Clinch

by Becca Jamesonbecca Jameson

  Tears ran down her cheeks. She didn’t release her grip on Mikhail, as if he were her long lost friend or lover or husband. Not a stranger. She looked confused.

  No. Drugged.

  In fact he could see bruising on her arm that indicated she was either a junkie or she’d had blood drawn. Lots of it.

  Or…she’d received injections against her will…

  Jesus. What the hell was Ted doing with this woman?

  “Have you been in this house for two weeks?”

  She shook her head. “No. Just a few hours. I think. I fell asleep. Woke up when I heard men arguing.”

  “Where were you before today, then?” the officer asked, still scribbling notes on his pad.

  “Some sort of warehouse or medical building.”

  Fuck.

  “Okay. An ambulance is on the way. We’ll need to ask you more questions at the hospital.”

  She jerked upright, releasing the grip she had on Mikhail’s shirt for the first time. “No. No hospitals.” Haley was freaked out.

  And Leo couldn’t blame her. He suspected she’d been in the hands of Yenin for the past two weeks. If that was the case… Had she been in his lab? Jesus.

  “We could take her to the clinic my girlfriend owns. Might be less stressful,” Leo suggested.

  The officer stood and stretched his legs out after crouching down so long. “Jot the address down.” He handed Leo his pad while he pulled a phone from his pocket. “Wait right here a second.”

  The officer stepped into the hallway, speaking in low tones.

  Leo wrote down the information for the clinic, keeping half an eye on the officer.

  Finally, the guy ended the call and returned. “We’re going to need to speak to all of you,” he stated, his gaze landing on everyone in the room one at a time. “But we’ve been given clearance to meet you at Dr. Kathryn Schwan’s clinic.” He took the pad of paper back from Leo. “We’ll be there shortly. Don’t stop anywhere else.”

  Haley gripped Mikhail with both hands again. “I’m done being poked and prodded.” Her eyes were wide.

  “This is your best option. Trust me.” Mikhail picked her up, held her against his chest. No one would ever know the man had four broken ribs. Either he really had healed too fast to contemplate, or his adrenaline rush was covering the pain.

  Leo had to jump out of the way of the determined man. He followed Mikhail and Ivan out of the room.

  One of the officers stood from a crouched position over the three dead bodies.

  Leo turned around and stared at Boris and Erik on the floor. He cringed inwardly at the idea of having to tell Katie about her friend Ted.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “Meet you at the clinic,” Leo shouted at Ivan as Mikhail climbed into the back seat with the mysterious redhead.

  Leo ran toward the car, his heart plummeting when he didn’t see Katie sitting in the front seat. He picked up the pace, his gaze scanning the area. Had she gotten out? Hidden somewhere when gunshots rang out?

  When he reached his Trans Am, he yanked open the door, and there she was, huddled on the floor in front of the passenger seat. Her eyes shot wide, her mouth open.

  Leo slid into his seat.

  Tears stained her cheeks. She stared at him like he was a ghost for several moments. And then she blinked.

  He reached for her, not wanting to rush her. She was in shock. And he couldn’t blame her. After all the gunshots, she probably assumed he’d been killed.

  “I’m fine.” He lifted both arms. “Not a scratch.”

  Her gaze roamed his body.

  He pulled the door shut, started the engine, and reached a hand out again. “Touch me.”

  She stared at his hand for several moments again. Disbelief?

  “Babe, I’m not injured. Come here.”

  She didn’t speak.

  “Katie,” he prodded with more force. “Come here.” He prayed the command in his voice would get her to shake out of it.

  He couldn’t blame her for her stance. She’d sat in this car listening to multiple gunshots and assumed the worse for several long minutes. Who wouldn’t freak out?

  “Katie,” he repeated louder. “Take my hand.”

  Finally she reached out her small shaking fingers and set them in his. Immediately she relaxed. “You scared the hell out of me. Don’t ever do that again.” Her voice was soft and hardly audible. And the best music he’d ever heard.

  He hauled her up from under the dash and across the console onto his lap. He pulled her cheek against his chest. New tears ran down her face to soak his shirt. He didn’t care. She fisted his T-shirt in her hands. He didn’t care about that, either.

  He stared out the windshield and rocked her back and forth. Ivan was gone. Police were everywhere. The FBI was not visible, but Leo knew they were close-by. People were standing in the street, pointing at the house where the gunfire had occurred. A few people stood near Leo’s car, staring at him quizzically.

  He. Did. Not. Care.

  Katie held on to Leo forever. “I thought you had been shot. Killed.” She sobbed again.

  “I know, babe. But I’m fine.” He cupped the back of her head and tried to soothe her with his words and the stroke of his fingers on her scalp.

  She heaved for more oxygen and let another stream of thoughts escape. “You could have died. You could have been killed in there.”

  “But I wasn’t.”

  “I need you.” She sat up finally and stared at him, meeting his gaze with red, swollen eyes. She shook him, grabbing his shirt, clutching it harder, trying to make him see reason. “Don’t do that again. Don’t ever fucking do that again.”

  “I won’t.” He shook his head and cupped her face. “Promise.”

  “Never. Ever. Never ever do that again.”

  “Katie, I won’t.” It hurt. His chest hurt. He’d scared her nearly to death. It would take her awhile to overcome this shock. But they needed to move. Haley would be waiting for her at the clinic.

  She sighed, defeated. “You…”

  “I know.” He pushed her hair off her face and gave her a gentle kiss. “I’m sorry.” He paused a moment. “We need to go.”

  She sat up straighter and twisted her body around, grabbing the steering wheel to hold herself. “Are we not safe? Are they coming after us?”

  “No, babe.” He pried her fingers off his steering wheel. “They’re all dead. We need to follow Ivan and Mikhail. There was a woman. Mikhail has her. She needs your help. We need to meet them at the clinic.”

  That snapped Katie out of it. She met his gaze, and her clouded blue eyes cleared. She scrambled off his lap and onto her side of the car, grabbing for the seatbelt in the same movement. “Go. Hurry.”

  He smiled and shook his head. Leave it to his woman to find comfort in the fact that a patient needed her.

  He drove just over the speed limit. Getting pulled over would do them no good. There was no way to explain the last several hours to any cop.

  Katie sat rigid, holding the dash and the door again. “Who is she? What happened to her?”

  “I honestly don’t know. We found her in the house. Or she found us really. Woman had spunk. She shot Boris and Erik.”

  Katie’s eyes widened. “She shot them? Did she kill them?”

  “No. That lucky job fell to the SWAT team. Although I think Ivan might have shot Erik.” He cringed. He had to tell her about Ted. Now?

  Maybe not yet. Later.

  Obviously Katie had no idea this was Ted’s house or that anyone besides Boris and Erik had been inside.

  He refocused her on the redheaded woman. “Everyone was killed, except the woman who started the gunfire. We found her nearly catatonic in a bedroom. She ran out of bullets. Mikhail has her.”

  He covered Katie’s hand with his and pulled his cell out of his pocket. There was no longer a connection with his contact. “I need to call in. You okay?”

  She nodded.

  He tapped the sc
reen and waited for the ringing.

  His contact picked up after several rings. “Leo. Thank God. We got disconnected. I heard Mikhail bolted from the house with a woman. Who the hell was she?”

  “Haley Sullivan. Been missing a few weeks. She grabbed onto him and begged him to take her out of there. He, being Mikhail, did as she demanded.”

  The man groaned. “Where are you headed?”

  “The clinic.”

  “Okay. Was the woman hurt?”

  “Not physically, I don’t think. Drugged, though.” That part had been clear.

  “I assume the police are meeting you there?”

  “Yes. I’ll call you when I know more.”

  “I don’t know how you got clearance to leave the scene. Someone with the FBI must have really trusted you because I didn’t pull that favor.”

  “Huh. I figured you made that call.”

  “No. I couldn’t have taken that risk even if I wanted to, but I didn’t tell anyone to either. It came from someone else.”

  “That’s weird. I’ll keep you posted.” Leo ended the call.

  When he glanced at Katie, he was shocked to find her nearly back to normal. She even rubbed her fingers across the back of his hand.

  She pulled his hand to her face and rubbed her cheek against his fingers as if verifying that he was indeed alive. But she didn’t speak again.

  There wasn’t much to say. Not now, anyway. Later.

  When he pulled up to the front of her clinic, the place was already bustling with activity.

  Ivan’s car was out front. Several squad cars were already on the scene too.

  He helped Katie out of the car and wrapped her into his side to make their way into the clinic. The front door was fixed, shocking Leo.

  Katie’s receptionist was in the waiting room, and she rushed forward and met them at the door.

  Leo realized it was still Monday afternoon. A work day. They hadn’t been able to open the clinic without Katie there, but Mandy had arranged for the door to be replaced. The sweet rounded woman with the brown bob took Katie from Leo and pulled her in for a hug. “Are you okay?”

  Katie nodded and forced a fake smile. “I’m fine. Where’s the woman they brought in?”

  Of course. Always the doctor.

  Mandy led them through the throng of police officers in the waiting room, all seeming to speak on top of one another, and into the back where the exam rooms were located.

  She opened the door across the hall from the entrance and stepped back.

  Leo was surprised to find Mikhail in the room. He sat in a chair, and he still held the redhead in his lap. It didn’t seem like anything had changed since they’d left the house. The woman still clung to him with the same grip.

  Katie pushed past Leo and reached for the woman’s wrist to check her pulse.

  “She couldn’t keep her eyes open on the way here,” Mikhail whispered. “It seemed like she was drugged.”

  An officer approached Leo at the doorway. “We’ll need to ask her more questions after the doctor checks her out. And the rest of you too of course.” He glanced around at all of them.

  Haley stirred, lifting her face, though thick red curls concealed her expression. When she grew more lucid, she bolted upright and leaped off Mikhail’s lap as though he’d burned her.

  She took deep breaths, backing up while Mikhail stood, his hands in the air. “You’re okay. You’re safe.”

  Katie leaned into her line of sight. “I’m a doctor.”

  Haley shook her head. “No doctors.” She crossed her arms, shivered, and backed farther across the room until she hit the wall. Her dark blue scrubs made her skin appear lighter than it probably normally did. Her eyes were wide saucers, her gaze darting around the room. Why was she wearing scrubs?

  Katie eased closer while Leo watched from the doorway, not wanting to make any sudden moves. “You’re safe here. This is my clinic. These are my friends.”

  The redhead blinked in confusion, and then she reached to rub her forehead with one hand.

  Leo glanced at the officer and whispered, “Katie will probably get more information than you can.”

  The man nodded.

  “My name’s Katie. What’s yours?”

  She licked her lips and lowered her hand. “Haley.”

  “Haley. I love that name. Are you a doctor or a nurse?”

  Haley tipped her head in confusion. “No.”

  Leo was thinking the same thing. Why was the woman wearing scrubs if she wasn’t in the medical profession?

  “Okay. Can you tell us what happened?”

  Haley bit her bottom lip.

  Mikhail inched forward until he was directly behind Katie and to one side.

  Haley furrowed her brow before she shook her head. “I was kidnapped weeks ago. A man brought me to that house this morning. What day is it?”

  “Monday,” Mikhail responded.

  Haley nodded. “Monday…” She rocked back and forth, tears still falling down her cheeks. Finally she slid down the wall until she sat on the floor, her knees drawn up, her face in her hands. “It’s over. You rescued me.” She glanced up at Mikhail. “How did you find me?”

  Mikhail crouched down in front of her. “By accident. We had no idea you were there. Did you say Christianson brought you there this morning?”

  Katie flinched. “Ted Christianson?” She jerked her gaze to Leo.

  He winced and eased farther into the room to wrap an arm around her shoulders and haul her into his embrace until her cheek pressed against his chest. He threaded his fingers into her hair and muttered against her head. “He was there, babe. I’m so sorry. He said it was his house.”

  She gripped his T-shirt at his waist with both hands. “Is he…” she mumbled against him.

  He whispered into her ear, “Yes. I’m sorry. He must have been working for Yenin. He was the one who stole the blood samples.”

  She sobbed now. “My God.”

  “Did you know any of the men in the house?” Mikhail asked Haley.

  She lifted her face to more fully meet his gaze and tucked a red curl behind one ear. “No. I didn’t even know there were others in the house. I thought it was just that small, skinny man. I was so tired… He drugged me. I fell asleep in that room. When I woke up, I heard so many voices. I just wanted to get away…”

  Mikhail reached forward tentatively to tuck the errant curl back behind her ear again. “Where were you before today?”

  “Some sort of medical facility. I didn’t see much of it. I was in a white room with a cot and a sink and a toilet. Kind of like a jail cell. Or maybe an asylum.”

  That explained the scrubs. Leo held Katie tighter as she shuddered. He glanced at the doorway to see two officers now taking notes.

  One of them stepped all the way inside the room next to Leo. “Did you catch anyone’s name?” he asked.

  Haley shook her head. “No.”

  “Were you kidnapped?” the cop asked.

  “Yes.”

  “From where?”

  “I’m an aid worker. I work with the homeless. I was working on the edge of the West side that day.”

  Katie jerked out of Leo’s grasp and spun around, though he still held her loosely by the biceps. “Someone grabbed you from the street?” She glanced at the police. “That’s what seems to be happening to many of the homeless people in the area.”

  The officer nodded. “Is it possible someone mistook you for a homeless person?”

  Haley bit her lower lip. “Yes. I suppose. I try to dress down and blend in when I’m working with people.”

  “Did you see anyone else at the facility where you were held?” the officer asked.

  Haley shook her head. “Not many people. Doctors. They checked on me often. Brought me food and drinks. Took blood. Gave me injections.” She shuddered. A tear ran down her face. And then she sobbed and leaned her forehead on her hands again against her knees. “What the hell did they do to me?”

 
; Leo was afraid of what the answer to that question might be. Did all the blood work and injections have anything to do with his own samples? And those of his friends?

  Mikhail kneeled closer to Haley and threaded a hand in her hair. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll figure this out. You’re safe now.”

  She lifted her gaze to him. “Do you believe that? Because I’m not sure I do.”

  One of the officers in the doorway spoke. “Where did you say you got the gun?”

  “When I woke up to voices arguing in the kitchen, I was frantic. I rummaged around in the room looking for anything I could use as a weapon. It didn’t take long. The gun was in the bedside table.”

  The officer nodded and took a few more notes. “Did you see anyone else at the facility? Or the house? Any other prisoners?”

  She shook her head. “No. But I do think there were others at the first building. I saw an entire row of rooms as I was leaving.”

  The officer wrote that down as well. “We need to have you examined, ma’am, and run some blood work to see what drugs are in your system.”

  Haley’s eyes went wide. She shook her head violently and grabbed Mikhail’s forearm. “No. I can’t take anymore.”

  The officer frowned. “You were kidnapped and held against your will. Time is of the essence. We need blood work as soon as possible. You need to go to a hospital.”

  Haley’s face paled, and she turned to face Mikhail. “I can’t do it.” She shivered violently.

  Leo couldn’t blame her. If she’d been held in a hospital situation for weeks, she would be scared out of her mind. He turned toward the officer. “Can Katie draw the blood here?”

  The officer looked at Katie. “I don’t see why not. But this woman needs to see someone beyond a medical doctor. She’s traumatized.” He turned back toward Haley. “Is there someone I can call?”

  Haley shook her head again and nearly shouted, “No. God. Please. No.”

  Mikhail frowned.

  Why didn’t the woman want someone to contact her family?

  Katie kneeled in front of Haley. “Let’s take this one step at a time. Can I get you to sit on the table for me so I can get a quick blood draw?”