by Sable Hunter
While his words weren’t particularly threatening, the menace on his face caused an unearthly chill to slide over her body. Angelina understood then, he meant to hurt her more than Moshe. “Whatever you do to me, I’ll never agree to make the chemical weapon.”
“We’ll see. We’ll see.” He beckoned Tattoo forward. “Put her in the front holding cell. There is a sink and some clothing in there, as well as your bag. Clean yourself up, if I’m going to be close enough to give you injections, I’d rather you didn’t reek. I’d also suggest you do something with your hair and if you have lipstick, that might help.”
As Tattoo pulled her toward the cell, Angelina felt Rice’s eyes on her. He seemed excited, as if he enjoyed his work.
Soon, she discovered why.
* * *
“Please, please, help me,” Angelina begged, crying, not really comprehending what was happening to her. The knowledge she possessed of her torture was useless. This was completely different from the other things Saldado and Yasin had done to her. The pain of the electrocution, the bruised ribs, the whippings were horrible; but she understood those, she knew there would be an end to it. Even the waterboarding was something she could mentally work through. The drowning sensation was terrifying, but Angelina knew they were trying to break her, not end her life. “I can’t stand this!” she screamed, hugging herself tightly.
Her whole body was on fire, lit by a craving that threatened to tear her apart. Every fiber of her being vibrated with a feeling she could only describe as lust. Angelina had lived a sheltered life. She didn’t date, she’d never had sex, and she was unfamiliar with even the mildest of sexual longings. Now, her veins ran with molten arousal and if there’d been anything in the barren cell to ride or rub against, Angelina would have done it.
“Someone please, help me,” she pleaded, sliding down the bars. Her hands feverishly ran over her body, seeking even a modicum of relief. Nothing helped, nothing assuaged the deep throbbing emptiness that ate at her like a cancer.
Despite her agony, her analytical mind began to take stock of her situation. This wasn’t real, this wasn’t normal. On some level, Angelina knew this, even if she couldn’t process everything that was happening. As she suffered, writhing with unquenchable hunger, she bowed her head and huddled into a small knot. Seconds were minutes and minutes became hours as she whimpered and quaked.
“Did you know peanuts are an ingredient in dynamite? Did you know hummingbirds can’t walk?”
“No, I didn’t know those things, thank you for the trivia. Are you ready to give up, Senorita?” Rice whispered in her ear like the serpent of old. “Just say the word and there won’t be any more shots.” He paused, smiling at her contorted face and harsh pants. “Refuse me and there will be another.”
And so it began, one day bled into the next, constant torment became her reality. She had no idea how much time passed. Food and drink became an afterthought. Angelina wouldn’t say she became accustomed to the pain, no one could, but she gradually learned to think through it. One day as she cried and trembled, her eyes landed on her bag and she remembered the system flushes she kept for anaphylaxis. She wasn’t sure it would work, but she had to try. Even as her body shook with sexual need, she tore into the plastic. Tremors made her fingers clumsy as she tried to insert the needle, it took three tries before she found the vein.
Each time a guard would come by, she would turn away from them, so afraid they would see what she was doing. How she’d managed to keep the medicine she didn’t know. If she believed in a higher power, Angelina would lay the blessing at his feet – but she didn’t. The circumstances of her early life had taught her well that no God was watching out for her. Her mother believed in God. She’d believed to such an extent that she’d thrown herself on the Deity’s mercy. When her mother had come down with cancer, she’d refused medical treatment, relying solely on prayer, anointing, and fasting. Her mother had died a painful death. Angelina had rebelled against her mother’s religion, choosing to put her own faith in science. No, God wasn’t looking out for her. Only Rafe had ever done so, and now when she needed him the most, he had no way of knowing where she was or how to help her.
The guards teased her, making lewd comments and gestures, telling her that if she were better looking, they’d help her out. She would rather die than beg her captors, instead she chose to focus on the gnawing agony of this sadistic form of torture. Once, when she was lucid, she questioned Rice about what she was being given. Choosing to brag a little, he explained the drug used to plague her was a hyped-up version of flibanserin. In its normal form, it was known as Viagra for women. What Angelina was given was no regular dose, Rice said, “I shot you up with pure fire and brimstone.” Closing her eyes, she steeled herself. She was strong, she would survive.
After an indeterminate number of days, Yasin summoned her. He was still screaming when they led her into his quarters. “I don’t care what the idiot rocker says, bring me Dr. Angelina Alejandro!”
Two things struck Angelina like a bolt from the blue. First – somehow, the Sheik had learned her full name. Since she’d been adopted by Rafe’s father at an early age, she hyphenated her last name to keep the connection to her own father. If Yasin knew her identity, he would also know about her stepbrother. What this meant, she wasn’t sure, but it probably wouldn’t be to her advantage. They would most likely see this connection as another reason to torture her. She knew very little about Rafe’s work or his operations – but her enemy probably wouldn’t believe her claim.
Second, and what shocked her the most, was Yasin’s calling Saldado the ‘rocker’. At that moment, she realized why he seemed so familiar. In spite of his attempt to conceal his identity, she knew he was Manolito, the singer she’d gone to see at the club so long ago.
* * *
“Just hold still, Mr. Willie, I almost have it.” Drew held the pliers to the old man’s ingrown toenail. “If you’d buy some nice soft slippers and put those pointy-toed cowboy boots away, you wouldn’t have this problem.”
“Doc, if you’d give me a shot of painkiller before you manhandled me, this…HOLY CRAP ON A CRACKER, DOC!” Mr. Willie bellowed as Drew pulled the offending nail out of the old man’s infected toe – without a bit of anesthetic.
“There, you’ll be all better, soon.”
“GOL-DARNED!” The suffering man cursed a blue streak. “This is a case of the cure being worse than the disease! Hell!”
“Easy, Mr. Willie. Patsy will dress that toe and put some antibiotic cream on it for you.”
Mention of Drew’s assistant’s name seemed to calm things a bit. Patsy came into the room, holding a tube of ointment and some bandages. She met the doctor’s eye. “Ky Landon is on the phone for you.”
Drew raised an eyebrow as he rinsed his hands. “The man is in San Juan with his brand-new wife. What’s he calling me for?”
Patsy shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
Drew went to his office, sat down in the chair and propped his feet up. Pressing a button, he answered the phone. “Ky? I never thought you’d call me for sexual advice on your honeymoon, but as a physician, I’m ready to help you.”
“Drew, we need you.”
Hearing the tension in Ky’s voice, Drew immediately sobered, and sat up straight. “What can I do?”
“I think Tyler told you that he’d witnessed a drug cartel hit.”
“Yes, yes, he did.”
“The situation escalated, Cooper and I never got on the plane to Puerto Rico. We’re holed up in a compound with Ky, his bodyguard, and several mercenaries.”
Drew heard shouting in the background and Kyler paused to speak to someone else.
Confused, Drew asked, “What the hell? Where exactly are you?”
“Do you remember the old Operation Whitetail game preserve down by County Line Road near Sam Rayburn Reservoir?”
“Yea, we used to hunt down there as kids. I can still remember those twelve foot fences and the thick forest filled
with exotic game. That place was a fortress.”
“Well, it’s still a fortress, but it’s not a game preserve anymore. The Mossad agent who was assigned to protect Ty owns it now. She turned the place into her own version of Quantico. Regardless, the Zeta Cartel is about to attack us. We’ve got reinforcements coming, but I’d feel a heck of a lot better if we had some medical supplies and an old sawbones like you around. Will you come?”
Drew was up and moving. “I’m already on my way. I’ll gather supplies and check in with Hattie, then I’ll be right there.”
“Good. Somehow, this has got damn complicated. I’ll tell you more when you get here.” Ky let out a sigh of relief. “Just call when you get close and we’ll tell you where to go to enter the compound.”
“You got it.” Drew could already feel his adrenaline rushing through his veins. “Should I bring weapons?”
Ky laughed. “No, that’s not necessary. Aliyah has an arsenal stored here. What we really need is someone to patch us up if the worst happens.”
“Don’t worry, I’m on my way.”
In a few minutes, Drew managed to get some supplies together. He made arrangements for a physician from a neighboring clinic to cover for him and he drove home to let Hattie know he’d be gone for a while, he didn’t really have an idea of how long.
“Are you meeting a woman, Drew Haley?” she asked when she saw him carting down a duffle bag filled with clothes.
Here we go again, Drew thought. “No, not a woman, Hattie. Ky and Ty are in trouble and they need me.” He didn’t elaborate more than that, there was no use worrying her.
“Well, shoot,” Hattie smiled sadly, “you haven’t dated anyone since Mary Ellen moved away. Am I going to have to join one of those dating sites for you?”
“Oh, please don’t,” Drew frowned, “I’m perfectly capable of finding a woman when I get ready for one. You know how busy I’ve been.”
“Yes, and I know the way your mother felt about your father’s medical practice.” She shook her finger at Drew. “Not every woman is like Beth Ann. There’s someone out there who would not only understand your commitment, she would back you up a thousand percent and love you through it all. Just remember, I’ll know her when I see her.”
“Yes, ma’am, you have veto power.” Drew hugged Hattie. “I love your optimism. Take care of things for me. Let Frank know what’s going on and call one of the Sublett boys to come over and feed the animals. I don’t want you trying to drag around any heavy bags of feed.”
“I don’t know how I’d tell Frank what’s going on when I don’t know,” Hattie complained, but waved her hands when Drew looked rushed. “Go. Go. The only thing we need to know is that you’re taking care of your friends. I’ll handle everything here.” She followed him to the door. “You just take care of yourself.”
* * *
In the back room of Yasin’s suite, Khalid was sick at the depravity surrounding him. Surely, his father’s mind was gone. All thoughts concerning the welfare of his kingdom and the huge oil company he’d built from the ground up were gone, nothing from his previous life satisfied him any longer. His time and resources were spent seeking revenge for his son’s death. Khalid’s older brother, Amin, had abandoned his upbringing and threw his lot in with a terrorist organization, bent on defeating the Great Satan and destroying the nation of Israel. His greatest desire had been to blow up Mossad Headquarters and he’d attempted it. Amin had been killed in the attempt, shot by a sniper rifle fired by Khalid’s college friend, Mossad agent Aliyah Sharon.
Now, Yasin embraced all his eldest son’s fanatical ideals and became worse than his brother ever thought about being. And if his attempt to coerce the American scientist into helping him were successful, her expertise would turn the Sheik into the world’s worst nightmare. Khalid struggled for an answer, he had no desire for war. His greatest hope was for peace in the Middle East. If he did nothing, people would die. If he betrayed his father, he was placing his own life on the line. Either way, the risk was great. Yasin did not know he cooperated with Mossad and others who Yasin considered to be his mortal enemy. But Khalid knew what he had to do - he had to let Black Raptor know his stepsister had fallen into enemy hands.
...In Angelina’s cramped cell, she tried to catch her breath. If she could only hold on to her sanity, maybe she would survive. She’d had no idea there were so many ways to inflict pain upon a person. Her submission was what they wanted, but she would never relinquish her will. She would rather die. And, she might. She’d overheard Ben Yasin and Manolito speaking this morning. They’d come to confer with Rice after she’d had another session with Moshe. The men thought she was unconscious on her mat and she’d let them think that. From what she heard, something big was going down. Manolito had given orders for someone to be assassinated and things weren’t going his way. She kept hearing a woman’s name mentioned, a beautiful name. Aliyah. Aliyah Sharon. Angelina hoped Aliyah wasn’t being put through the same hell that she was enduring.
* * *
The drive from Redlands to the old game preserve took just under an hour. It was hard to imagine that something so clandestine and exotically dangerous was about to go down in the middle of the piney woods. Drew couldn’t help but be excited. His life, although meaningful, was sometimes tedious. Usually, the most exciting thing that happened in these parts was a bass tournament or the discovery of a patch of marijuana being grown in the woods by some younger rednecks. There had been some unfortunate incidents that claimed a national spotlight, but they were few. In 2003, the shuttle Columbia fell right over this area. The nose cap and the remains of all seven astronauts had been found in Sabine County, some on his own deer lease. Other than that, there’d been some racial unrest, a couple of heartbreaking incidents where men had died in county jails under suspicious circumstances – but nothing like this. Drew felt like he’d been cast in a movie of the week.
Heading south on Highway 96, he watched for the turn-off that would take him east to the compound. Once he found it, he hung a right, then kept his eyes peeled. In this dense forested area, whitetail deer were known to come bounding out of the woods. He’d treated many people who’d crashed after trying to miss the animal or received injuries when a collision occurred. The farther he went, the smaller the road became, wide shoulders were replaced by narrow ones, soon those disappeared and only two lanes were left. After the next turn, the pavement was left behind and he was traveling on a gravel road. “This must be the place.” He phoned Ky, who gave him instructions, and to his surprise he was told where a gate was located. If he hadn’t been given instructions, he never would’ve found it. “Damn, this might end up being fun.”
His optimistic attitude faded away quickly. Ky met him and took Drew straightway to his brother, Ty, and Aliyah Sharon. “Aliyah, this is our friend, Dr. Drew Haley. He’s here to help in any way he can.”
“Greetings, Doctor.” Aliyah bowed her head.
“Thanks for coming, Drew.” Ty clapped him on the shoulder. “A lot has happened since I last saw you, namely Aliyah.”
By the way his Ranger friend clasped Aliyah to his side, Drew didn’t have a hard time reading the situation. “I can see that, congratulations.”
The beautiful Aliyah’s shy smile told him he was right. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but whatever you need from me, you’ve got it.”
Not waiting for the men, Aliyah began to speak. “Sorry to drag you into this, Dr. Haley. The safety of Tyler and his family is paramount. Be assured I will do everything in my power to ensure that you all come out of this safely. If we can weaken Saldado’s forces, we’ll have a better chance of taking him down. I’m sure Ky has enlightened you as to the damage he’s done. The man is involved in everything from drugs, to the abuse of women, to gun running for terrorists.”
“She sounds like she’s in charge, doesn’t she?” Tyler quipped. “Don’t be fooled. Just because she’s a deadly Mossad agent doesn’t change the fact that I wear the pants
in this relationship.”
Aliyah looked at Ty with tender amusement. “I, too, am wearing pants, Tyler.”
“I don’t mean literally, baby, I mean figuratively.”
Drew was amused at the big Texas Ranger speaking so gently to the beautiful Israeli. While they worked out their authoritarian differences, Ky showed Drew where to put the supplies. “Cooper is in a safe room already and there are others gathering. Two ex-Rangers, Jagger and Rebel Cruz are here and others are coming. I can’t explain all the details, but this seems to be a cooperative mission between the Rangers, the government, and a private security firm. Apparently, if they can bring this operation down, they’ll take a huge chunk out of the drugs crossing the border. He’s also responsible for several murders and the kidnapping of innocent women. This is a really bad guy.”
“Tyler told me a little bit about the situation at your rehearsal dinner,” Drew commented as he unloaded boxes from the back of his truck. His eyes kept scanning the area, noticing the high-tech equipment and heavily armed men standing guard, all dressed in camo.
“Well, things have really ramped up since then. I can’t claim to understand it all, but I do know the game has changed. Aliyah and Tyler were led to believe that Tyler was the target, but it turns out he was used as a pawn to set up Aliyah. When Tyler witnessed the execution of that Ranger and got a photo of Saldado, they thought they had him. The CIA really wants this confrontation, so when they determined that the image wasn’t clear enough to stand up in court, they had to come up with an alternative plan. On Saldado’s part, after the other shoe didn’t drop, he wasn’t willing to waste a lot of his assets on Tyler, he had no intention of sending the cartel’s army here until he learned Tyler was being protected by Aliyah Sharon. Aliyah was insurance in this mission, she’s being used by powers far above her head. Just the mention of her name seems enough to put a war in motion.”
“Why? What is so special about Aliyah?”