“Thirty-four steps down in a clockwise spiral,” she said. “How big is the room?”
Addison focused on the space. “Each room is about ten feet wide, so maybe fifty feet by thirty feet.”
Paige nodded. “Do you see any variance in the walls?”
Addison realized Paige was making her think about something other than Braedon and his condition. “On the far side of the room. There’s an archway that was bricked up. The bricks look old, so it was probably before this room was renovated.” She should have been taking note of all this information anyway, but she was so distracted by her brother, he was all she could focus on.
Connie slipped in next to Addison and Paige. “Michael appears to be in the same condition. They’re probably drugged.”
“Tsarevna?” One of the women in front of them called. “Why do they look so…out of it?”
Apparently, they weren’t the only ones who had noticed.
“It’s a little something slipped into their water to keep them compliant. Just a low-dose sedative—nothing lasting. It’s also laced with an aphrodisiac.” She winked at the woman, who grinned back.
Addison tensed, and Connie slipped her arm through hers. “Easy,” she murmured.
“Addison dear, you look upset. What’s wrong? You don’t like the idea of the men being kept docile?” Tsarevna’s tone was hard, her tone provoking.
“She still has such a gentle heart,” Connie said. “She’ll learn.”
Tsarevna stared at Addison before looking at Connie. “You always were much more patient than I was.”
* * *
Devon used the battery lead from the radio to short out the bugs he found closest to the bed and the one in the bathroom. He knew Graham was doing the same in his and Paige’s room.
A knock on the door preceded Graham slipping into the room. “Did you set up the strobe?”
“In the center window. Our room faces east, so I’m not sure how much good it will do,” he said.
“Ours faces west, so Jane and Tinker should see it. We’ll know for sure in the morning.”
The door opened, and Addison entered, stopping just inside the room when she saw Graham. Her eyes were glassy and she was paler than when she’d gotten off the boat.
What the hell happened?
Graham reached around her and closed the door. “Are you okay, Addison?”
She jerked her head back and forth.
Devon rushed to her, taking her by the arm and drawing her into the room. “What happened? Are you hurt?”
She shook her head again, but wouldn’t look at him.
“Addy, talk to me.”
Instead, she eased out of his grasp and went into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her.
Fuck. He threaded his hands through his hair and looked at Graham.
“Get her to talk. I’ll find out what happened from Paige,” he said.
Devon nodded. “We’ll see you in the morning.”
Graham left, and Devon locked the door behind him. He sat in their chair and waited for Addison to come out. When she did, wearing a pair of sleep shorts and a T-shirt, she avoided looking at him and crawled into bed, turning away from him.
He sighed. Grabbing a pair of boxers from his suitcase, he took them into the bathroom to change. There could only be one thing to make Addison that upset—she’d either received news of Braedon or had seen him.
