BooksBarbecue
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Chapters (86)
  1. Foreword
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. 8
  10. 9
  11. 10
  12. 11
  13. 12
  14. 13
  15. 14
  16. 15
  17. 16
  18. 17
  19. 18
  20. 19
  21. 20
  22. 21
  23. 22
  24. 23
  25. 24
  26. 25
  27. 26
  28. 27
  29. 28
  30. 29
  31. 30
  32. 31
  33. 32
  34. 33
  35. 34
  36. 35
  37. 36
  38. 37
  39. 38
  40. 39
  41. 40
  42. 41
  43. 42
  44. 43
  45. 44
  46. 45
  47. 46
  48. 47
  49. 48
  50. 49
  51. 50
  52. 51
  53. 52
  54. 53
  55. 54
  56. 55
  57. 56
  58. 57
  59. 58
  60. 59
  61. 60
  62. 61
  63. 62
  64. 63
  65. 64
  66. 65
  67. 66
  68. 67
  69. 68
  70. 69
  71. 70
  72. 71
  73. 72
  74. 73
  75. 74
  76. 75
  77. 76
  78. 77
  79. 78
  80. 79
  81. 80
  82. 81
  83. 82
  84. 83
  85. 84
  86. Afterword

“Can you slip away?”

“I don’t know. They’re not watching us closely but there are soldiers everywhere. If I’m seen in the corridor, they’ll shoot.”

“The corridor behind the office leads straight to the east loading bay. Correct?”

“Yes, but I don’t know if I can get to it.”

“What if I create a distraction?”

“I don’t know,” Vasily said.

“There’ll be a large explosion outside, Vasily. When you hear it, come let us in.”

“Explosion? What are you talking about?”

“The east loading bay,” Lance said again, then hung up.

60

Consciousness flooded back into Laurel’s body in an overpowering shock of pain.

She gasped and opened her eyes to the blinding lights. She was still dangling from the rope and the man was back, yanking a syringe out of her arm.

“There we go,” he said, as calmly as if he’d just given her a flu shot. “Now, I do hope we don’t have to waste any more time.”

He went back to the wall and pushed the green button. The crank immediately raised her three feet higher above the ground.

“I don’t know what happened to your legs earlier. There’s some swelling there. I hope we didn’t break anything,” he said.

Laurel moved her lips but no sound came out.

“What’s that, my dear?”

It took all Laurel’s strength to speak. “I said, fuck you.”

“Ah yes, fuck me. How clever you are. I can see why you were always his favorite.”

He put his finger on the red button. “This will do some real damage,” he said. “Look how high you are.”

She looked.

“That’s it. Look down. It’s quite a drop. And for someone in your condition. I don’t know. Things will start to break. All those tiny bones in your feet. They’ll snap like brittle twigs. You’ll be walking like a gimp for the rest of your life.”

“Fuck you,” Laurel said again.

She’d entered some sort of delirious state, where all she could think to do was tell him to fuck himself.

“I don’t know if I introduced myself to you properly the first time we met,” he said. “My name is Fyodor Timokhin. Direktor Fyodor Timokhin, mind you. I’m not so very important here in Moscow, but I know a thing or two about inflicting pain.”

He stepped away from the buttons and Laurel felt a sudden rush of relief. Every atom in her body was bracing for the next fall, dreading it, praying he wouldn’t push the button, but knowing he would.