Snatched Read online

  -o-o-o-

  Athena’s Apartment, Durango

  At a quarter to two in the morning, Athena thought she heard something hit her bedroom window. Then, a second later, it broke. She got up and stared through the curtain but didn’t see anything. Probably some drunk kid.

  She heard a sound behind her. Someone pushed her onto her bed and smashed a pillow against her face then rolled her onto her stomach.

  She screamed, but the pillow swallowed the sound. Athena lashed out with her fingernails, scratched somebody, but he grabbed her hands.

  Before she knew what’d occurred, her arms were tied together behind her. Worse, someone stuffed something into her mouth and wrapped tape around her head to hold the gag in place. Panic welled within her as she realized she was trapped.

  Too many hands grabbed her. There were at least two men. They dragged her out of bed and stood her upright. No, three men. One of them was Rico. She knocked him against the corner of her dresser and drew blood. He punched her in the face and bruised her left cheek.

  Athena was wearing flannel pajamas, but the men had come prepared. They zipped a mummy bag around her like a straitjacket.

  Her whole body shook with fear, and her right frontal lobe throbbed. The assholes dragged her out of her apartment and down the empty hallway to the elevator. Once they reached the ground floor, they hauled her to the dark gray Suburban she’d seen before. It was parked in a handicapped spot in front of the building.

  Rico sat beside her in the back seat. Once he closed his door, he laughed.

  “You bitches thought you fooled me. Not for long. Now you the fool. Say your prayers, slut, while you still can.”

  It’d happened so fast. She wanted to scream and claw at him, but she could barely move. Every sound she made had been stifled. Panic flooded through her. Her brain throbbed worse than she could remember ever. Worse, she might soon be just as dead as Mia.

  -o-o-o-

  Instead of driving off right away, the SUV remained parked. Rico stayed with her, but the other guys vanished. When they returned, they opened the back hatch.

  “Got all her stuff,” one said.

  They stashed her things in the back then hopped in the two front seats and drove away.

  Athena tried to remain still and forgettable, but Rico unzipped her sleeping bag and tore her pajamas open. He punched her breasts and face but didn’t rape her. She couldn’t do anything to protect herself.

  How had they found her? The answer came right away. Jackson, the sheriff’s deputy. He must’ve told someone at the secret prison about her and Beau. But how had he figured out her address? The one on her license had been out of date. Somebody must’ve run a background check. She never imagined they would care enough to look.

  Her throat burned. Jackson had seemed so young and professional, but now, he was probably going to get her killed. The bastard.

  Athena couldn’t see outside, except an occasional glow from headlights on other vehicles. Luckily, Rico soon got bored with humiliating her and sat next to her texting.

  Her heartbeat stopped pounding in her ears. The ride was scary, but nothing compared to what was likely to come next. The person in charge of these assholes was going to want her to talk. Otherwise, they would’ve simply killed her at the apartment.

  She couldn’t reveal much information, though, not without endangering others, particularly Beau. But these sons of bitches would stop at nothing to make her tell all her secrets.

  Not that she could do much to resist. Her nerves were already shot, and her whole body was shaking. She had no training on how to survive torture.

  The sons of bitches had to realize by now that Athena’s information had come from Jackie or Mia. That reality left Jackie incredibly vulnerable—assuming she was still alive. Athena’s story had to start with the lie that she’d figured out on her own that the two women were in danger and followed them. Thank God, Beau had taken the index card as evidence.

  If she were forced to say more, she could safely mention the FBI was working the case but couldn’t tell them where Beau was staying. When he came by her apartment later in the morning, he’d know something was terribly wrong. That would put him on high alert.

  -o-o-o-

  Eventually, the Suburban slowed and turned onto a back road. It might’ve even been one of those Athena and Beau had driven on yesterday, but probably not because they hadn’t found the right property.

  When the SUV stopped, Rico woke up. “Back so soon. Now the real fun starts.”

  In the grand scheme of things, Athena’s life was hardly worth saving. Her body and mind had been devastated by the head shot. The worse thing she could do now would be to save her own life by getting someone else killed, probably a person with a much better future than she had. No, she wouldn’t be able to live with that guilt.

  Two men dragged Athena out of the SUV, leaving the sleeping bag behind. Her pajama top flapped open, and her bare feet hurt from stepping on the gravel that covered a long, semi-circular driveway.

  The SUV was parked outside an older two-story, brick house. The surrounding forest was pitch black, but a front porch light was on. The men dragged her inside.

  A giant of a man stood in the entryway. He had to be close to seven feet tall. Very muscular, with shaggy black hair and a full beard.

  With glee in his voice, Rico said, “We got her! Just like I said, she’s the bitch I saw at the gas station.”

  The giant didn’t look nearly as happy. His brow was furrowed, and he snarled. “Take her to my office.”

  They did, and the dark giant followed. To Athena’s surprise, the room looked like it’d once been a child’s nursery because the wallpaper was covered with storks carrying babies. It provided such a contrast with these vicious men.

  A large maple desk sat in the center of the room. Two matching chairs faced the desk, and a huge leather executive chair was behind it.

  The two henchmen stood with Athena in front of the desk.

  One said, “We collected her laptop, purse, phone, and some files from her apartment. Do you want them?”

  “Yes, right away,” the big boss said.

  His thugs hurried off. Athena stood there with her mouth still gagged. It took all her effort to remain upright. The boss looked her up and down like she was a side of beef he was considering buying.

  When the two men returned with her things, they set them on the desk.

  “Leave us, and close the door,” the boss said.

  The two henchmen took off, and the door slammed shut behind them.

  With a leer, the giant spun Athena around and ripped her clothes off. Then he pushed her against the desk until she bent over, her butt exposed. A hand at the back of her neck smashed her face down onto the varnished wood. “Stay put, or I’ll kill you.”

  She didn’t dare move.

  He walked over to a corner of the office where several short fencing foils were propped against the walls. Misha took one weapon and returned to stand beside her in front of his desk.

  “Understand one thing—I’m a monster. The sooner you accept that, the better we’ll get along.” Using the foil like a switch, he swung it horizontally, lashing her butt cheeks.

  The stinging was painful, but her gag muffled her scream. She tried to twist away—to save herself—but one of his massive hands pressed down on the center of her back, pinning her in place. All she could do was sob as he whipped her with the thin steel blade.

  -o-o-o-

  Eventually, he stopped and he put a towel down on one of the wooden chairs in front of his desk. “Sit. Don’t squirm, or you’ll smear blood over my chair. That’ll earn you another beating.”

  She stumbled as she move to the chair. He caught her and pushed her onto the seat. The agony as she sat was almost unbearable, but she tried not to show it. He seemed to get a kick out of making people suffer. She didn’t want to give him any more satisfaction.

  He l
eaned back against his desk and smirked. “Do we understand each other, Christina Nielsen, if that’s your real name? Are you ready to submit? Please say no. I’ll be happy to fuck you until you bleed from every hole you’ve got.”

  For some reason, she’d stopped shaking. Needed to keep her wits about her. He seemed to be looking for an excuse to brutally rape her.

  Still wearing the gag, Athena nodded her head in answer to his question.

  He ripped the duct tape apart near where it crossed her mouth and yanked the tape off of her head. Plenty of her hair went with it, but that suffering was nothing compared to the pain she’d already endured.

  “I want to hear you say it,” he snapped.

  Through gritted teeth, she said, “I submit.”

  He laughed. “Too bad, the more I hurt people, particularly women, the better I like it.”

  She didn’t doubt him for an instant.

  He glanced through her purse then flipped through her research files. Misha focused on the one marked, For Tomorrow. It included aerial photos of the new properties she’d wanted to investigate. He paid particular attention to one.

  “Now I’m going to ask you some questions,” he said. “If you lie, I promise to knock you around until your face is a bloody mess. Understand?”

  So, the worst part of her nightmare was about to begin. With an even tone, Athena said, “Yes.”

  “Did you see Jackie and Mia at the gas station yesterday?”

  “Yes.”

  “What did they tell you?” the man asked.

  “Nothing.”

  The word was hardly out of her mouth before he smacked the side of her head with the foil. The pain was excruciating…until the world blessedly went dark.

  Chapter 8

  When Athena came to, her nose burned. She was lying on her back on the carpeted floor. The bindings on her hands had been removed. A slim woman with black curly hair, about forty years old, knelt next to her holding smelling salts. Next to her, a small black satchel lay open.

  The woman whispered, “Listen, you got to tell him whatever he wants to know. He’ll keep hurting you—worse and worse—until you answer him or you die.”

  Athena’s right frontal lobe throbbed worse than she could ever remember. Dying was better than betraying someone, but she didn’t know whether she had the strength of character she’d need to resist more torture.

  “Put the bitch back into the chair, Erica,” Misha said.

  The woman helped Athena sit back where she’d been.

  Misha put his hand to his chin as though pondering. “The nurse tells me you’ve suffered a traumatic head injury, probably from a bullet. Is that true?”

  “Yes.”

  “She says any further blows to your head are likely to trigger a fatal brain aneurysm. I’d prefer to avoid that, but I hope you can see my dilemma. Without obedience, chaos would rule here. So, I’ll ask you again, what did Mia and Jackie tell you?”

  Athena decided to mostly tell the truth, but put all the blame on Mia. “Nothing, neither said a word. Mia slipped me a card when Rico wasn’t looking.”

  He raised back the foil but didn’t strike. “Is that how you found our compound? I saw an aerial photograph of this ranch in your folder.”

  He was buying her story. “The card begged for help. It said forty women and girls were prisoners. I followed the suburban until it turned off US 160 and disappeared. Then, I looked for buildings in the area that were large enough to hold so many people.”

  He waved the foil around as though eager to strike. “What did Jackie say to you?”

  Hope fluttered in Athena’s heart. If Jackie was already dead, he wouldn’t care. “Nothing. No card, no anything.”

  His hawk-like gaze bored into her good eye. She did her best to keep her face blank. Having just been knocked witless might’ve helped.

  After a moment, he asked, “What did you do with the card?”

  This was her chance to scare him off. “Gave it to the FBI, and they’re going to be all over your ass very soon. They’re scheduled to meet me at my apartment again early this morning. As soon as they realize I’ve been kidnapped, all hell is going to rain down on you. If you’re smart, you’ll give up whatever con you’re playing and get away while you still can.”

  He smirked. “I appreciate your concern for my well-being, but I have other plans.” He turned to the nurse. “Erica, draw a full vial of blood.”

  She did that and gave him the glass tube.

  “Leave.”

  She bolted out of the room carrying her little medical bag.

  “Is Beauregard Dubois your supposed horde? Funny, I can’t find anybody with that name working for the Bureau. You’re bluffing. Do you need another kiss from my blade to refresh your recollection?”

  Athena put her hand up again. “That’s not his real name. If you look for Beauregard Boudreau, though, you’ll see I’m telling the truth. His picture and name are in news articles about the FBI available online. Get away while you still can!”

  Instead, Misha’s brow furrowed. He strode behind his desk and typed at his computer.

  Athena wondered how he’d been able to gain access to a list of the FBI’s agents. She’d found it particularly hard to break into their network.

  When Misha glanced at her again, his brow was furrowed. Then, to her utter amazement, he asked, “Have you ever contracted hepatitis in any form?”

  What the fuck? Why would he care? But her head still throbbed from the earlier blow. She knew better than to fight over every question. “No.”

  He ran down a list of thirty medical conditions, none of which applied to her. Finally, he said, “We perform important medical research here. You can either participate or die.”

  What a sick and twisted son of a bitch. Whatever his experiment was, it probably beat dying. At worst, she could kill herself later. “I’ll participate.”

  He stared at her with cold, beady, brown eyes. After a moment, he smiled. “Put your clothes on and come with me.”

  “I-I can’t walk without a cane.”

  He left the room and returned a moment later with a flimsy small broom. “Use this.”

  They walked out the house’s back door on a pea gravel track that led to a large metal building. It was still pitch-black outside. The backs of her thighs burned each time she moved a leg. Her feet were still barefoot, and the gravel cut her soles. But she tried not to show how much she was suffering as she struggled to keep up with him.

  Several large Dobermans ran up to him, but he said something in a foreign language. Maybe Russian. They wandered away.

  When they reached the metal building, he took a key out of his pocket, unlocked the door and motioned her inside. After she entered, he locked the door behind her, leaving her alone in a dark, silent room. It took all of her willpower not to whimper.

  -o-o-o-

  The room remained deathly quiet. Was Athena alone?

  Then, someone turned on a light. Athena stood in a large kitchen. Three women hurried forward, including Jackie and Erica.

  Athena burst into tears. “He hurt me,” she said through sobs. Now that she was safer, she began to shiver again as her nerves went haywire.

  A tall, stout woman with a military bearing hurried forward and hugged Athena. “We know. We all have endured the same whipping. He beats us to prove his power and because he loves to hurt people. Chris, try to forget about him for now. I’m Maggie, and you’ve already met Jackie and Erica. We’re going to take care of you.”

  The three women hugged Athena and helped her through an open doorway into a large, dimly lit room that contained a dozen beds. They gently laid her face down on one.

  After removing what was left of her pajamas, they cleaned her wounds and applied salve to the bloody cuts on the backs of her thighs. Erica gave her three ibuprofens. Then they covered her with a blanket.

  Although the room was filled with many women sleeping in
similar beds, they all pretended not to notice a new arrival.

  Maggie sat on the floor next to Athena’s head and whispered into her left ear, “Is the FBI really coming?”

  Athena was too bruised and battered to think clearly but she realized she had to be careful. Didn’t know these people and didn’t want to make her terrible situation even worse. “Yes,” she whispered back, “but I can’t talk now. I’m really tired.”

  Maggie patted her gently on the cheek. “Of course, you must be exhausted. And you’re right to be careful about what you say here. This is an incredibly dangerous place. But know one thing, you’ve brought us hope. Thank you. Now, rest as best you can.”

  -o-o-o-

  Misha wondered how much he had to worry about the FBI. He had so many loose ends to tie up before he wanted to leave. He called Steve at home but got no answer. Left a message that he needed to see the cop as early as possible—to thank him.

  Actually, he really needed to kill him. Steve had visited the ranch a half-dozen times over the last ten months. God only knew how much he’d figured out from those visits. Misha had to worry about him spilling his guts, so Misha used the best bait available to lure any crooked cop—cold hard cash.

  While he waited to see whether that trick would work, he turned to another problem. Langer had sent a text saying the bus couldn’t reach the compound until nine a.m. That was probably too late, but without some large vehicle, they were trapped.

  Misha woke up Leonid Ivanov, his most trusted guard, and sent him to Durango to steal a vehicle large enough to transport the women and girls away from the compound. Leo had plenty of experience stealing and driving trucks. They could take everyone to a safe place, miles away, to wait for the bus Langer had hired. Or maybe, they could simply use the stolen vehicle to go to the new compound. Langer would have to decide.

  Misha woke up the other guards and the sex slaves to get them busy packing his small truck that they used for transporting food and supplies to this compound. Two men hauled away his computer and desk. The chairs would go next.

  Rico stood near Misha’s filing cabinet and fed unneeded documents into a shredder. When he looked over at his boss, he asked, “Can you tell one of the women to grab this confetti and carry it to the fireplace? It’d be better to burn it.”