Forced Handfasting (19 page)

The room was instantly bathed in bright lights. On the far side of the room, he could see rooms that were partitioned off with glass walls. Behind one of those glass walls was the same bed he had seen in the transmission that he and Rahman had participated in the other day. Lying in the bed was Samantha. Two guards stood on either side of the bed as Sam sat up. From where he was he could tell she looked just as bad as she had on the transmission when she had been asleep.

“Jahan?” Her tender voiced reached his ears and caused his heart to soar. She was alive but injured, and he needed to get her the hell out of there.

“I’m here, my love,” he called out to her. He had taken several steps forward before he was knocked to the ground by a group of guards. “You’re going to pay for that,” he hissed at the guards when he turned over onto his back.

In response, he got a swift kick in the ribs followed by punch to his head. He saw stars dancing before his eyes, and he struggled to remain conscious. He had to remain awake!

“Jahan!” Sam screamed. “Leave him alone!”

“Sam, my dear, there is no need to upset yourself like this. I am sure Jahan wouldn’t want that.” Rahman walked over to her and touched her cheek.

“Get your hands off her!” Another savage blow hit him in the head. This time though it took him longer to recover. He spit out a glob of blood onto the floor as he struggled to remain upright.

“Jahan, I can see you are not going to be reasonable right now, so how about you go think about things for a while then we can try this again. Get him out of here!”

Two guards lifted him off the ground roughly by the arms then shove him forward out of the room. He turned his head at the last moment to get one last look at Sam, who was screaming to him, and trying to get out of the bed.

The guards shoved, and pushed him down the hallway. They came to another set of stairs that descended to another level. As he walked down to the lower level, his thoughts turned to Niko. Where was he? Was he dead? The trio walked for some time until they reached a barred door. One guard stepped forward and unlocked it then pulled Jahan through while the second guard followed closely behind. As they walked, Jahan was memorizing the route they were taking so that he would remember how to get out, and rescue Sam. At the end of the hallway, the guard pulled him to a stop, unlocked yet another barred door then shoved him inside. Reluctantly, the guard removed the laser cuffs then exited the cell.

He eyed the guards until they were out of sight then turned around to investigate his cell. To his horror his saw Niko laying on the ground curled up in a ball on the cold floor. “By the gods!” He rushed over to his friend who was unconscious. "Niko.” He gently turned the man over in his arms.

Niko’s face was a bloody mess. His nose appeared broken, and his mouth was missing a few teeth. His anger swelled to new proportions at the sight of his friend. He checked to make sure Niko was breathing, and found that he was. At least that was a good sign. He laid Niko back down on the ground gently. He sat down on the ground with a hard plop, and smiled to himself.

Rahman and his henchmen may have taken his weapon and his night vision device, but they didn’t bother to check him for his communication device he still had tucked into his boot. He slipped the miniature device out, faced away from the barred door, and began to send a message to his men on the outside. The device was the state of the art in communication, and could survive almost any destruction; water, fire, EMP, almost anything short of taking the device apart.

He had encrypted the message before he sent it out. The message told them everything he had managed to see so far; how many steps down to the first level then to the second level, how many doors on each side of the hallway, what door Sam was hidden behind,, and how many barred doors blocked the path to him, and Niko. It didn’t take long to receive a message back from Marco, and Vito stating their intentions. His brothers informed him to sit tight, and wait. It wasn’t going to take them long to breach the building, and take it by force.

Chapter 18

“Did you enjoy seeing your husband?”

“I’m going to kill you!” Sam shouted at the man standing at the foot of her bed. Just the sight of Rahman made her sick, and the thought of how much pain Jahan must be in made her want to empty the contents of her stomach onto the floor.

“I don’t think that will be happening anytime soon, my dear. He’s locked up good, and tight so I don’t have to worry about him or you. Tomorrow when you are feeling more in control of yourself, I might let you have another look at your soon to be dead husband. I said I was going to fuck you in front of him, but I have reconsidered. I don’t want to take any chances on harming the child you carry, Jahan’s child. What I think I am going to do, is bring Jahan in while I have the medic run an ultra-scan on you, just to prove to the idiot that you are carrying his child. I want him to go to his death knowing that I will be the child’s father, not him!”

“You will never be the father of my child! I will let him know who his real father is! Not some evil, egotistical maniac!”

“Oh, please Samantha! Stop being so dramatic. Just be glad I am letting you live!” Rahman turned and left the room, leaving her alone again.

Thank God! I hate that man, and I am going to get out of here!
Her first course of action needed to see if she could actually walk on her bandaged leg. The guards had left her bedside shortly after Jahan was dragged away. All she had to do now was get past the medic who was forever roaming about the main room outside her glass prison.

She watched the medic for a very long time, figuring out his routine. Every two hours the medic came into her room to check her vital signs, and give her a dose of medicine. After the medic had left her room, he would go into what she believed was the bathroom to wash his hands. Then he would walk over to a set of machines that was spewing information across its screen in a foreign language she couldn’t read. Lastly, he would leave the medical room for approximately ten minutes, and come back with a container full of a clear liquid.

Her opportunity to escape would come when the medic was out of the room. Somehow she would have to find out where Jahan had been taken, and get him out. It was an outrageous plan, but she had to make it work. If not, Jahan would die at Rahman’s hands, and she would become his baby maker.

Right on schedule the medic came into her room, performed his tasks then left. Her eyes followed his movements as he repeated his routine. As soon as he left the medical room she would attempt to find out if she could stand. She wouldn’t have much time, but it was the first step to escaping the nightmare she was living.

The medic checked his machines then exited through the only door in the medical room. That was her cue for her to get her legs moving. Her left leg, which heavily bandaged, was slow to move because of the amount of pain that shot down it when she moved it to the edge of the bed. She sucked in a sharp hiss and waited for the wave of dizziness to pass before she continued. Her precious seconds were ticking away. Gritting her teeth, she swung her legs over the side of the bed to let them dangle down to the floor. A quick glance at the door showed no sign of the medic returning just yet, so she scooted on her rear-end until the tips of her toes touched the cold, bare floor. She held onto the bed as she slowly let her full weight down onto the good leg. No pain emitted from that one, which was a relief, but it was the injured one she was concerned with.

Was her bad leg going to be able to hold her up or would she go crashing to the floor, and give herself, and her plan away? Wasting no more time, she eased a portion of her weight onto the injured leg. Another pain shot up the leg this time, taking the breath right out of her lungs. She bit back the cry of pain that wanted to erupt from inside her. She shook her head to get the pain to go away, but it didn’t help. Reluctantly she leaned back onto the mattress and sat. She wasn’t going to be able to do it! There was no way she was going to be able even to, take a baby step much less roam around the medical room, and surrounding building looking for Jahan.

A tear slipped down her face in her state of frustration. Jahan was going to die, and there was nothing she could do about it. Suddenly she could hear footsteps outside the medical room. Without regard to her injuries, she pulled her lower body up onto the bed. She had to physically lift part of her bad leg in order to get it back into the bed before the medic entered the room. She only had seconds to spare when the door to the medical room opened, and the medic walked in carrying his container of liquid. He glanced her way and frowned. Her heart sped up when she saw him coming her way.

“Are you in pain again?” he asked. She had to give the man a little bit of credit; he did seem concerned about her state of being.

The best she could do was to pretend she was just experiencing pain because the meds were wearing off, not because she had tried to get out of the bed! “Yes! Why do you think I am crying?”

The medic nodded then left her to go retrieve a syringe.
Fuck! I just got myself another dose of pain meds that knock me out!
She realized her mistake as soon as she saw the syringe in the medic’s hand. Every time he gave her that crap it knocked her out for hours!

“I don’t think I need that right now,” she said to the medic as he neared her bed.

“My instructions are to keep you from feeling too much pain. The injection is the best I have to offer.”

“No, no, no. It’s okay, really.” She wanted him to stop before he injected the liquid into her IV.

He didn’t listen to her plea. The syringe’s tip was inserted into the clear tubing then depressed. It didn’t take long for her to start to feel the effects of the pain medicine as it coursed through her veins and circulated throughout her body.
Shit!
She couldn’t fight the pull of darkness yet again.

******

“Open the door.”

Jahan watched as Rahman waited for the guard to unlock then open the barred door. He was sitting in the corner on the opposite side of the cell along with Niko, who had finally woke up. He had no idea how much time had elapsed, but it had to have been several hours. His eyes narrowed when Rahman stepped into the room but stayed far enough back that he wouldn’t be able to lunge at him, and take him by surprise.

“I hope our accommodations are suitable to your liking.”

“Shut the fuck up, Rahman!” He was more concerned with how he and Niko were going to pull off the plan they had come up with while they sat in the dingy cell.

When Niko had finally regained consciousness, Jahan was relieved to know that Niko’s injuries looked worse than they were. Most of the blood had come from a broken nose he had sustained during his struggle with the guards when he was first captured, and the two missing teeth. The bruise on his face had turned his skin almost black in spots, but it was nothing he wouldn’t recover from. Hell, he had sustained worse injuries in some of the bar fights he had been in when they were younger and more arrogant. One of the guards had gotten a lucky blow into his head that had been the cause of him going out. The rest of his body was a bit sore with more bruises, but it was nothing that was going to stop him from escaping their cell.

Jahan hadn’t expected Rahman to show his face again so soon after the incident in the medical room. Samantha. Gods, how was Sam faring? Did she think him dead after being dragged out of there? He had to get to her!

The plan he, and Niko had come up with was to overpower the guards, take their weapons then make their way back upstairs. Rahman had thrown them a small curveball, but nothing they wouldn’t be able to deal with.

“What the fuck do you want, traitor?” Niko spit out.

Rahman’s eyes narrowed at Niko. “You are not to speak unless I speak to you first! You always were annoying!”

“Feeling is mutual,” Niko threw back. For some reason, Niko’s taunting struck a nerve in Rahman because the want-to-be ruler took a couple of quick steps forward without thinking. “Come, and get me, if you dare or are you scared?”

Jahan hadn’t planned on Niko’s taunting, but it was working beautifully. The guard who had stepped in behind Rahman also took a step forward. He had to laugh at the guard who thought he was going to be able to help his dictator.

“I am not scared of such a waste of life as you, Niko. My mistake was not disposing of the whole lot of you fools when I had the chance. Now, I have to spend my time hunting you down one by one. After I get rid of you two, my next target are your brothers! How is Marco by the way? Does he miss his little wife?”

That was the breaking point for him. It was time to act, and get out of there. Jahan sprang forward and clasped Rahman around the neck with his bare hands. Niko was up, and running at the guard who was fumbling with his weapon. Neither men had expected their attack. Jahan squeezed his hands around Rahman’s neck until the man’s eyes bulged. His enemy fought with everything he had to give. Rahman tried to knee him in the crotch but missed by inches, catching him in the upper thigh.

Jahan’s anger was at dangerous levels now and was boiling over. With a strength he didn’t know he possessed, he threw the older man across the room to slam into the wall with a sickening crunch. Rahman fell to the floor and rolled to the side with a moan.

“You will pay for that!” the ex-councilman hissed through his clenched teeth. He stumbled to regain his footing as he wrapped an arm around his ribs and a hand around his bruise throat.

“Really? And how do you plan on doing that when I got you right where I wanted you?” Jahan closed the distance between them. He picked the man up by his shirt and slammed his back to the wall. “You have caused a war that no one wanted all for the sake of your greed! Innocent men, women, and children are dead because of you!”

Rahman laughed. “Unimportant people!”

Jahan saw red when he heard those words. “You are fucking nuts, and you know what?” He was nose to nose with his nemesis. “I’m not going to kill you right now, but...,” he leaned back a fraction, “I will let my people decide your fate. It should be an interesting decision.”

He watched as Rahman’s face visibly paled. He could hear Niko still struggling with the guard but had no fear that Niko wouldn’t be able to subdue the man. The sound of a grunt then a hard thud to the floor indicated that Niko had finally taken the man down.

Jahan smiled at Rahman. “Your turn!” He swung his fist with everything he had, and landed a punch on the side of Rahman’s head. The old man crumbled to the floor in a heap not moving again.

“Let’s get the fuck out of here!” Niko shouted as he stood in the open doorway.

One last look at the downed man and Jahan knew he would be out for some time. They raced out of the cell to the barred door that stood in their way of freedom.

“Shit, I got to go back for the key,” Jahan said as he skidded to a halt.

“No need for that, boss,” Niko said then pulled the said key out of his pocket and jingled it in front of him. “I took care of that already!”

Niko unlocked the barred door. They took off running once again after Niko relocked the door then took the stairs two at a time to reach the top. They both stopped dead in their tracks when confronted by a squad of five soldiers all pointing their weapons at them.

“Shit,” Niko said. “Sorry, boss. I thought we had been quieter than this.”

The sound of laser fire filled the narrow hallway. The pulses of red, and orange lights bounced off walls, and the floor as the soldiers standing in front of them fell to the ground one by one. When the last soldier fell, they could see a group of their men at the end of the hallway.

“My lord, is that you?” Tully’s voice rang through the air.

“Gods, man. Yes!”

“Man, you scared the shit out of me!” Niko laughed. “I thought we were goners there for a minute!”

“Do you really think I would leave you behind?” Tully asked Niko then turned to Jahan. “We received the message you sent out but it took us some time to figure out how to get inside. After you two disappeared into the building all hell broke loose outside. We lost a few good soldiers, but we were able to take control.”

“What about the ships,” he asked.

“On their way as we speak. They should be landing about now.”

“Take your men and go clean up the mess in the cell all the way at the end of the hallway down there.” Niko tossed him the metal key. “Make sure, the prisoner doesn’t getaway. He is to be restrained to the fullest. Every precaution is to be taken. Is that clear?”

“Yes, my lord!” Tully said then pointed down the hall. His men took off running, and disappeared down the stairs.

“I got to find Sam,” Jahan stated.

“Let’s go,” Niko replied.

The locked doors were kicked in only to find the rooms behind them empty. Something was different about the hallway, but he couldn’t figure out what it was right away until he realized there was an empty spot on the wall of doors. When he had first come into the hallway, the doors were evenly placed apart, but now there was one stretch between doors what was too wide.

“What is it?” Niko asked.

Jahan ran his hands over the smooth wall. “There’s a door hidden behind here somewhere.”

“Are you sure? It doesn’t look like it.”