Page 89 of Exacting Vengeance

Because he hadn’t taken out Yuri Petrov when he’d had the chance, Victoria’s life was at stake. So was another life.

One he hadn’t known existed until today.

Chapter Thirty-Five

The touch of his hand was gentle. Warmth from his fingers permeated her skin, as if she were outside with her face tilted toward the sun. Happiness surrounded her with a blanket of love, and she smiled. Kiss me. She waited, not understanding why he didn’t press his lips to hers. He spoke, saying something familiar, something he’d said to her once before.

Another place, another time.

The words Kyle had uttered the night he’d left her at the hospital so many years ago. Then vanished without a trace.

“No. Please. Don’t leave me. Not again.”

Victoria blinked, slowly at first, as the fog began to clear. She swallowed. Her tongue felt thick, dry, and tasted like cardboard. The last vestiges of the dream dissipated like mist from a hot sidewalk after a summer rain. Leaving her with a grim reality.

Kyle wasn’t here, and he never would be. Yuri, however, was.

Being careful not to move, she narrowed her eyes to slits, keeping them open only enough to ascertain whether he was in the room with her. When she was reasonably certain he wasn’t, she opened her eyes fully and took in her surroundings.

The only furniture in the room was the bed on which she lay. The windows were boarded up from the outside with plywood. Pale slivers of light peeked through where the wood had warped.

Thick plastic cuffs encased her wrists in front, linked together by a seamless metal ring affixed to a chain about six feet long. The chain was looped around the bed’s metal headboard and secured with a heavy lock.

Fear laced with a hefty dose of anger filled her mind with all kinds of violent thoughts about what she wanted to do to her ex-husband, along with questions.

How long had she been here? Wherever here was. Sunlight told her nothing other than she’d been here at least overnight. But Yuri could have been keeping her drugged for days, and she would never have known it. Oh, God.

What effects might the drug have on the baby? More fear and more rage raced up her spine.

Did Yuri seriously think he could keep her here forever? Was it possible he truly was deranged enough to believe she would ever stay with him again?

Yes. Which meant she had to get out of here. Fast.

Her gaze traveled the room, taking in as many details as possible, searching for a way out. There had to be one. She just had to find it.

There were only two doors in the room, both closed. One closest to the foot of the bed, and the other off to the side, probably a bathroom.

Every breath she took brought with it damp, musty air, as if the place hadn’t been lived in or aired out in a very long time. Strips of faded, pale green paint hung from the walls, and the floor was dirty and unswept. A large orange bucket—the kind contractors used—lay on its side. Gossamer-white webs adorned every corner of the ceiling and floor. In other words, wherever she was, it was doubtful anyone would be stopping by soon.

The rising flood of panic made her want to scream. Assuming no one would come looking, it was up to her to escape.

Easing off the mattress, she grimaced when the chain made a faint rattle. She held her breath, waiting, expecting Yuri to charge through the door any second. When he didn’t, she exhaled the breath she’d been holding.

The distance to the bedroom door was about twelve feet. The length of chain attached to her wrists was maybe half that. She couldn’t even reach the bathroom.

Slowly, being careful not to rattle the chain, she shuffled as far from the bed as the chain would allow and tugged. At first, the bed didn’t move. She looked at the metal headboard and the thick metal legs. The bed had to be ancient and made of solid iron. Using both hands, she grasped the chain tighter and pulled backward. The sound her efforts made was louder than a screech owl. The bed had barely moved half an inch. Even if she did make it to the door, how would she get through the doorway with a giant metal bed attached to her wrists?

She sat back down on the mattress. Her stomach growled loudly, indicating however long she’d been tied up, it had been some time since she’d last eaten. How long would it take for her hunger to affect the baby’s health?

She sat absolutely still, mulling over more of her predicament.

Since she’d been unconscious for an indeterminate period of time, the house or whatever building she was in, could be hundreds of miles away from New Jersey or New York. She could be halfway across the country, thousands of miles from Kyle, Tracee, Brad, and anyone else who would eventually notice she was missing.

She thought again of Kyle and how they’d parted, recalling the pained look in his eyes. He’d been on the trail of that money for so long, only to find out she had it all along. Had it? That was a laugh. It didn’t matter that she’d given it away to charity. The bottom line was she’d stolen it, plain and simple. How could he have reacted any differently? And she’d been terribly, terribly wrong in not telling him sooner. She should have trusted him but hadn’t. Why hadn’t she?

Because ten years ago, he’d lied to her about who and what he really was. A law enforcement officer, sworn to uphold the law. But she should have trusted him as a man. When faced with a situation where they’d had to show their faith in each other, they’d both failed. Miserably. Now she would never have the chance to tell him anything ever again.

Like, I love you.