Fire (A Special Agent Novel Book 4)

by C. P. Mandara

  Alain didn’t take this lying down, of course. He had one hand on her elbow and another on her neck trying to shove her backwards, but her momentum carried her forwards. Somehow, she got his gun, and the woman brought it up to his chest. There was a click on its way up, but Lois had already assumed the same thing as me. There was no ammo, and sure enough, there was no accompanying bang. It didn’t matter. She was going to crush his fucking skull with it. Well, I guess she got points for ingenuity, but she wouldn’t get the time to finish the job. That was the anger talking. She’d need to learn to control that.

  Don’t kill her. Please don’t kill her. I felt sure any second now there would be a burst of fire from the guards behind us, but the room remained eerily silent bar the scuffle going on in front of me. What the fuck was going on here? What was I missing?

  It came to me two seconds later. Alain wouldn’t kill the one thing that might allow him any control over his brother. Oh no. He would use her to pull all of Adie’s strings until he did exactly as he was told. Lois had just put a couple of nails in Adie’s coffin, and he wouldn’t thank her for it. She might have also saved his life. Alain hadn’t looked like he was going to stop anytime soon, and judging by the look of his back, he would need surgery - again. It was a heck of a risk to take, but then that was what Alain lived for. He must have found out they were together that night after I pretended to fuck Adie at Adamantines. He knew she’d crack, eventually. It’d been a close call, though.

  The guards were now advancing forward and preparing to intervene, but their weapons were still sheathed, thank fuck. At the moment, Lois was repeatedly slamming the gun into the side of Alain’s head, which sent him reeling towards the wall as he tried to back away from her. When his thugs managed to get a hold of her, she’d just raised the gun up for another smash down on his temple when it was forcibly wrenched away from her. That didn’t stop her. She then yanked Alain’s testicles up to his jaw with a swift knee jerk before slamming her fist into the side of his face. That was when one of the guards got a hold of her left hand and began applying some serious pressure. That stopped her. Shrieking, she dropped to her knees, and the fight drained out of her.

  “You bitch,” Alain exploded, putting a hand to the side of his head. It was already swelling underneath his fingertips and turning a vivid shade of red. The man would have a lump there tomorrow the size of Mount Everest.

  “Me?” she screamed. “What the hell have you just done to your brother? Did you want to kill him?” Lois was hysterical. She was sobbing, hiccupping, screaming, and kicking. I was very glad I wasn’t the one who had to subdue her.

  “Well, it was up to you to stop it, wasn’t it? Next time, intervene a little sooner.” They glared at each other, neither one backing down.

  “You’re an animal. A bullet in the head is far too good for you. When I kill you, you’re going down slowly, Dumortier.” Every word was spat with venom-like intensity. My little hellcat was pissed.

  Alain’s mouth twisted in rage. “Don’t you ever fucking speak to me like that again.” Grabbing a fistful of her hair, he tugged it until her jaw was stretched tight and then gave her a fierce backhander. “I don’t think you’ve got long left in this world, Lois. I wouldn’t make threats you have no chance in hell of keeping.”

  Reaching into his pocket, Alain pulled out a syringe. Lois didn’t blanch. She knew what was coming. Pulling her head sharply to the side, Alain then injected the contents into her neck. At a guess, it was a sedative, at least, that’s what I hoped it was.

  “I’m going to enjoy watching you die, Lois,” Alain said, yanking her head around until she resembled one of those bobble dolls people put on their car dashboard. “Yes, I think I will enjoy that very much.”

  Lois didn’t respond to his threat, she simply stared the bastard out until her eyes rolled back in her head. When he let go of her hair, she slithered to the floor like a popped balloon and the room went silent.

  Things went kind of hazy for me after that. Adie was rushed away as soon as Lois no longer posed a threat, and they left me stuck to my chair for another couple of hours, until someone finally came to put me out of my misery.

  Thankfully, it was someone with medical expertise, and they completed the task with the use of an anaesthetic, which was an interesting bonus. I think I’d have rather gone without. Pain coursing through my veins might have helped me focus. At the moment, I was lost. What was going to happen next? What was he up to?

  Adie would go back to work for him now that he knew Lois could be manipulated. If Alain strung Lois up and threatened to whip her, Adie would cave - or at least I thought he would. It wouldn’t come to that, though. Alain had a different tactic up his sleeve, I was sure of it. There was no way he’d finished with me, either. He lived to watch me suffer, and I would get mine shortly. I’d gladly take the whipping post over all the other scenarios I could think of, but I didn’t think I’d get that lucky.

  For the last week, I’d been tossed in a small concrete holding cell. These thoughts haunted me as I waited to see what would happen. Alain hadn’t fed me, so constant, gnawing hunger made sleep almost impossible, but at least he’d stitched up my hand and left me running water. It was more than I’d expected. When someone finally came to get me, I’d nearly driven myself mad with worry, wondering if Adie and Lois were still alive. With any luck, I was now about to find out.

  Stumbling along between two armed men who virtually had to carry me, thoughts of escape didn’t even cross my mind. I felt as weak as a kitten due to the lack of food, and besides, I’d never have left Lois and Adie on their own. I might be a monster, but even I had my limits.

  The walk was a long one. Wherever Alain had kept me, it was far, far away from everything else. Perhaps he’d been afraid I could walk through walls? I damned nearly tried. A week is a long time to be by yourself and the inactivity almost killed me.

  Lone concrete corridors lit by strip lighting gave way to brick ones, and those then led into what eventually appeared to be some kind of housing complex. The walls were plastered, there were terracotta tiles on the floor, and lots of wooden doors sprouted up everywhere. It was strangely quiet, so there weren’t many people around at this time of day, whatever time that was. There had been no windows in my cell, and so far, I hadn’t come across one on my stroll. Until someone opened a door for me, I had no idea whether it was day or night.

  “In there.” One of the guards then indicated a room, and they stood back and waited for me to go inside. I did so apprehensively. I had no idea what was waiting for me, and the chances were that it was nothing good. Putting my hand around the chrome handle, I slowly pressed the lever down and braced myself.

  The first sound that caught my ears, before I had barely even opened the door, was the sound of beeping. It sounded like a medical monitor. My suspicions were confirmed when I saw gurneys, white sheets, and wires everywhere. My heart thudded in my chest, as my eyes hurried to identify the person on the bed in front of me. It was Adie. At least he was alive.

  My eyes then found Lois, who sat beside him, holding his hand. Looking up at me, she let out a great big puff of air and said, “Thank fuck.”

  I grinned. “Nice to see you, too, Lois.”

  “I thought you were dead.”

  “No. Still alive and kicking - just.” I staggered forward towards her and she caught me before I fell. Pulling out a chair, she sat me down in it and turned to face me.

  “What the hell has he done to you?” Lines of worry crossed her face as she stared at me, and I desperately wanted to smooth them out with my fingertips, but I didn’t have the energy.

  “Nothing, as it happens. He locked me up, but he didn’t feed me.”

  “For a week?” Lois looked like she wanted to explode. Under any other circumstances, I might have been amused by her concern, but today I was feeling like death warmed up. Even talking felt like an effort, so I nodded instead.

  “Oh my God. Here, have this.” Thrusting an unope
ned, cardboard sandwich box into my hand, she looked at me sternly and said, “Eat.”

  “Have you eaten?” I hoped to hell Alain hadn’t starved Lois as well, because if he had I was going to do something I’d later regret next time I saw him.

  “Yes. I’ve been with Adie the whole time and the medical staff have brought me regular meals - too many, in fact, so eat. Jesus Christ. I can’t believe he hasn’t fed you.” Lois put her face in her hands and looked aghast.

  “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.” When I struggled to open the box, she took it back, peeled it apart, and then handed me the sandwich. As frustrating as it was, I let her.

  “How’s Adie?” Bringing the sandwich up to my lips, I took a slow bite. My stomach wasn’t going to like this, and I would have to take things easy for a while.

  “Not good. He lost a lot of blood and went into shock. They’ve put him in a medically induced coma for the time being. His back is healing nicely, though. The cuts have scabbed over, but the bruising is still rather livid.”

  “Has Alain been in to see him?” I took another bite of the sandwich and looked down at it. It was tuna, but it tasted like sawdust in my mouth. The stress of the last few days had finally gotten to me.

  “Yes, he comes in regularly to check on his progress. They’re going to wake him up later. I suspect that’s why you’ve been brought here.” I nodded. Alain wanted us all together for whatever he had planned next. This was not good news.

  Lois then punched a straw in a carton of fruit juice and handed it to me. “Drink that. It should help boost your blood sugar levels.”

  Taking a sip, I asked, “How’s your hand?” Nodding towards her bandaged palm, I wondered if everything was healing up okay. So far, mine seemed to be, although the healing process had probably been slowed by my lack of nutrition.

  “It’s fine. The doc said I was lucky the pins hadn’t torn through anything important. They were well placed, apparently. Anyway, he said I should take it easy for another week or so, but the bandages can come off soon.”

  “Alain will use you against him now.” I needed to bring it up. She had a right to know what to expect, and it wouldn’t be pretty.

  Lois looked down at her ankles and began to chew her bottom lip. “I know. I couldn’t leave him to die, though. It might have been the kinder option, but I’m not made that way. At least this way he has a chance.”

  That might be true, but he wouldn’t thank her for it. Still, there was no reason to rub it in. “It’s not something you should apologise for. Being a reasonable human being is an admirable quality, trust me.” I took another bite of my sandwich. My stomach churned in protest. Dammit. I would have to take this really slowly and being this weak around Dumortier would kill me. That was probably why he’d done it.

  “When are they planning on waking Adie up?” My eyes finally settled on the casement window behind Lois, which currently had the blinds drawn. There was some light coming through it, but not a lot. I guessed it was early hours of the morning.

  “This evening. Alain won’t be arriving until then, either, because he has business to attend to. I saw his fancy black car pull out of the drive earlier.”

  “Thank the Lord for small mercies,” I muttered. This meant I had a day to catch up with Lois before the big guns arrived. In that time, I’d be able to get a reasonable amount of food down me and I could try to get my blood sugar back to normal. It was a start, but it wouldn’t count for much.

  Lois was on the same wavelength. “The doctor will be here soon. She’ll want to check you over.” She then stared at the monitor beside Adie’s bed, rocking herself backwards and forwards. If she’d been here for days looking at him like that, it wouldn’t have been easy on her. When he woke up, he’d be even more difficult to handle, but we’d figure that one out later.

  “The hell she will. Alain doesn’t care whether I live or die.” Taking a savage sip of my apple juice, the carton then made a loud gurgle completely ruining the moment.

  Lois sighed. “You’re kidding yourself, James. Alain cares. He’s not going to let you die in a hurry. He nearly killed his brother, but he barely touched you. That’s some freaky kind of crazy, there.” Lois’s eyes narrowed as if she were trying to figure something out. “Is there something you aren’t telling me, James?”

  Ah, always the astute one, Lois. She’d obviously been up late at night mulling over thoughts of what might have happened all those years ago. I wasn’t about to enlighten her.

  “Nothing I can think of,” I lied, and immediately changed the subject. “When was the last time you had any sleep?”

  Sleep is the one thing I’ve had lots of in the last couple of days. When my stomach finally got used to being empty, I tried to sleep as much as possible to conserve my energy. It was the only thing you could do in a four by four cell.

  Lois’s eyes drew together in a puzzled frown. “I don’t remember. Whenever I try to lie down, all I can see is Adie being…”

  “Shh. Let’s not rehash that now.” Pulling her head into my chest, I stroked her cheek with my fingertips. Now that I’d gotten a good look at her, I noticed that she was pale and drawn. She’d been eaten alive by worry these past few days and I knew that feeling well. Perhaps I could get her to have a lie down.

  I’d already spotted there was another bed in the room when I walked in. At the time, I was relieved to find no one was in it, though I suspected that Lois had spent one or two nights on it, if she’d been here the whole time. It was on the opposite side of the room to Adie, and I figured we might as well use it. At the moment the sheets were all made up, so I knew she’d not had any sleep recently.

  “Lois, if Alain is starting his games again this evening, it might be an idea to get some shuteye. Want to lie down with me?”

  At first, she shook her head. “I wouldn’t be able to sleep even if I tried, James. My body is wired. Every time I try to lie down, my thoughts race and I end up staring into space the whole time.” I nodded. It had been a rough few days.

  “Would you mind spooning with me for a bit? I’ve had no food in me for days, and they’ve kept me in a barren concrete cell without heating. I’m fucking freezing and I could do with your body heat to warm me up. No funny business, I swear.” I held my hands up and grinned at her. I wasn’t lying about the funny business, either. I could barely move as it was.

  She rolled her eyes. “I already know that’s the last thing I’ll need to worry about with you, James.” She smiled softly, but it quickly faltered. She looked like she could use the sleep more than I did, and I had a feeling if I were there with her, she’d relax. Grabbing her hand, I tugged her towards the bed, and we slipped in, one at a time. Hugging her to me, I wrapped my arms around her tightly and breathed in her familiar scent. Feeling her heart racing as I pressed my face against her neck, it was my turn to smile. At least she didn’t hate me. I wondered if she would after I hadn’t stepped in to save Adie, but we had a long-standing arrangement that I wasn’t prepared to break. We were happy to let each other die if necessary because that would mean escape from this hell. Lois didn’t realise that yet, but she would.

  Wriggling beneath my arms, Lois took her time getting comfortable. Normally, I’d be aroused to hell about now, but I simply didn’t have the energy. Today I was just able to enjoy the luxury of being next to a warm body, and I have to confess it felt good. These days, I didn’t allow myself to get close to anyone, but Lois had somehow gotten under my skin and broken down all my barriers. I knew I would have to be exceptionally careful around her, but right now, that didn’t matter. My libido had gone on holiday, and I was thankful for the reprieve.

  “There’s no way I’ll ever be able to get to sleep, James.” Lois wriggled some more, and I rolled my eyes. She was thinking too much.

  “Lois, just lie still for a minute, that’s all I’m asking.” Once we warmed up, I’d give her five minutes before she was out cold. She looked utterly exhausted. I, on the other hand, didn’t ne
ed the sleep, but I’d take what I could get. At the moment, I just needed to relax and hope that my sandwich and apple juice remained lodged in my stomach. In a couple of hours’ time I could try to eat something else, but for now, I had to let my body become used to food again. I’d be eating small meals for a while, assuming Alain intended to feed me now, but I could cope with that. Whether I could cope with what Alain had planned for later was another matter entirely. Tonight’s little wake up party had disaster written all over it.

  When Lois’s body finally stilled, and the soft, even sounds of her breathing could be heard, I sighed. There was very little in my life to be thankful for right now, but I’d take what I could get. A beautiful woman nestled snugly in my arms almost put a smile upon my face, and at the moment, that was enough.

  Chapter Six - Adie

  When I woke up, I felt dizzy and disorientated. Bright lights danced in my eyes and my mouth felt as dry as a nun’s gusset. Fuck, had I been drinking again? Lifting my head up, I blinked and wondered why I was face down in my pillow. I always slept on my back, unless…

  “Adie, are you okay?” Lois’s voice cut through my thoughts, and everything came rushing back to me. Oh fuck, fuck, fuck. I was still alive, then. Lucky me.

  “You gave me your word,” I growled. Turning my head, I latched on to her pale grey eyes and hissed venomously. She immediately recoiled. The reason for the hiss was because the skin on my back stretched with a sharp burst of pain as I twisted, but I wasn’t about to tell her that. She’d made a promise, and she’d broken it. I had every right to be pissed.

  “He would have killed you. I probably saved your life,” Lois whispered, before her eyes dropped down to the floor. She looked utterly beautiful in her submissive pose, and my cock twitched in response. Damn the woman. If I hadn’t been in agony, I’d have taken her there and then.