Reclaimed (Hostage Rescue Team Series Book 10) (16 page)

Northern Shuneh.

She knew the place, located up near the northern border with Syria. A poor, remote area that had come up during her research prior to this trip. The DIA had suspected the ATB might be using it as a staging area for their operations in the region. Now she knew for sure.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted movement and turned her head toward it. One of Hadad’s men approached her cell, carrying something in his hands.

It was black, about the size of a laptop. But it wasn’t her computer. Hadad had given it to his second-in-command earlier, the moment he’d finished with her in that unsettling interrogation. He’d made her wait since then to find out what her fate would be.

She now knew firsthand that the intel reports on him were right. He was a master of psychological warfare. He knew she was afraid, knew it was torture to imagine what might happen and was letting that fear grow while she waited for his next move.

The ATB fighter was nearly to her now. There wasn’t any room to move but she shrank back against the unforgiving bars and watched his every move, careful not to make eye contact.

But he didn’t unlock the cell and deliver the beating or rape she’d feared.

Instead, he lifted the thin, rectangular-shaped item he held and used more plastic zip ties to secure it around the bars at the front of her cell. Then, without giving her a second glance, he sauntered away.

Summer remained frozen in place, not daring to move yet. When he moved out of her line of vision, she could see others assembling what looked like a large tripod in the center of the building.

A minute later, someone came in holding what looked like a camera. They set it up facing a stage of sorts, where two men were hanging the ATB’s infamous black flag as a backdrop.

Just the sight of it sent a wave of nausea rolling through her. Whatever Hadad was planning for them, he was going to film the entire thing. No doubt to make as big a statement as possible in the media and solidify his reputation as one of the most powerful up-and-comers within the ATB.

She watched everything closely, tried frantically to think of a way to save herself. To somehow buy more time in case intelligence officials had found them and were planning to mount some sort of rescue.

But as the minutes ticked by, she couldn’t come up with a single idea that might help her and the others. Bartering more time from Hadad by giving him sensitive military information might not appease him, and it would result in innocent people dying. She was in a no-win situation.

There had to be something else. Another way. But being trapped in here with no means of defending herself, there was literally nothing she could do.

In front of her, the men continued to set up their filming area. She shifted slightly, winced as a sharp stone dug into her hip. As she moved off it, an idea hit her. It was desperate and probably ineffective, but right at that moment, having something she could use as a weapon seemed a hell of a lot better than having nothing.

The shadows back here at the end of the building gave her good cover. She observed the men ahead of her carefully, making sure no one was paying any attention to her.

Keeping her movements small, she tucked her legs beneath her and reached down to slide off her left shoe and sock. She held the sock in one hand as she slipped the shoe back on, then tugged the hem of her robe down to hide her bare ankle.

No one was watching her yet.

Feeling around in the dirt behind her, she began to pick up every stone and piece of gravel she could find and put them into the sock. Once it was nearly full she waited until the men’s backs were to her before tying a knot securely at the top.

As a weapon it was pathetic, she knew that. Still, it was surprisingly heavy and would pack one hell of a punch if she could get enough leverage to swing it at someone.

Adam had taught her more than a few self-defense tricks over the years. She’d never imagined having to use them in a situation like this but now she was eternally grateful for the tips he’d given her. If someone came to get her, she might be able to use the stones to strike out.

Her mind raced. The bars of her cell were wide enough apart that she could easily slide her arm through them. All she needed was for one of the men to come close enough, be unaware enough, and she could potentially use it as a makeshift club.

From what she’d noticed, each of them carried at least one pistol. If she could swing the stones through the bars with enough force, she might be able to knock one of them out, or at least stun him long enough to take his weapon. After that she’d have only seconds to attempt an escape but she would keep shooting, take out as many of these bastards as she could before they killed her.

She gripped her crude weapon tightly in her right hand, waited a few beats to make sure no one glanced her way. Then, moving fast, she lifted up to reach beneath the hem of her robe and tucked the sock into the back of the waistband of her panties.

By the time she’d straightened the robe her heart was hammering in her ears. No one had looked her way yet but the camera and flag were all set up. They were rigging lights now, bright lights that illuminated that hideous black flag for the upcoming drama about to unfold on the stage.

She didn’t dare move again, the weight of the sock pressing against the small of her back a cold comfort. A flurry of movement caught her attention to the right as the men scrambled out of the way to reveal Hadad.

He was heading straight for her, along with his second-in-command. Her pulse ratcheted up when that cold gaze locked on her. The chances of her disabling him or his lackey were small, but taking both of them down? No way.

Frustration and helplessness flooded her, making her want to scream at the unfairness of it all. This might be her only chance to disable one of her captors. She’d only have one shot at it, one chance to take someone down before she lost the element of surprise, and now that the moment had arrived, she couldn’t even seize the opportunity. It would be suicide.

Her hands flexed at her sides, itching to grab for the stones, the urge to fight pulsing through her bloodstream. When she thought of what might be coming, of the agony and terror they would surely inflict, part of her was willing to risk pissing them off so they’d shoot her here now as punishment.

A quick death like that was surely a thousand times less painful to whatever heinous plan they had in mind.

But her survival instinct was too strong. It refused to let her give in to the idea.

She wanted to
live
, goddamn it. She wanted to see Adam again, make a life with him again. She’d do anything for that chance, even if it meant selling her soul. As long as the chance at being reunited with him existed, then she would endure anything.

Brave thoughts. They did nothing to quell the surge of terror that lashed through her when Hadad drew nearer.

His cold black eyes stayed locked with hers as he stalked toward her, and she saw the fervor there. The lust for blood and vengeance.

She fought back a shudder as a chill snaked through her, held her breath.

He stopped mere feet from her cell door, stood there staring down at her for a long moment, letting the anticipation and fear swell. She could see how much he loved this. How much he relished toying with her mind.

Her chin came up, her spine snapping taut.

You pathetic fucking bastard
, she told him with her eyes, glaring up at him with every ounce of contempt she felt. What she wouldn’t give for a five-minute hand-to-hand fight with him.

She’d use every trick Adam had ever taught her, show this piece of shit excuse for a human being that she was the opposite of helpless. She’d smash in that long, straight nose and gouge at those hate-filled eyes.

He was far bigger than her, way stronger, so she knew she’d come out the loser in that altercation. But at least she’d go down swinging and not like the helpless victim he was making her.

“You’re going to be the star of my little show,” he told her, his accented voice smug with satisfaction. “But first you will make a video statement using the guidelines I give you. If you behave and do as you’re told, you will be rewarded. If not…” He let the sentence trail off, the cruel smile he gave her telling her just how much he hoped she disobeyed. “You will be punished.”

Gritting her teeth, Summer held that dark, soulless stare, refusing to be the one to look away. If he was going to the trouble of making a video of this, then it likely meant he intended to broadcast it. Clearly he meant it as a taunt to her government.

Officials would see it. They would know she was still alive, and that would ramp up search efforts. Maybe somehow an analyst would be able to figure out where the signal had originated from and locate them from there.

But she already knew that was a long shot and that she and the others couldn’t wait that long. She had to somehow figure out a way to tell them where they were, without tipping off Hadad and his men.

Her mind whirled, racing to come up with a plan. If she could somehow convey their location, give some sort of embedded message during her statement, that might be enough to enable authorities to stage a rescue effort.

But
how
? What could she say and how could she say it without giving herself away?

She thought of Adam. As soon as the video went live, it was only a matter of time before he was alerted to it. He knew her better than anyone.

There had to be a way to come up with a secret message he’d understand. She had to think of something, it was her and the others’ only chance.

Her heart raced as ideas tumbled through her mind.
Think Summer, think!
She’d been working on a report that mentioned Northern Shuneh, had left it at the hotel.

Yes!
Hope and elation exploded inside her
.
It had to work. She had to figure out how to relay the message.

She had a brief moment’s satisfaction when Hadad’s smile faded in the face of her silent defiance, but it was quickly replaced by derision. “Stand up,” he commanded quietly, the deceptively soft tone somehow ten times scarier than if he’d shouted it.

With no other choice but to obey, she did. Slowly. So as not to disturb her little weapon tucked safely out of sight. There was a slim chance she might be able to use it yet.

“Turn around, hands behind you,” he ordered, his voice gruff now, impatient.

They were going to cuff her.

Her heart sank at the realization, then redoubled its rhythm, the blood pulsing in her ears. With both men standing here, she had no chance. And without being able to use her hands, she was pretty much defenseless against them.

It went against every instinct she possessed, but there was no other way. Moving carefully, she turned and backed toward the bars of the cell door.

One of them, probably Hadad, grabbed her hands in a painful grip and twisted her wrists, making her wince and bite back a cry as he secured the plastic cuffs around them. Tight enough to cut off the blood supply. Already she could feel the veins in her hands swelling, the cuffs trapping the blood there.

A squeal of metal hinges signaled they’d opened the door. Before she could turn her head to see what they were doing Hadad yanked her backward, making her stumble.

Her back hit his chest and she froze, heart seizing as the stone-filled sock dug into his belly. An agonizing second slipped by, then another as she waited for him to strip off the robe and search her.

When he merely shoved her upright and continued to drag her out of the cell, her heart began beating once more.

As he turned her about to face forward with an impatient shove, she finally saw what was attached to the outside of her cell. A digital clock.

It read ten hours, in glowing red digits.

Hadad saw her looking. Holding her gaze, he reached up one hand and with great care, hit the button on the side of the clock.

Instantly the digital numbers began ticking down, counting backwards from nine hours, fifty-nine minutes. Her gaze flashed up to his, understanding slamming into her with a new horror.

She had less than ten hours to live.

An evil smile twisted his mouth. “That’s right, Summer Blackwell. Time’s running out for you,” he said, and jerked her toward the waiting stage.

One month ago

Adam unrolled the second sleeping bag and paused to shoot a grin at Summer over his shoulder. “Just like old times, huh?”

Her lips curved upward, that little dimple appearing near the corner of her mouth. “Yep. Colder than I remember it being last time, though.”

“I’ll keep you warm, don’t worry.”

One of their first dates had been to the drive-in, but that had been in the middle of July. They hadn’t needed sleeping bags and knit caps then. This was almost better though.

He’d parked on the same hill they always did, in a farmer’s field just off the drive-in property. From here they could still tune into the radio station needed to hear the audio for the movies, but they didn’t have to pay anything.

Not to mention the added benefit of privacy.

There were a few other vehicles parked on the hill as well, but far enough away that they couldn’t see them from their view in the back of his truck.

“You didn’t by chance happen to bring any M&Ms did you?” she asked, perched on the side of the truck bed in her jeans and down jacket. Her red hair blew around her cheeks in the cold breeze, her cheeks a pretty pink.

“Yes ma’am, I did. And hot chocolate.”

“I should have known you’d come prepared,” she teased. “Except I might not make it through the second movie because I’ll be in a sugar coma.”

He chuckled and spread the second sleeping bag out on top of the first, which he’d placed over top of a big piece of foam. “I’m not worried. But if you did, I’d figure out a way to revive you.” He’d stacked the pillows against the back of the cab, and parked the truck so that they could see the huge screen down below through the open tailgate.