Didn’t matter. I could get creative with Xenon and the internet if needed, especially if we posted the video I intended to make. This Russian was about to have the worst day of his entire life.
There was a thud nearby as the three of us startled, turning toward the SUV. Another muffled bang could be heard from inside the car a few seconds later. Holy shit. Did we miss someone?
Patriot frowned, moving stealthily closer. He carefully placed his hand on the lever and twisted, popping the hatch open. The movement was so sudden we heard a small screech and then a body fell out of the car, tangled in black plastic. I could see it was a female. She was stripped down to a bra and underwear, both her wrists and ankles tied with thin nylon rope. The girl was dirty, bruised and banged up, but it was the bandages covering her right arm that suddenly sent my heartrate skyrocketing.
“Trixie?”
Patriot rushed forward and pulled his knife, cutting her free as she blinked, staring up at us with glassy eyes. She’d been drugged. It wasn’t hard to tell. Her head lolled to one side as she slumped over, and Patriot caught her.
“Fuck,” he cursed. “What the fuck!”
“How in the hell did you miss her inside the car? Didn’t you search the damn thing?” Grim was pissed and I had to take responsibility for the fuck up.
“I’m sorry, pres. We didn’t. That’s on me.”
Patriot scowled in our direction. “She was drugged and wrapped in black plastic. She wasn’t moving or talking because she was unconscious until now. It’s been dark for hours. We never could have known she was back there unless we dumped everything in the car and there wasn’t time with all the bodies.”
Grim inhaled a deep breath and released it. “Yeah, maybe.” I would still have to answer for that.
“Fuck!” I shouted, running a hand over my head. “We stacked the fuckin’ bodies on top of her.”
Agitated, I pulled out a smoke and lit the end, puffing away greedily. This was a colossal nightmare.
Grim cursed as Patriot rose to his feet, cradling Trixie in his arms. “She’s the nurse’s sister, right? The one that saved your life?”
“Yeah. I gotta let Nylah know soon.”
“Well, I’m gonna take Trixie inside and see what I can do to help her. I’ve got enough experience from my service in the Corps, but I could use Nylah’s help.”
“Call her,” Grim ordered once Patriot was inside. “She needs to be here with her sister. He ain’t gonna let that girl out of his sight anytime soon.”
I knew that. Patriot was a medic when he was a Marine. He felt strongly about helping the innocent. It was sort of ironic considering what he was now.
“I think I’ll ride over and pick Nylah up. This sort of news should be delivered in person.”
“Agreed. I’ll go with you.”
Swallowing hard, I fought the urge to rush inside and fuck that Russian up. There was a shitstorm coming his way and he had no idea how viciously and brutally he was gonna suffer.
Chapter 16 – Trixie
Everything was a blur. I kept having flashbacks from leaving the hospital, stumbling into the dark night alone, and being hunted by Alexi’s henchmen. I couldn’t remember at what point Alexi found me, but he must have been watching public transportation in case I bought a ticket. I did, just a few hours after I escaped the hospital, completely paranoid as I hid in the restroom until it was time to board the Greyhound bus. I thought I could fool Alexi since I also purchased a car rental and airline ticket.
My luck ran out years ago. I wasn’t sure why I thought I could escape him, or anything would change.
Alexi was furious that I survived the attack. He didn’t think I would make it. The sadistic prick.
The last thing I remembered was the needle plunging into my neck as I fell against Alexi’s chest, his voice promising pain and suffering before my death. I’d fought him but it was too late. The drugs in my system acted quickly and I passed out before I could run.
Blinking, I was vaguely aware that I had been tied at the wrists and ankles. A stranger had cut them loose and was rubbing circulation back into my limbs. Two blankets rested over my body as I shivered, my teeth chattering as my body trembled. That was when I realized that I was nearly naked. I must have been stripped down before I was tied up. Freaked out, I began to scream.
“Hey! It’s okay.”
Confused, I didn’t understand where I was or what was happening.
“Hey, sunshine. Don’t worry. You’re safe. I promise.”
The male voice wasn’t one I recognized. The stranger moved to my right and held up his hands. I wasn’t prepared for the biker or his sad, haunting eyes as my vision focused. He was so tall his head almost brushed the ceiling with a thick build like someone who worked out often. A skull printed bandana was wrapped around his head, but I saw dark hair peeking over the top. He had a jagged scar by his right eye and tattoos all the way up his neck that ended just under his jawline. A black t-shirt stretched over taut muscles as his arms flexed and revealed more black ink all the way to his wrists.