings, calculating the best route of escape. The warehouse was large, obviously abandoned, and the only light coming in was from the sun shining through broken out windows and leaving grotesque shadows on the floors.
Old boat parts littered the space and it didn’t take her long to find the cause of the awful smell. Whale carcasses were in different stages of decomposition along the side of the warehouse. Natives were allowed to legally hunt and kill a certain number of whales per year for the meat and oil, but the practice was illegal to anyone else. It looked like someone was using the warehouse to hide the contraband.
Windows were spaced evenly on one side, and even though most of the glass was broken out, they were covered by chicken wire and wouldn’t be a viable means of escape. There was only one door in and out that she could see. Things were not looking good.
“You’ve gotten in our way, Ms. Sharpe,” said a man from the back of the pack. She recognized his voice as the one who’d told the others to stop playing with her. The others moved to either side of her, leaving a direct line of sight between her and the man in charge.
Audrey continued to stare at him but didn’t say anything. She was as curious for information as they were. He was older than the others and clearly the leader. The scruff on his face was silver, and a black watch cap was pulled low over his head. He’d stripped off his jacket and gloves so he only wore a black T-shirt and cargo pants, which was never a good sign. It meant things were probably going to get messy.
“I’ve studied you. I know of your past with the man Jonah Salt and that you are hunting him now. Why?”
She continued to stare at him and he smiled before wrapping her hair around his fist and yanking her head back. A knife pricked at her throat and she smelled the coppery tang of blood as the blade bit into her skin.
“I could slit your throat,” he whispered, his face so close his whiskers scratched her cheek.
“It would be hard for me to talk if you did,” she answered in Russian, turning her head slightly to meet his gaze.
He nodded in what she thought might be approval and moved the knife away slowly. “Yes, well, maybe we should start with other parts of the body. But I’ve been known to play nice. For instance, my name is Alexsei.” He let go of her hair and backed away a step, but he didn’t put the knife away. “It is good for a captive to know her captor, wouldn’t you agree?”
“It certainly makes it more convenient to track you down later,” she said dryly.
He ignored her attempt at humor and began cleaning his fingernails with the tip of his knife. “We’ve been looking for Jonah Salt for a while now. It was only by chance that we stumbled across you trying to do the same.”
Audrey arched a brow. What in the hell would the Russians want with Jonah? If she voiced the question, she’d owe them an answer. And they’d still probably try to kill her.
“If you’re hunting him as well, what does it matter who catches him as long as he’s dead?”
“That’s the problem. We’re not trying to kill him. Jonah Salt’s death would be catastrophic for everyone.”
“Maybe we’re talking about a different Jonah Salt, because from where I’m standing his death could only be good.”
The man smiled again and something about it had her blood chilling and her fingers working quicker at the ropes tying her hands.
“I’m telling you now to stop your hunt or you will die here today.”
She saw the lie in his eyes. They planned for her to die no matter what she agreed to. It was time to test them, to see what they really wanted with Jonah.
“I guess it’s too bad I got a shot off just before you and your goons decided to kidnap me.”
“You lie,” he spat. Anger and something close to terror crossed his face.
“I’m not. He knew I was tracking him and miscalculated. He was expecting me to come at him from the opposite direction. He knows it’d be risky for me to take a shot from the water. Which is exactly what I did. And I succeeded.” The confident smile she gave him did nothing to relieve the tension gathering inside her. Something was very wrong.
“Let me tell you what you’ve done, piz’da. Jonah Salt is the Russian Federation’s number one enemy.”
The fact that he’d just called her a cunt barely registered, because she was too surprised by the information he’d just imparted. If Salt was Russia’s number one enemy, then they were keeping that information to themselves and not reaching out to other agencies to aid in his capture. That was never a good sign.
“As you know, our country relies on the sale of oil, particularly to the United States. Our economy would be devastated without that relationship. And Salt knows this. For the last year he has been holding a few of our tankers hostage. We have many, but he chooses only a handful, arming them with explosives. We do not know which tankers are armed. We only have the demonstration he sent us at the beginning.”
Audrey’s brow furrowed as she tried to recall details of what he might be talking about. And then she remembered. “The Krieg explosion,” she said. “An oil tanker off the Pacific waters. The media called it a mini-Exxon Valdez, though the results weren’t nearly as widespread. You’re saying Salt was responsible?”
“He was. And he’s rigged five other vessels. We don’t know which ones or even where to begin searching. We only know that as long as we pay Salt his blackmail request of a million dollars per month, then he will not detonate the devices and bring an entire country to ruin.”
“Smart of him,” she said, thinking the entire scheme sounded like Jonah. “A steady stream of income. Not enough to draw attention to himself and not enough to break Russia’s pocketbook. Very smart.”
And horrific. She didn’t need Alexsei to explain the ramifications of what would happen if those tankers blew. It’d be a worldwide disaster. Not only the environmental aspects—the affect it would have on water supplies, animals, sea life, and people. But it would also lead to the collapse of Russia’s largest resource. An oil spill of that size in five difference locations would destroy them.
“So tell me, sooka. Did you leave him ali
ve, or did you see him dead?”
“I’m getting tired of the name calling, Alexsei. And here I thought we were friends.” Audrey thought quickly. Time was of the essence and there was no reason for her to hold information back from the Russians. It wasn’t just their world that was in danger.
“You try my patience,” he said, turning the knife in his hand. “I can either call you names or start cutting on your very delectable body.”
“Fair enough,” she said. “It was a shoulder shot, and it looked clean as far as I could tell. I’m not saying he couldn’t succumb to blood loss or infection, but it wasn’t a kill shot.”
Alexsei nodded and gestured for two of his men to leave, presumably to start the search for a wounded Salt and save his worthless life. What hadn’t come out in this conversation was the name of Proteus. She was starting to think that bit of information was her secret to keep. It was a bitter pill to swallow, knowing she’d have to save a man she’d wanted nothing more than to see dead.
Alexsei looked at her one last time and then to the men who still flanked her. “Kill her. And be quick about it.”
Two men approached her from each side, one of them pulling his knife from the sheath at his waist just as the rope gave way on her wrists. She grabbed them by the shirtfronts and knocked their heads together, catching them both off guard with her freedom.
The knife slipped from one of the men’s hands and she caught it, leaning down and cutting the rope wrapped around one of her ankles in one smooth motion. By this time, the other men standing around had recovered their surprise and were circling in. She didn’t waste time and threw the knife at Alexsei, hitting him in the throat, and taking out the biggest threat first. The others she could deal with.
Audrey used one of the fallen men as leverage and swung her leg out, the chair still tied to one ankle so it swung in a wide arc, slamming it against two more men with a satisfying crunch against their heads.