Lethal, p.21
Lethal, page 21
“Andrei Sokolov’s bodyguard- Damen.” he started, reaching for the file on the coffee table, “According to sources, he is the only man that Andrei ever trusted.”
“Could he be ‘The Shadow’?” I queried, looking at the blurred surveillance pictures. Damn, the dude was well over six feet, broad-shouldered with quite the menacing and sinister face.
“No, definitely not.” he answered, “Damen is well known among the underworld and had most probably taken over Andrei’s operations.”
I closed the file with a resigned sigh, leaning back on the couch.
“We need something worthwhile at this point. This guy has been two steps ahead of us this entire time. Even if we do go after this Damen, what are the chances it's yet another trap?”
His sudden silence made me raise my head and regard him with a curious look. He looked somehow perturbed.
“What is it? Tell me.”
He inhaled a deep breath, taking a couple of moments before answering my question.
“I’ve been thinking about how they've been ahead of us. I mean, every time we find a new lead, it’s like a poisonous crumb left deliberately by them for us to pick up. Has it crossed your mind, for even a second that maybe he’s being fed information from the inside?”
“You mean, like a mole?”
He gave me a few seconds to assimilate the question. I pondered over it, over all the events that had taken place up until now. The more I thought about it, the more it started to sound reasonable.
“But we have such loyal members. People we’ve known for years.”
My argument fell weak in front of his next words.
“I think we have a fair idea how much people would be willing to do at the right price and motivation.”
It was true. We’d seen it far too many times. People, otherwise deemed trustworthy, changing sides for just for an extra couple grand.
“Alright,” I sat up straight, “who can we trust in this family?”
“I’d have to say Aaron and Jamal.” came his prompt reply.
“Are you absolutely sure about them?”
He nodded with determination.
“Call them in and have them pull everything on each member who has been involved in this from the start.
He nodded, “Tell Alistair to do the same. If it is someone from the inside, we need to find them quick.”
While we sat there and talked about it further, Feroz’s phone began to ring. It was Xavier. I watched as he picked the call, and I heard the faint murmur of my former boss talking on the other end.
Feroz’s thick eyebrows initially furrowed and then I watched his expression fall in relief and then a hint of a smile as he hung up.
“Aurora’s awake.” he announced, standing up, “Come on, we’ve to get to the hospital.”
Upon reaching the hospital, we were informed that Aurora had been shifted to a private suite on Xavier’s demand. Not only that, he had insisted on the most isolated one and had men standing guard throughout the corridor.
I was about to walk into the designated room when I saw the scene playing out before me through the tiny window.
Xavier was sitting by the bed, his fingers clasped around his wife’s, while she lay there, crying softly. I read the apologies spilling out of Xavier’s lips, as he first wiped her tears and then his own. I could never imagine what it was like- helplessly crying over their baby.
Feroz, however, was much more impatient than me, as he knocked twice on the door and walked in. Xavier pushed up from his seat and excused himself quickly and exited the room without a greeting or a word.
I watched as my partner bent down and pressed a small kiss on Aurora’s forehead and wiped her remaining tears. He whispered some things to her in a lowered voice, which made her eyes well up again, but I could tell they were from gratitude. He, too, excused himself from the room and left the two of us alone. That’s when I started to feel awkward and nervous. I don’t know why. Maybe it was the excessive amount of relief I felt after seeing that she had survived. Maybe it was the horrifying memory of her bleeding out on the stairs. Or maybe it was the shame of not being able to get her child back. I couldn’t really decide which one.
“So,” I shoved my hands in my pockets, “what’s up?”
She let out a sound that was a mix between a laugh and a sob. Then she groaned in pain.
“I don’t even have the energy to cuss at you right now.” she answered, “but come here and hug me, you stupid bitch.”
I chuckled through my tears and ran to hug her, albeit careful of her injury.
“Thank you for saving my life.” she whispered, “Thank you so, so much.”
I nodded, squeezing her one last time before pulling away, “How are you feeling?”
“High,” she replied, making me chuckle. “These pain meds are awful.”
I waited a moment, biting my lip in apprehension, unsure of how to phrase my question.
“What the hell happened?” I finally asked.
“I don’t remember much details. I was putting Ever to sleep when I heard the gunshots. The next thing I know, these masked men were barging in.”
“What about the place where you were kept?”
“It was a jail cell at first. But then they shifted us to a bedroom. Maybe they felt pity over Ever, I don’t know. The woman who was with me, Alina, kept telling me about her brother, Alistair. God, she’s had such a horrible life, Lexi.”
I sat beside her and filled her in on all the details, most of which Xavier had already explained to her. As I began recalling the eventful past month, my eyes wandered over her. Her full cheeks were now gaunt, there were bruises on her face and she looked thinner, almost starved.
“I have never been so scared in my entire life.” she confessed, adjusting against her pillows, “And to think, that they still have Ever…”
“I’ll find her.” I clasped her hand tightly in mine, “And I’ll get her back to you. I promise.”
She nodded.
“Can you tell me anything else?” I asked, “What about the man-in-charge. Did you hear his real voice? Did you see his face?”
“I never saw his face,” she shook her head, “I was only able to catch the tattoo on the back of his hand- it was a star with the words ‘no mercy’ written underneath.”
“That’s good.” I encouraged her, “That’s good. Anything else.”
“There was one time I heard one of the guards talking. They called him l'ombra."
I hung my head in defeat, annoyed that we couldn't get any new information. Urging her to get some rest, I slipped out of the room.
By the time Feroz and I left the hospital, it was late in the afternoon. Aurora needed to rest and I needed to talk to Alistair.
“Hey, what’s up?” he answered his cell.
“Aurora’s awake.” I told him, “She told me about Alina. Can you come over?”
“Sure. I’ll be there in thirty.”
Next, I called Gabe. I had a strong feeling since this morning that I would eventually have to cancel dinner with him. And now, I had to.
“Alexandra, hello.” he greeted. The tone of his voice told me he was not expecting my call but seemed pleased about it.
“Hey, Gabe,” I replied, getting into the car with Feroz, “Something important came up. I’m not sure I’m gonna be able to make it tonight.”
“You’re canceling on me?”
My brows furrowed. I was honestly surprised at the sudden and rude change in his tone. Almost as if he accused me of betrayal.
“I was hoping to reschedule.”
“Is everything alright?”
There he was again, polite and sweet.
“Yeah, yeah, it’s just something I have to take care of.”
“That’s fine. Just text me whenever you’re free.”
“Are you sure? You don’t have to go back to work?”
“I’m here for an indefinite period. My work here isn’t quite finished yet.”
His reply sounded ominous, for some reason.
“Alright, then. I’ll call you.”
I hung up. I stared at my phone for a couple of moments, unsure of the strange conversation I just had.
“Are you okay?” Feroz asked from beside me.
“Yeah, yeah,” I waved my hand in dismissal, “So, what happened last night? With Wayne?”
In the next half hour, the two of us delved into the details of our sexual endeavors from the night before. And I mean explicit details. We were like horny teenagers swapping stories.
Our laughter and conversation were suddenly halted when two black vans skidded to a stop right in front of us!
Feroz let out a loud curse and pressed the breaks before we slammed into the vehicles.
“What the fuck?” I yelled. Spinning around in my seat, I saw two SUVs approaching us from behind.
My hand instantly reached for my guns and I saw Feroz do the same. But the moment men began stepping out of the cars, I knew we were doomed from the start.
It was a small army.
Well, shit.
Thirty-three: Feroz
Alexandra
"I could punch the gas and play bowl-the-assholes. What do you say?" I asked, my eyes scanning the threats that were swiftly gaining on our vehicle.
Feroz glanced at me with a challenging quirk of his eyebrow, "Let's see if you can get a strike-"
No later had he uttered those words, his eyes widened in horror and he grabbed at my shoulders to pull me down. A baseball bat was swung on my window, shattering it to pieces!
"Lexi!"
Feroz's scream was drowned by the chaos when the door was swung open and a large hand grabbed me by the hair and dragged me out of the car. I struggled against the hold of the attacker but in vain. He was surprisingly strong. Unable to loosen his grip, I jabbed my elbow twice in his stomach with as much force as I could muster.
He cursed and let go of me. But my escape was short-lived for another man appeared in front of me, and even before I had a chance to recuperate, he jammed the end of his gun in my forehead.
The blow was sudden and powerful. So much so, that it knocked me out in an instant.
I woke up with a blindfold around my eyes. Even in that life-threatening moment, it felt laughable how cliché it all was when I realized that I had been suspended from a crane, my hands bound tightly in metal chains and my feet barely touching the ground.
“Can you guys be any original?” I called out, my voice strained from the effort of hanging, “What are you going to do next? Torture me?”
This was it. It won’t be any mobster or assassin or FBI agent. It would be my sarcasm that would get me killed.
Somewhere behind me, I heard a deep chuckle. The hair on my neck rose at the sudden sound.
A chair was pushed back and I heard someone stand up and begin walking towards me with loud, confident footsteps. They walked around me in a slow circle. Once again, goosebumps erupted all over my skin when their arm brushed against mine. It was a deliberate move, I could tell. One that would make me scared, succumb to them. Whoever it was, was trying to put me on edge.
“Who are you?” I asked, urging myself to not stutter.
No answer.
“At the risk of continued silence, I’ll ask another question.” I went on, “Why are you doing this?”
“Your sarcasm has only gone up since I last saw you.”
The voice was deep with a robotic tinge to it, instantly telling me that the guy was wearing a modulator. He didn’t want me to hear his real voice. Yet.
“Why, thank you for that unwanted compliment. You tend to acquire the highest degree when dealing with imbeciles is practically your job.”
Another husky laugh.
“Where is my partner?”
“He’s right in front of you. Hasn’t woken up yet.” came the gracious answer.
“Let him go. It’s me you want.”
My captor suddenly came closer. A lot closer. His expensive cologne attacked my nostrils as the guy invaded my personal space until I could feel that his face was just inches from mine.
“Oh, I definitely want you.”
It was the first time then that I felt a spark of fear. There was something so creepy, so dangerously threatening about his tone.
I turned my head away when he began trailing his finger down my forehead. Down and down, past my cheek, my neck. He pressed his knuckle slightly harder when he reached my chest. I struggled against the chain and his touch vanished.
My relief was short-lived because the next second, an echoing crack rang across the room. My head fell to the side with the sharp slap. I let out a loud curse when pain bloomed in its place, burning and excruciating.
“Do not make me hurt you, Alexandra.” he whispered in a restrained voice, “Trust me, that’s the last thing I wanna do.”
I smiled, “You know, saying that after the fact that you’ve hurt me, totally negates what you just said.”
“You’ve got quite the mouth.”
“Oh, you have no idea how much trouble I’ve landed in because of my mouth.”
“Maybe they don’t know how to control you.” I felt him walking, coming to stand behind me, “But I know how to get you to bend to my will.”
My retort lodged in my throat when he reached up and began untying the blindfold. It wasn’t so much as that but the brush of his nose against my neck that had me struggling again. No matter how much I strained, I had no mobility. Therefore, I had to stand there and endure his little game of groping when he breathed deeply into my neck and placed a kiss on my shoulder.
There have been various moments in my life when I’ve felt fear. Be it fighting Mexican cartels or being interrogated by a Russian mobster, I’ve felt it. I even felt it when my captor here freely roamed his hands over my body.
But nothing, and I mean nothing, came close to the fear I felt when the blindfold came off my eyes and I saw Feroz tied to a chair before me with duct tape slapped across his mouth.
It was the man who stood behind his chair, with a gun in his hands. It was my captor standing behind me, whistling the tune of some old song. The entire setting was filling my stomach with dread.
“You’re not getting away with this. My people must know by now that we’re missing. They’re probably on their way.”
He chuckled again, his breath fanning my ear.
“Who? The distraught former boss whose wife lies in the hospital?” came his mocking reply.
I stayed silent.
“Ah, the boyfriend.” I heard the smile in his voice, “That’s where all your confidence lies. You know, I’ve heard about you for years. How legendary, how prominent. But now, to me, you’re just like one of those naïve women who fall head over heels for any man after begging him for attention.”
“I think it’s quite clear who is begging for attention here.” I replied, my eyes focused on Feroz as he began sitting up drowsily, “What you need is help. Might I suggest therapy? Or an anonymous group or something? They’re immensely helpful, I’ve heard.”
I cringed when his tongue snaked out to lick my ear, biting down on my lobe.
“Oh, the things I’d love to do to that mouth of yours.”
My skin crawled with disgust at his tone. I hated the way his hands trailed so freely over my body. I hated it even more when I couldn’t do anything about it.
“I have bad news for you, though. Alistair is quite busy right now because his sister just went into labor. I don’t believe he’s even thinking about you at the moment.”
This was news to me.
“Although, I’ve purposely left your phones on. Even if someone is tracking you, it gives me about thirty more minutes with you, which is plenty of time for what I have in mind.”
“Killing me is not-”
He laughed.
“Kill you? Oh, sweetheart, I have no intention of killing you. It is you I want. Alive.” he said in amusement, “Your precious partner, on the other hand- can’t say the same about him.”
My eyes again moved to Feroz. My heart crumbled when I realized what this man was going to do to him.
“No, no,” I started, “it is me you want. Let him go.”
“Let him go?” my captor laughed.
Again, he buried his face in my neck and inhaled deeply, audibly.
“I would never hurt you, physically.” he murmured, his fingers slipping under my shirt, “But you need to be punished. And I’m gonna do that by hurting those who you love.”
I whimpered, biting down on my lips to stop the pleading that was on my tongue. I wouldn’t be able to see it, see Feroz getting hurt.
The man standing behind my partner picked up a bucket from his side and emptied its water on him. Feroz woke up with a start, gasping against the onslaught. Whatever he wanted to say, got lost behind the tape.
His eyes met mine, beseeching, shocked, wanting answers. But when he looked at whoever it was behind me, his eyes widened in recognition. He knew him. He knew our captor.
It was a sheer moment of desperation. Oh, how I wished he could speak.
“Frank, shoot him.”
The order came from behind me and at once his goon shifted from his position and armed his gun.
“Frank, look at me.” I interrupted, capturing the man’s attention, “You kill that man, you’re gonna have to deal with me. You know who I am, you what I can do. I will find you, anywhere that you run to hide. I will break every bone in your body. And I will kill you.”
The next few moments were full of absolute horror. I watched Frank's eyes harden before mine. He didn’t stop. He didn’t hesitate. With his gaze locked with mine, he raised the gun and fired it at Feroz’s knee.
Feroz's bloodcurdling scream will forever remain etched in my brain. I watched in utter helplessness as he struggled against the restraints, gasping with pain.
“Please, stop. Please don’t do that to him.” I had resorted to begging, “You have me. Just do whatever you want to me, but please, please don’t hurt him. Let him go.”
My pleas fell on deaf ears. My captor chuckled behind me as I cried and struggled against the chains.
“Let’s make this a quick.”
