RunningScaredBN (32 page)

The bastard’s name was Dimitri Soukis. Wealthy beyond belief—a net worth of over thirty billion—he was one of the top twenty richest people in the world. He had the kind of power most people could only dream about. The Greek government hated the man with a passion and would have loved to see his ass locked behind bars for the rest of his life. There was only one catch. Dimitri was not a Greek citizen.
 

Soukis resided in his home country of Pavli. Located between Greece and Malta, Pavli was a small sovereign nation of about three million people. Noah had talked at length with Andrew Kopsas, the president of Pavli. Kopsas knew all about Soukis. He also knew the man could buy himself out of any kind of trouble and had done so frequently. Soukis had numerous politicians in his back pocket, and though Kopsas claimed he wasn’t one of them, Noah had his doubts.

The Pavlian president refused to assist in taking down Soukis. He claimed his people would rebel if they heard his government helped Americans in the arrest of a Pavli citizen. He did promise, however, that there would be no interference if LCR managed to apprehend the man. And Kopsas coolly added that if the operation resulted in the death of Dimitri Soukis, there would be no repercussions from his government.
 

In other words, the president had given LCR license to kill one of Pavli’s own citizens.

Noah had never gone into a mission with the intent to kill anyone. He’d dealt with some of the lowest forms of human filth, and not once had he ever set out to end a life. The only time anyone died was when it was unavoidable. This mission was no different. However, if it came down to choosing between an LCR life and Soukis’s, Noah wouldn’t hesitate.

“This is the captain,” a hard masculine voice boomed overhead. “Buckle up and hang on, young’uns. It’s about to get bumpy.”

Noah grudgingly went to his seat and buckled in. Sitting still when adrenaline was pumping like a geyser was not easy. He had two operatives in danger, and the knowledge that there wasn’t a damn thing he could do right now was eating a hole in his gut.

As if reading his mind, Fox said, “At least one part of the operation went off without a hitch.”

Noah nodded. That was true. Larson and his people had been taken into custody. When they’d realized Riley and Justin had been outed, Noah had given the order. All of Larson’s houses had been raided. The children were safe and the squalor that was Larson and his scum-sucking employees was now in jail facing a ton of charges.

When Riley returned to the States, she’d have to decide whether or not she wanted to see her mother. And even though Larson had claimed that Lorraine King aka Loretta Larson was her biological mother, Noah would suggest a DNA test to confirm. Larson would have done and said anything to hurt Riley. Lying about her parentage would have been entertainment for him.

 
“You think anyone in the Pavli government will tip off Soukis that we’re coming?” Thorne asked.

“Wouldn’t surprise me one damn bit. We’ll go in with the assumption that they know and are prepared for war.”

Thorne glanced around the plane. Because they’d needed to move fast, they hadn’t been able to bring in any more operatives. Only four operatives had been able to board the plane. Thorne, Fox, Mallory, and Delvecchio. They were seasoned and able to handle anything that came their way. Still, he couldn’t help but wish he had a half-dozen more.
 

“Tell me again why she’s here.”

Noah looked at Thorne and then the object of his apparent wrath. The additional person he’d invited along was not an LCR operative or employee. Anna Bradford was here for another reason entirely.
 

Thorne definitely had a burr up his butt when it came to Anna. Before Noah could respond, Anna answered for him.
 

“For support, Thorne. Riley may need me. It’s called being a friend. You should try it sometime.”

“As long as you don’t get in the way, you’re welcome to go wherever you like.”

“Oh, thank you so much for your permission, Mr. Thorne. You stay out of my way, and I’ll stay out of yours.”

“You don’t—”

“That’s enough from both of you,” Noah snapped. “Thorne, Anna is here as moral support for Riley. She will stay with the plane and will be safe.”

Thorne gave Anna one last hard look and turned away. Noah knew what Aidan Thorne’s problem was, and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do to help him with it. He was going to have to work it out for himself. And considering the anger boiling inside the man, Noah didn’t see that happening any time soon.

That was a worry for another day.

His cellphone buzzed, and he frowned at the unfamiliar number. “McCall.”

“Mr. McCall? My name is Aletha Villas. I understand we have a mutual enemy.”

“And who would that be, Ms. Villas?”

“Dimitri Soukis.”

Noah was already texting Deidre for her to do research on Aletha Villas as he said, “You have my full attention, Ms. Villas.”

“I’d like to help you.”

“Help me, how?”

“As you will soon find out when your research comes through, I head an opposition party against my country’s current president, Andrew Kopsas. He and Soukis are like brothers.”

“I see. And what do you propose to do to help me?”

“I know you will soon be landing at the airport in our capital city. I have a small but loyal team of well-trained men and women who can assist you.”

“I’m not interested in your politics, Ms. Villas. And unless I have no choice, I don’t plan on any bloodshed.”

“Believe me, Mr. McCall. I don’t want you involved in my politics either. And I do not want Dimitri Soukis killed. He is a blight on our beautiful country and belongs in prison. I am merely suggesting that my people assist you in saving the young man and woman Soukis has stolen from you.”

“And what do you get in return? If Pavli’s president is indeed friends with Soukis, won’t he intervene and try to prevent prosecution?”

“No. It will be made public what Soukis has been doing. The people will not allow the president to take sides. President Kopsas will turn on his friend without a second moment of thought.”

As she talked, Noah read the information Deidre had been able to provide. From what he could tell, Aletha Villas was telling the truth. And even though she had her own agenda, Noah would gladly accept her help to achieve his own.

“Very well, Ms. Villas. This is how you can help.”

***

Hera, Pavli

Dimitri Soukis’s mansion

She woke in the box. Naked.

It was pitch dark, but Riley had no problem recognizing her location. The instant she realized, all breath left her body. Harsh gasping sounds echoed in the small area, pounding her ears.
 

Can’t breathe. Can’t breathe.
 

No. No. No!
 

A harsh voice screamed inside her head. She would not succumb to the terror. She was no longer the helpless victim she’d once been. She was Riley Freaking Ingram. LCR Elite operative. She could kick ass. She was a defender of the weak and no longer weak herself.

The self-lecture did the job. Air returned to her lungs, and though she continued to tremble, she forced herself to take slow, deep breaths. Calm flooded her senses, and at last she was able to concentrate.

What did she remember? Dimitri had been on the plane after all. The instant she had walked onto the plane, she had been Tasered. And then—

Horror swamped her once more. Justin! Where was Justin? What had happened?
 

Think, Ingram, think!

She had woken once. She’d been tied to a seat, the drone of a jet engine beneath her feet. She had raised her head, barely conscious of her surroundings. But she remembered one important thing. Justin had been sitting across from her, hands and feet bound, his head bent forward, unconscious. But he had been alive. She remembered focusing on his chest moving as he breathed. Yes, he was still alive. But for how long?

She had to get out of here. Fists clenched, her entire body stiff with tension, she licked her dry lips.
 

Think, Ingram. Think!

There had been occasions that Dimitri hadn’t locked the box. It had been a ruse to trick her. She had made the mistake of trying to open it once and had found him standing above her, waiting for her to try to escape. Her punishment had been swift, and she had learned her lesson. She had never tried to open the box again.

Could he be doing the same thing this time? Was he waiting nearby, hoping she would open the box? She hoped so.
 

As she was curled up in a fetal position, Riley raised one hand and tried to force the box open. It was locked.

She swallowed a frustrated sob. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy.

From what she could remember, the lid of the box was about two inches thick. The lock he’d used back then had been an old-fashioned padlock. Could she break through? Maybe split the wood? She never had tried before, simply because she’d been too scared of what he would do to her. Her fear for Justin far outweighed any other horror she’d ever felt. If anything happened to him…

Pushing that gut-wrenching thought away, Riley maneuvered herself onto her back. Her legs were bent, her knees touching her breasts. Raising her hands and knees, she shoved hard against the lid. No give at all. She shoved harder. Nothing.
 

Refusing to let up, she shoved again and again. Over and over. The heat was unbearable, and for the first time she thought she might be grateful to be nude. If she had been wearing clothes, she was sure she would suffocate. She drew in a deep breath, gathering strength, and shoved again. Was that the sound of wood splintering? She shoved again and again. She had to get out of here and find Justin. She had to!

***

His head pounding, Justin woke with a splitting headache and smelling the stench of his own vomit. His eyes were bleary. He blinked to clear them and groaned. Hell, even his eyelids hurt.

Where was he? What the hell had happened? He remembered a plane, someone screaming. And then…

Riley!

Reality crashed down upon him as he tried to sit up. Three things hit him instantly. There was no need to sit up, because he was hanging from the ceiling, his wrists locked in leather cuffs. The equipment on the wall indicated he was inside some sort of torture chamber. And he was naked.

Well, shit.

He told himself he’d been in tighter spots, but he wasn’t sure that was helpful. Worry for Riley overwhelmed everything else. What had that bastard done to her? Fury engulfed him, overwhelming the agony in his head. They’d made a crucial mistake. Their trap had backfired on them, and instead of capturing the asshole, they’d walked into his lair.
 

He searched the room for an escape route. From what he could see, there was only one way out, and that was the door across the room. Now for the biggest problem—getting out of the cuffs. At least his feet were firmly on the floor. That made things a little easier.

He pulled down hard. There was little give, but since there was no other option he could see, he didn’t let that stop him. He jerked repeatedly. At some point, the ceiling would give way. Patience wasn’t easy when all he wanted to do was rip the ceiling down and go find Riley. Since that wasn’t going to happen quickly, he put everything he had into his efforts.
 

The door flew open, and he glanced over. A man came into the room, and though Justin wasn’t a big believer in supernatural demons walking the earth, he could swear the room dropped ten degrees as the man came closer.

He got his first up-close look at Dimitri. This was the man who had purchased Riley, raped and beaten her, treated her like garbage. He looked as common as a housefly. Standing maybe five-ten, Dimitri had a wealth of curly black-and-silver hair. Thick, shaggy brows hovered like giant black caterpillars over eerie coal-black eyes. He probably weighed one-seventy soaking wet, and much of that weight looked as though it had settled into his middle. Justin figured the man to be in his early-sixties.
 

All in all, he was a disgusting piece of human excrement.

“Who are you?”

Apparently, Dimitri wasn’t one to waste time on idle chitchat.
 

Justin remained silent. The ice-cold look of a killer gleamed in Dimitri’s eyes. This was a man who preyed on the weak and helpless. He not only lacked the slightest amount of human decency but also courage.

“What were you doing with my Jessica? Are you her friend? Her protector?” His voice went shrill. “Have you touched my Jessica? Put your hands on my beautiful girl?”

Silence.

“Answer me, you cretin! Who are you?”

Justin maintained his blank expression.

The longer Dimitri waited without getting a response the more incensed he became. How dare this imbecile, this filthy interloper, act so arrogant, so unafraid? Did he not know who he was?

Perhaps that was it. He didn’t realize the power and influence of Dimitri Soukis. After all, Jessica didn’t know that much about him. She didn’t know that he had enough wealth to buy anything and everything, including governments.