Page 6 of Fighting Salvation

“He went into Hereford early this morning.”

That had been happening more and more of late, Hurricane disappearing for hours on end with no explanation. Not that they needed to inform him of every move, but something was off with Hurricane and he needed to get to the bottom of it. Another ball he’d dropped with his team. “Well, get him back. I want everyone working on this.”

“What are you going to do?”

Rafe eyed him suspiciously and he didn’t blame the man. He’d known from the second he heard she was missing what he had to do, and he was dreading it. “I’m going back to where it all began.”

“And where is that?”

Bás grit his jaw, trying not to grimace. “South Africa. Pretoria to be exact, but first I need to make a call to an old friend.”

Chapter 2

“Hello, can anyone hear me?” Valentina rolled to her knees and stood in the pitch-black room. For the last two days, she’d been in this room with only two visits per day from a masked man who hadn’t said a single word when he brought her food and took her for a bathroom break. “Hey, needle dick, I know you can hear me.”

No response, not that she expected one really, but she’d do anything to stop herself from going crazy. Sensory deprivation was a far more effective tool than she’d ever given it credit for. With no sound or light, she had no idea of time or space, leaving her only with her thoughts to keep her company. None of them were happy either.

Sitting with her back to the concrete wall, she looked ahead into nothingness and sighed. Her hands moved beside her on the smooth, hard floor but as with every other time she had done this, no hints about her location were forthcoming. The temperature was moderate not hot or cold, so there were no ideas there. There was no smell as such, apart from the slight hint of her own body odour. “When my friends find me, they’re gonna use your eyeballs as marbles for taking me.”

She didn’t mention Monty or Scout because if she thought about them, and what might have happened to them, she would lose it. Her mind already felt like it was a fragile bird that might snap with the slightest strain.

She tried to think back to the night it had all gone down and figure out what happened but it was all so foggy. Bits and pieces flashed but were gone before she could decipher them into anything resembling a memory. A sob bubbled up in the back of her throat and she swallowed it down. She would not break. She would not let these assholes see her cry. Not that she knew who they were or what they wanted, and that was as scary as knowing in some ways.

Her hand flinched as something tickled her, followed by a sting and she swatted at her left hand with a curse. She lifted her hands off the ground, rubbing the spot she couldn’t see, suddenly imagining it filled with all sorts of creepy crawlies that likely weren’t even there.

Pacing the small six-foot square room she scratched at the spot and tried to force the panic in her throat from choking her. Valentina wasn’t prone to panic or overreaction. She always kept her head, but usually, she had her beloved dogs or her team or brother with her. She was coming to see just how much she’d relied on them to keep her focused.

Rafe would be losing his mind by now and probably kicking up holy hell. Her brother had his own life and family now but their bond hadn’t lessened, only evolved, and it now included his wife Nix.

She wondered if Lotus was okay. Her waspy friend lashed out to keep her heart from getting trampled but loved so deeply it was a wonder she didn’t drown. Then there was Hurricane, who was fighting a battle she knew nobody else had a single clue about. Her mind considered every one of her team members and what this would be doing to them. Bás, though, was a different matter altogether.

Since the first day they’d met, she’d felt something for him. The grumpy, abrupt man who cared, even though he tried not to. Who portrayed himself as the monster under the bed when, in fact, he was the man who kept the monsters away.

Her skin prickled as she scratched at her hand, the sting or bite becoming sore and making her arm ache. A shiver passed over her skin, goosebumps trailing over her spine. Moving back to the door, she hammered her hand against the cool surface. “Asshole, if you don’t let me out, I’m going to rip your head off.”

Her diatribe was cut short as the door opened and she fell forward into a light so bright she had to cover her eyes and put her hand out to stop herself from stumbling. A firm hand gripped her upper arm. She tried to look up but after days in complete isolation, she was struggling to get her eyes to adjust to the bright room.

Her eyes watered as she blinked and stumbled until she was pushed into a chair. Holding her hand above her head, she blinked furiously and the outline of a man came into view. He was dressed in black fatigues and was clearly fit but had no bulk to his frame. Her eyes carried on past folded arms to a face she’d recognise anywhere. “You!”

His lips lifted in a smirk, that if he hadn’t been the asshole she knew he was, would be attractive. As it was, it only made a snarl rumble in her throat.

“I see my reputation proceeds me.”

Valentina glared at Joel Hansen, the man they’d been hunting for so long. Instead of the fear she knew she should feel, she felt the urge to bait him, to find out as much as she could for her team. When they found her, which she had no doubt they would, she’d be able to help put this man where he belonged—in jail for the rest of his life.

“If you mean your reputation as a jerk, then yes.”

His chuckle rumbled as he turned and paced away from her before moving toward her again, his expression calm and assured.

“Where are Monty and Scout? I swear if you’ve hurt them, I’m going to slice your dick off and feed it to you.”

Hansen crouched on his haunches so they were eye to eye and she could see the shrewd brain working as he watched her. He reached for her. She stilled as he flicked her hair off her neck and she fought the flinch. His touch was gentle as he grabbed her arm and examined what she could now see was a nasty bite.

“What happened?”

Val shrugged. “How the hell do I know. It’s pitch black in that hell hole you had me locked in.”

“Why so feisty, Valentina? Have I not treated you with kindness and respect?”