The man from the forest, the one who held a gun to Nick’s head just before Kate dashed into the woods, was showing off all the gear he had stripped from Nick’s body. The thief even claimed that he was able to acquire items that Nick had stashednearby. Had Nick been forced to take him to the hospital where the cache of tactical items was stored?
When Travis and Kate arrived at the end of the hall where the guards stood, Luke’s attention sprang to the pair.
“Travis, I need your help with something. Let Alex take over.”
Alex nodded at the men, then turned his gaze toward Kate. Though she could not see his eyes, his helmet turned in her direction, and she was sure he was staring at her. He was the only guard she was unfamiliar with. This was the man who had taken Nick’s things. That helmet. Those clothes. The rifle slung around his back.
“Let’s go.” Alex’s voice emerged from the mask, distorted from something inside that modified it to sound deeper and mechanical. Kate sighed, and her eyes narrowed as she kept them focused on each man in the room. Alex clapped a hand on her shoulder to spin her around, and she shrugged it away.
“Don’t fucking touch me,” Kate snarled. Alex paused for a moment as if stifling impatience.
“Walk.” Alex gestured down the hall, and Kate moved her feet in that direction. The other men snickered as Alex and Kate walked away.
Kate trudged down the hallway, trying to sneak glances into the other offices as she walked. The windows had no visibility between the metal bars and a black film plastered across them.
“Go,” Alex urged as they arrived at the last room, Kate’s room. She anticipated a shove or a push. Alex only stood behind her, waiting. Kate took a deep breath and entered the room.
“Against the wall,” Alex demanded. Kate’s breath quickened, and she stared the man down, searching his body for any hint of ill motives. Alex’s body, covered in tactical gear from head to toe, gave nothing away. She turned and faced the wall as he slid the metal cuffs around her ankles.
Once the shackles were secured and Kate posed no threat of escaping, Alex began to exit the room. With her fists clenched into tight balls, Kate stalked toward him. The chain pulled taut as it extended its reach inches from the door. Before Alex could leave, Kate took in a deep breath and fought the tears that had started to form in her eyes.
“Hey!” Kate called after him. He paused, his back still facing her. “What did you do to him?”
Alex proceeded to leave the room, closing the door and bolting the lock.
“Motherfucker,” Kate said under her breath. Moments oozed by as she stood statuesque and fixated on the door. Though her environment remained cold and still, the walls edged in until they were crushing her. The chain around Kate’s ankle tugged her down into the cement, binding her to this place.
Kate took to pacing the floors. Back and forth. Left to right. The bottoms of her feet collected dirt and began to ache while her mind zipped through anxious what-ifs and should-haves.
If only Connor could see her now. His dirty smirk stained her mind, and the thought of him made her sick. The saccharine taste of freedom had danced and lingered on her tongue only to sour. Kate had wagered a brutal battle against her captor, and it all felt worthless.
Chapter 35
When the lock on her door clanked open and the door swung ajar, Kate hurried into a sitting position. She wrapped her arms around her knees and eyed the door cautiously. Alex and Travis stepped inside.
“Gotta pee, princess?” Travis sneered. Kate said nothing. She only kept her eyes fixed on the men, careful to watch their hands and try to predict their next moves.
“Up,” Alex ordered, striding past Travis and approaching Kate. His hand wrapped around her ankle, and his fingertips gripped her leg as he unlocked the shackles.
The two men directed Kate across the warehouse to the locker room where rows of showers and bathroom stalls stood empty.
“Have at it, doll baby.” Travis pointed to the stalls, and Kate walked with her head down toward the first one.
Alex faced Travis with his arms crossed as Kate closed herself in the stall. A thud from the other side told her that Travis had leaned against the stall door.
“You know, Luke is so pressed on that crazy shit, saying Margot knows if the cargo has been contaminated,” Travismocked. “How the hell would she know? Margot scares the shit out of Luke.”
A shiver ran up Kate’s spine. She should have known the no-touching rule was a farce.
“Hmm,” Alex sounded as if he were bored with Travis or not listening at all. Kate swallowed a breath, realizing that her hands trembled as she wiped and pulled her pants around her waist.
“You weren’t in the van on the ride over, but I already called dibs on this one,” Travis said. Kate’s throat tightened. Everything about Travis was wrong.
“Dibs,” Alex said thoughtfully, as though considering the word for the first time.
“Yeah, ask Derrick. He’ll vouch for me,” Travis said.
“No.” Alex’s response was quick, his voice lower than Kate had heard before, and the voice modifier made him sound nearly robotic.
