by Ruff, K. S.
Rafael glanced at the computer screen as he joined Michael on the bench. “Brady told me the Internet service here is unreliable and a bit sporadic, so your hotspot may not be the problem.”
Kadyn frowned as he approached the two men. “Why do you need Internet access?”
Michael shook his head as he closed the laptop. “I want to make sure I can access my bank accounts in case we have to bribe the SVR to release Kristine… and her friend.”
Kadyn sighed. “You don’t think Markov will be able to negotiate her release.”
Michael shook his head again. “Not without offering a substantial amount of money.”
Kadyn looked at Rafael. “Why am I here?”
Rafael narrowed his eyes at Kadyn. “What do you mean? How can you even ask that?”
Kadyn’s jaw clenched. “I mean… why did you ask me here? The mafia is handling negotiations, your brother is paying the bribe, and you’re keeping everyone in check. It’s not that I don’t want to be here, because I do. I want to be here, and I want to help Kri. But I want to know why you want me here. What is it you expect me to do?”
The anger eased from Rafael’s face as he rose from the bench. “This isn’t the easiest environment for either of us to engage in hostage negotiations. We need Maxim, and we need Michael. I don’t know what it’s going to take to get Kristine out of here. But if Maxim’s negotiations fall through, or the money isn’t enough, then we’re going to have to try to extract her, or I may have to propose a hostage exchange. If anything happens to me, or if I have to offer myself in exchange for Kristine’s release, then you’re the only person I know… the only person I trust to get her out of here.”
Kadyn slowly nodded. “I’ll do everything within my power to get her out of this country, but, just for the record, a hostage exchange is about the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard. I’m going to pretend you never said that.” He patted Rafael on the back.
Rafael tried not to smile. “Thanks, Kadyn.”
Michael shoved his laptop in his briefcase. “So how long are we going to sit here and wait for Maxim to secure her release?”
Rafael shook his head. That was not a decision he wanted to make.
Kadyn’s gaze flitted between the two men. “I say we give him until the end of the day.”
Rafael shook his head again. “Then what? What exactly are our options here?”
Kadyn looked thoughtful. “If Markov can’t secure her release, and he can’t pinpoint where she is for an extraction, then we need to pull in the U.S. government. We should contact the U.S. Embassy in Kiev. I can talk to the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, since I work closely with both men. If our political leaders can exert enough pressure on Russia’s political leaders, they’ll force the SVR to release the women.”
Michael stood. “That could take weeks. I say we give him until the end of the day. Then we’ll start throwing money at them. I don’t care how much it costs, Rafael. I want Kristine on my jet and out of this country by tomorrow morning.”
Rafael sank onto the bench. He braced his elbows against his knees as he peered up at Michael. “Shae and Kristine have been missing for over twenty-four hours. If they’re being tortured, I’m not sure they’ll survive another nineteen hours.”
* * * * * *
I shook miserably as bucket after bucket of ice water was thrown at us. I clung to Shae as we huddled together on the cold cement floor.
Shae’s teeth chattered as she spoke. “Wh… wh… why do they want us to take our clothes off?”
My stomach roiled as I considered the possibilities. “Ma… maybe they want to humiliate us.”
Shae ducked her face into my neck as another bucket of frigid water sliced through us. “Arghh. That hurts!”
I ran my hand down my face and tried to squeeze the water out of my eyes. I was so thirsty, I was tempted to drink the water that was dripping down my face. I had to force myself to keep my mouth closed.
The two men threw the last of the rusted buckets against the floor. The man who had threatened me earlier pulled a thin black club from his belt. “Get undressed.”
I shook my head. “No.”
Shae scrambled away as he raised the club.
I curled in on myself as the thin stick bit into my ribs.
Shae screamed. “Stop!”
He shoved her to the floor as she lunged for his hand. His face twisted in fury as he turned toward me. “Get undressed!”
I braced myself against the wall. “No.”
I slammed my eyes shut and clenched my teeth as he struck me three times against my shoulder… my back… my side. I won’t cry, I won’t cry, I won’t cry, echoed in my mind like some unforgotten memory. I pushed to my feet and spit blood on the floor as I turned to face him. “My ex-husband hit harder than that.”
He dropped the club, reached for my shoulders, and kneed me in the stomach. He began punching me in the back as I fell to my knees. The other man pulled him off of me.
Shae’s voice turned pleading. “Look! I’m taking my clothes off. I’m getting undressed. Kri, come on. Get undressed. Please just get undressed with me, so he’ll stop beating you.”
I groaned as I rolled onto my back. I tried to sit back up, but my body wouldn’t move. I slammed my eyes shut as one of the men began tugging at my wet pants.
Shae started crying. “I’ll do it. Please. Just let me do it. I’ll get her undressed.”
The two men backed off as Shae began undressing me.
She glanced at me apologetically. “We have to do this, Kri. If we don’t do this, then we’re as good as dead.”
“I wish we were dead,” I responded numbly.
We were handcuffed before they took us back to the interrogation room. The man who had questioned us earlier turned livid as his eyes raked over my body. My knees slammed into the cement floor as he threw the man who held me against the wall. He pointed to me as he screamed at him in Russian.
I glanced up at the man who pulled me to my feet. “Why is he so angry?”
“He doesn’t want marks on your bodies. He doesn’t want any evidence of beatings,” the man holding Shae responded.
I turned his statement over in my head. If there wasn’t supposed to be any evidence of beatings, then who exactly was in charge here? I studied the six men who were standing in the room. They seemed completely unaffected by the fact that Shae and I were naked, as if interrogating women while they were naked was a normal, everyday occurrence.
Shae and I were forced back onto the cold metal chairs. The man who had questioned us earlier reclaimed the chair that sat between us. Another man approached Shae with a small black device.
She shifted nervously in her seat. “What is that?”
He glanced down at the device. “This is a stun gun.”
My entire body began trembling. I looked at the man sitting between us. “Why does he have a stun gun?”
He smiled tightly. “Because it causes a great deal of pain without leaving any marks.” He nodded toward the man who had previously held Shae. “Open her legs.”
I sat suspended in horror as the man asked his first question. “Now, Ms. Garlington… tell me who you really work for.”
Shae couldn’t tear her eyes from the man with the device, which was now just inches away from her pubic bone. “I work for Seeds for Peace,” she responded breathlessly.
I slammed my eyes shut as he pressed the device into her crotch. Shae’s scream ripped through me. “Pass out. Please pass out. God, Shae, please pass out,” I chanted in a whisper. I slowly opened my eyes.
Shae lie sobbing on the floor in front of her chair. She had curled in on herself as best she could with her hands cuffed behind her back.
Tears streamed down my face. I tried to get out of my chair to go to her, but I was forced back onto the seat by someone standing behind me.
Shae was dragged back onto the chair. She pressed her legs together and immediately curled over her
knees.
The man with the stun gun pushed her upright. The other man forced her knees open again.
The man sitting between us sighed. “Let’s try this again. I want to know which government agency you’re working for.”
Shae choked back tears. “I don’t work for the government. I work for Seeds for Peace… Please, God, no!” She screamed as the device was shoved between her legs again.
My blood boiled as I forced myself to watch her body violently convulse. I glared at the man asking questions as Shae slid to the floor. “You bastard. You know we aren’t spies. You know we aren’t working for the U.S. government.” I paused, too furious for words. Every man in the room flinched as I screamed at the top of my lungs. “Why are you doing this?”
His eyes hardened as he turned toward the man with the stun gun. He nodded in my direction. “Ms. Stone, why don’t you tell us why you are seeking employment with the Ukrainian government.”
I clamped my jaw shut and glared at him as my legs were forced open. The room darkened as an excruciating pain drilled through my lower abdomen. Every nerve ending in my body exploded as the pain radiated down my arms and legs. I stubbornly counted through the pain as my entire body convulsed… one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight... My brain stalled. I righted myself. Then I fell.
I lie shrouded in darkness. The only sound I could hear was my breathing. Then I slowly registered Shae’s sobbing. I forced my eyes open. I was immediately dragged back onto the chair.
He cleared his throat. “Let me repeat the question.”
Shae quickly interjected. “Look, we’re telling you the truth. Please. You can easily confirm our statements. There are people who can verify that we are telling you the truth.”
He turned his attention to Shae. “The truth is irrelevant.”
She looked stunned. “Then why are you doing this?”
He slowly crossed his ankle over his knee as he leaned back in the chair. “A confession is worth far more than the truth.”
Her mouth fell open. “You want us to confess to something we haven’t done? Why?”
He smiled. “Because it helps me achieve my objectives.”
Shae looked thoroughly confused. “Objectives for what?”
He ignored the question and focused his attention on me. “Ms. Stone, are you ready to tell me what I want to hear?”
I glared at him. “Go to hell. You can’t break something that’s already broken.”
His laugh echoed ominously across the room. “Do you want to bet?”
* * * * * *
Rafael was sitting against the wall in Ethan and Brady’s hospital room, spinning his cell phone against the tile. He eyed Kadyn who was sitting against the opposite wall, nodding off. Michael was trying to access the Internet again. As Rafael studied his brother, he wondered how Kristine would react to seeing him again.
Kadyn cleared his throat. “It’s after midnight.”
Michael nodded as he glanced up from the computer. “We need to track down Maxim and start talking money.”
Rafael pushed off the floor and rose to his feet. “Have you been able to access the Internet long enough to log into your accounts?”
Michael nodded. “Yes. I’m on now.”
Rafael tucked his phone inside his pocket. “I’ll see if Lev will give Maxim a call.”
Maxim cleared his throat as he stepped inside the room. “The SBU has confirmed that Kristine and Shae are both still alive.”
Every man in the room turned toward Maxim. They stilled as they waited for him to elaborate.
A haunted look settled over his face as he leaned against the door. “Both women have been subjected to electro-shock torture, and they have been badly beaten. We are running out of time.”
Michael’s eyes turned black with rage. “Has the SVR indicated a willingness to negotiate their release?”
Maxim slowly nodded. “They have. They’re demanding that President Yanukovych and Prime Minister Azarov extend the lease allowing the Russian naval fleet to remain in Sevastopol for the next ten years. I have spoken with both political leaders, and they are willing to consent to this. They’ll sign the treaty in the morning.”
Kadyn breathed a sigh of relief as he pushed off from the floor. “Thank you.”
Maxim shook his head. “Don’t thank me yet.”
Kadyn froze.
Rafael stared at Maxim. “What else are they demanding?”
Maxim’s eyes met Michael’s. “They’re demanding a payment of five million dollars each.”
“Ten million dollars?” Kadyn exclaimed.
Maxim nodded. “The men from my organization are willing to manage security during the transfer as a favor to me, but the mafia in Sevastopol is asking for a million dollars.”
Kadyn’s eyes narrowed. “Why are they demanding money?”
Maxim folded his arms across his chest. “We are going to need a number of men to stand guard during the transfer. Things could easily go wrong. Because this falls within their jurisdiction, they have insisted on being involved. They are putting their lives on the line to assist us with security. They have families… children to feed. If they die, their families are not likely to survive here in Ukraine. The money will help ensure that they do.”
Rafael sighed. “How soon can we do this?”
Maxim shoved off the door. “The prime minister and the president will sign the treaty at eight a.m. As soon as the treaty is signed, the SVR will bring Kristine and Shae to the airport. I’ve asked that the transfer be made there. The closer we get this transfer to the airplane, the better. It reduces the number of things that can go wrong.”
Michael nodded. “I’ll have the pilot file the flight plan within the hour. The plane will be on stand-by.”
Maxim looked pointedly at all three men. “I don’t care what they tell you tomorrow morning. No money is to be transferred into their accounts until Kristine and Shae arrive at the airport. The SVR will try to pressure you into paying before the women arrive. Don’t. If you pay the ransom before the SVR delivers those women to the airport, we will never see them again.”
Kadyn looked thoroughly confused. “How are we supposed to come up with eleven million dollars? Who has that kind of money?”
Michael’s eyes met Kadyn’s. “I do.”
Kadyn’s jaw fell slack.
Maxim glanced at Lev as he summoned him from the doorway. “I’ll communicate your willingness to meet their conditions. I’ll pay the mafia, so you only have to worry about paying the SVR.” He glanced at his watch, then nodded toward Ethan and Brady. “You need to get these two discharged and on the plane. I’ll meet you at the airport in five hours.”
Rafael reached for Maxim’s hand. “Thank you, Maxim. I realize this is costing you a great deal of money and these negotiations could compromise some of your political goals.”
Maxim shook Rafael’s hand. “I just wish I could have prevented this from happening in the first place.” Maxim began to walk away but stopped in the doorway. His eyes sought Michael’s as he turned back around. His shoulders fell as a defeated look settled over his face. “Now I know why you let her go.”
* * * * * *
Someone was shaking me. “Kri, wake up. Something is going on. You have to wake up.”
“Stop shaking me. It hurts when you do that,” I grumbled irritably.
Shae brushed the hair out of my face. “I think they’re getting ready to take us somewhere. I think they’re moving us.”
My eyes flew open. Fear coursed through me as I forced myself to sit up. I stared at the blanket that slid down my arms, then slowly pulled it back over my shoulders. “They gave us blankets?” I asked, thoroughly confused.
She shook her head. “Some other people were here. They came to our cell just before I fell asleep. They got upset when they saw how violently you were shaking. They yelled at the guards and insisted we be given blankets.”
My eyes widened. “Other people were here? God, Shae,
how long have I been out?”
Shae shook her head. “I don’t know. I fell asleep after they brought the blankets, and I have no idea how long I slept.”
Pain shot through my left arm as I tightened the blanket around me. “Why do you think they’re moving us? Did you overhear someone talking about it?”
Shae nodded toward the bars. “They brought our clothes back. The guard said to get dressed.”
I stared at the pile of clothes. I wanted to get dressed, but I couldn’t bear the thought of moving. “And you think they want us to put our clothes back on so they can move us someplace else?”
Shae nodded as she crawled toward the pile of clothes. She nudged my clothes toward me, then began getting dressed.
My eyes narrowed as she removed her blanket. “What the hell happened to you?”
Shae glanced down at her abdomen and chest. She looked back up in surprise. “You don’t remember?”
I shook my head. “You didn’t look like that the last time I saw you.”
Shae sighed. “They kept shocking you over and over again, but you wouldn’t tell them what they wanted to hear. I guess they thought if they hurt me in front of you that you would be more likely to confess.”
Violent images bit sharply at my mind. “They caned you. They caned you until you fell on the floor.”
Shae’s eyes clouded over. “They hit you with that stun gun for so long, I didn’t think you’d ever be able to speak again. I was so relieved when you finally passed out, but then you didn’t wake up. I thought you were dead.”
I started tugging my clothes on with my right hand. I was completely exhausted by the time I finished getting dressed. My voice broke when I spoke. “Do you think they’re taking us somewhere to kill us… so they can hide our bodies?”
Shae joined me on the floor. “I think that’s exactly what they’re planning to do. They’re not going to release us, Kri. You saw how upset the interrogator got about the bruises. They’re not going to risk Maxim, the media, or the U.S. government seeing what they’ve done to us.”
Shae and I sat together on the edge of tears. It was some time before I could gather the courage to speak. “I’m really glad I met you, Shae. Thank you for being my friend.”