Once he had the speedboat parked, he climbed out onto the decking and made his way up to the room he’d had specially designed for this mission. He peered through the small window. His prisoner sat on the bed, his head in his hands, wrists shackled to the steel loop on the far wall. He wore a pair of jean shorts and his upper torso was bare, revealing the evidence of the beatings he’d endured over the last three months. But he was still in excellent shape. Nicolai noted the rippling muscles that had only strengthened with the man’s time in the room. Good. Nicolai wanted him healthy. At least for now. He tapped the button on the wall next to the keypad. The low hum started, reeling in the chains attached to his prisoner. The man could still sit on the bed, but there would be no slack in the chains, keeping Nicolai safe from a possible attack. Once the chains were taut, he keyed in the code and pushed the door open.
The man on the bed looked up but didn’t move. He’d learned the hard way that resistance was futile. However, while he was calm, he wasn’t broken. His eyes glittered and his nostrils flared. Nicolai squelched the slight flicker of admiration for his adversary. He hadn’t thought it would take this long to break him, but his enemy was stronger than he’d given him credit for.
“Did you see me kill them?” He smirked. “I know you watched.” The small camera he’d attached to his glasses had captured each moment and relayed the scene to the television hanging on the wall opposite the bed.
“I watched. I watched them all. I also watched a kid take you down and get away. Nice going.”
Nicolai’s fingers curled into fists and his breathing quickened while his rage boiled. He drew in several deep breaths. He wouldn’t be goaded into acting outside of the plan. If he killed the man on the bed, everything else would be for naught.
He picked up the remote, aimed it at the television, and pulled up the photograph that had started everything.
With gleeful anticipation, he watched his opponent. The man stared at the screen, still and silent. Then turned his gaze to him. “Is that supposed to mean something to me?”
To say his reaction was woefully disappointing was an understatement. For a moment, the killer wondered if he’d gotten it wrong. His fist shot out and caught his prisoner in the ear. The man fell back onto the bed and stayed there, eyes still open, brow furrowed in pain.
Nicolai stepped forward, intending to get in a series of punches, but when his captive just lay there, the killer stopped, drew back, and stared. Always before, his prisoner had fought back.
Nicolai’s gaze went from the television screen back to the man on the bed. A slow smile curved his lips. “I won’t hit you with my fists anymore,” he said, his tone soft. “I won’t take a chance that I might accidentally kill you. Oh no, my friend, you won’t escape through death until I’m ready for you to die. Soon, you’ll have company and you’ll know what it’s like to sit helpless while someone kills the one you love.”
He walked out of the room, heading to prepare a meal for his prisoner. He needed to make sure the man kept up his strength. Nicolai’s mind went to the picture. He’d gotten it right. He’d gotten it very right.
CHAPTER
SIXTEEN
Caden drove the rental Daria had arranged for him to the apartment complex, turned into the parking lot, and found the spot outside Ava’s unit.
Sarah had texted and let them know she’d finished the puzzle about an hour ago—in spite of Ava’s worry about her being at the apartment. She’d left to go to work but asked to be kept up-to-date on whatever they could tell her.
Ava had fallen asleep about halfway there and he’d let her snooze. He didn’t blame her. She’d been through a lot, and while she appeared to be holding up well, it had to be mentally as well as physically exhausting. Even a few minutes of rest would do her good.
When he shut the engine off, she rolled her head toward him and blinked. “I fell asleep.”
“Guess you needed it.”
“Apparently.”
“You still in the mood for some steak?”
“Hmm. Yes. Always. I seem to have gotten a second wind and am not the least bit tired at the moment. What about you?”
“The same. I’m actually starving.”
“Then a steak sounds great.” She frowned. “But I don’t have any food here.”
“I know. While you were sleeping, I pulled over and ordered groceries from the app on my phone. They should be here in the next”—he checked his phone—“few seconds or so.”
Her brows rose. “Wow. That’s truly impressive.”
“I aim to please.” He got out of the rental and walked around to open the door for her. When she placed her hand in his, he was struck once more by her fragile surface appearance. Yet, beneath that surface was a strength born of necessity—and training.
While she unlocked the door, he glanced around the area, his gaze probing the trees, the cars in the parking lot, looking for anything that was out of place or rang his inner alarm bells. Fortunately, for the moment, all seemed still. Peaceful and silent.
Once inside, he locked the door behind them, and Ava pulled her phone from her pocket. “Make yourself at home. I’m going to call and check on Mom real quick, then I’ll take a look at the puzzle and the laptop.”
“Sounds good. I’ll grab the groceries when they get here and get started.”
“Thanks, Caden.”
He smiled and she studied him a moment. Caden stood still, wondering what she was seeing. Thinking.
A knock on the door sent his hand reaching for his weapon and Ava raised a brow. “I doubt the bad guys knock,” she said.
He dropped his hand with a rueful shrug. “It’s become a reflex.”
Ava raised the phone to her ear. “Hi, Tammy, this is Ava. I just wanted to check on my mother.” She walked to the laptop and shook her head. She mouthed, Still running, to Caden.
He nodded and went to the door, peered out the window, and saw the groceries left on the welcome mat. With one last glance around, he opened the door and snagged the three bags. Once he was back inside with the door locked, he couldn’t help but wonder if someone was out there watching. If so, he hoped that person saw him and realized Ava wasn’t alone. She needed a good night’s rest, and he planned to see that she felt safe enough to get it.
He walked toward the kitchen, but the puzzle on the table caught his attention. Like Sarah had said, it was finished. All but one piece. He stared at the picture—which was actually a lot of pictures, numbers, letters, a blueprint. He couldn’t make any sense of it but hoped Ava would know what it meant.
With the groceries spread out on the counter, he quickly threw together the salad, covered it, and slid it onto the shelf in the refrigerator. Then he prepped the potatoes and the steak.
Her grill was outside on the little patio at the back of the apartment and he got it going. The area was more open than he’d like, but he took comfort in the trees along the fence line and the fact there were no tall buildings in sight for a sniper to take aim from.
Although, he supposed one of the trees would be good enough for that. He scanned them, and while nothing alarmed him, he made a mental note to warn her about the possibility of someone hiding in one.