Edge of Control: An Edge Security Novel (Edge Security Series Book 1) (21 page)

A hard shove sent her sprawling into the room. “
Sooka
,” muttered Ivan, calling her a bitch. “When he tires of you, you’ll pay for kicking me.”

They shut the door and locked it. At least she was alone. She jumped up and immediately went to the window. Nailed shut.

She slammed her palms against the glass and it barely rattled in its frame. She pounded on it again and again. Nothing.

There was a small writing desk and chair in the room. She picked up the chair and slung it at the window. It bounced off. She wasn’t escaping that way.

She glanced around the small, elegant prison. Besides the door to the hall, there was a closet and a small bathroom with a minuscule shower.

She was trapped. No one from E.D.G.E. knew where she was. She bit her lip. Did anyone from E.D.G.E. actually
care
where she was?

She sat on the bed.
No more self-pity,
she decided. It wasn’t helping her.
 

She knew Chuck cared, but the way he’d avoided her gaze back at the office made her wonder if he doubted her too. And even if Jake had gotten her message, unless he’d seen the car she’d been forced into, he’d have no way to track her here. Wherever
here
was.

No, she was on her own. She dug her fingers into her hair. It reminded her of Vladimir’s hands on her and she shuddered. What was she going to do? What if Vladimir came to her room later?

She jumped up from the bed and began pacing. She forced thoughts of Vladimir away and unbidden memories of Jake replaced them. Her heartbeat started to steady. Even the thought of him made her feel more secure. Jake represented honor and strength versus Vladimir’s greed and deceit. Vladimir was no match for Jake.

She paused.
She
was no match for Jake.

He’d been so strong and yet so tender last night. They’d had a connection, she’d swear to it. But did he actually trust her? When she went missing, would he know she’d had no choice but to do this by herself?
 

Her shoulders slumped and she continued to pace. Now was not the time to think about Jake. If she wanted to escape, she needed to pretend to be Vladimir’s
Kotyonok
. She needed her emotional armor and all her cunning, because she was back where she’d started five years ago.

On her own.

Jake placed his palms on the conference table in front of him, pushing as if he could shove his hands through the wood. “This is my fault.”

Marc Koven stood on the other side of the table, his arms crossed and a muscle jumping in his jaw. “This is not your fault. We couldn’t know the Rusakovs would move so fast.”

“A member of my team,” Jake said, though Dani was so much more than that now, “is out there without backup.”

Blackwell stood at the head of the table. “Relax, Harrison. We’ll find her. We have Research and IT going over every property and business belonging to the Rusakov family.”

It wasn’t enough. They all knew it. Without a solid lead, Dani would be dead or beyond their reach within twenty-four hours.

And she thought he didn’t care. His gut churned. He wanted to punch something, or better yet, someone, but instead he pulled his hands to his sides, unable to stop them from clenching into fists.

“Dani’s tough,” Chuck said from his seat. His words were meant to be optimistic, but his haggard face told another story. Dani’s disappearance was taking its toll on the guy. “She knows these guys,” Chuck said. “She can buy some time until we find her.”

But she didn’t know they were looking
. Rhys gripped his shoulder and Jake forced himself to nod in agreement. Now was not the time to lose it. He needed a clear head to focus.

They’d found Tassia within minutes of her escape, via the GPS tracker on all E.D.G.E. vehicles. She’d told them what Dani had done.

Jake’s pride swelled at Dani’s bravery. She was a rare woman, one who sacrificed her own safety for others. Her methods might not always be orthodox, but her bravery, quick thinking, and unique skillset would make her an asset to any of the E.D.G.E. teams. He wanted the chance to tell her that. And to take her out on a real date so they could continue to explore what was between them.

His head lifted. “I’ve got an idea.”

“All ears,” Koven said.

“This Vladimir is obsessed with Dani and a perfect example of an abusive boyfriend.”

Chuck nodded. “True.”

“Let’s use that,” Jake said. “The thing that a possessive boyfriend hates the most is when his girl goes out with another guy. He’s already seen me with Dani at the party. So now I’ll let him find me.”

“Find you?” Chuck asked.

“I’ll be very visible at Dani’s apartment.”

Koven shook his head. “I see where you’re going with this, but they might just kill you, rather than take you to where they’re holding Dani.”

Jake crossed his arms. “It’s a chance I have to take.”

Dani woke with a start, rolling off the bed and into a crouch before she’d even processed what had woken her. She still wore her clothes from yesterday and the duvet was barely wrinkled from where she’d slept on top of it. The idea of being under the covers had seemed too confining and vulnerable.

Someone rapped sharply on her door.

“What do you want?” she yelled, opening her curtains and eyeing the sun just peeking over the horizon. “It’s barely morning.”

The key turned in the lock and she took a few steps back, muscles tensing.

“I’m Anya,” a soft voice said in Russian. “I was told to bring you breakfast.” A petite blonde entered with a tray of food. She set it on the desk. Her head tilted as she studied Dani, before her lips twisted. “I will be back in thirty minutes to take you to Vladimir. Be ready.” Then she disappeared, quick and quiet like a mouse—albeit a mouse who had the ability to lock the cat in a trap.

Dani sighed. She’d missed her chance to overpower Anya. Maybe when she came back. The morning sunlight shone through the window and Dani stepped into it, warmed through the glass. Fields of wheat waved in the breeze outside.

She was far out in the country from the looks of it, and she needed a plan to escape or she wouldn’t stand a chance of reaching freedom. She nixed the idea of overpowering Anya until she knew more about her prison.

Orange juice, oatmeal, and a cup of coffee were her breakfast. Dani dug in, not knowing when they’d feed her again. She ate every spoonful of the bland cereal, even though she wasn’t hungry. Afterward, she washed up and sat on the bed waiting for Anya’s return.

Two sharp raps and the door unlocked. “It’s time,” Anya said in her soft voice.

Dani followed her into the hall and found Ivan and Boris waiting, their shoulder holsters visible and their eyes sharp.

“Hey, boys,” Dani said. “You miss me? How’s that knee, Ivan?”

Anya frowned disapprovingly at her, but didn’t say anything. Dani slipped into her old bravado as if she were squeezing into a tight sweater. It didn’t quite fit, but she’d make it look good before it split at the seams.

Anya led the way down the stairs and to the front door. “Vladimir is in the small red building.” She pointed to one next to the barn.

Dani strode down the steps, knowing the Boulder Brothers followed her closely. She acted as if she didn’t care they were there, though she had to wipe her wet palms discreetly on her jeans.
 

A woman’s scream ripped through the air. It had come from the barn. She froze and her gut clenched. Ivan and Boris laughed and shoved her forward.

Dani refused to look back at the barn, but she vowed to figure out what was going on at this farm, and to stop it.

At the red building, Ivan knocked on the door before entering. It was basically another simple, open building, though there was an office with a large glass window looking into the main room. Two long tables covered in maps and papers stood in the center of the room, while desks with computers lined the far wall.

Two men worked at the computers, while Vladimir and another man with a sharp hooked nose stood talking by one of the center tables. Vladimir looked over as they entered.

“
Kotyonok
,” he said. “Come and see where you’ll be working for us.”

She stood her ground. “I’m not doing anything illegal.”

Vladimir held a hand against his chest in mock surprise before he laughed. “You are so predictable, Danika. You
will
do what I tell you.” He jerked his head at the brothers. “Show her the barn.”

Ivan and Boris grinned as they gripped her arms, frogmarching her to the barn. She didn’t resist, though she really didn’t want to see what was inside. The door creaked as Ivan opened it and Boris pushed her inside, still holding her arms. Moans and whimpers reached her first, and then the stink of piss, sour sweat, and burnt meat. Her brain tried to process what she was seeing.

There were no horse stalls here, just shipping crates stacked along the walls and an old panel van parked by the sliding doors on the far side. The moans came from two large cages, one on either side of the barn. Women huddled inside, most young, all of them naked. The ones in the left cage crouched, wide-eyed with fear, while the ones in the right lay listless and moaning.

In front of her, a man tended hot coals in a metal cylinder. Slender iron poles about three feet long stuck out of the embers. Her stomach started to roil. Branding irons.

Four men approached the cage on the left. All the women there moved away from the door when it swung open. The men grabbed a woman, who shrieked and flailed, desperate for escape.

Shock solidified Dani’s muscles. She couldn’t move while the men dragged the young woman over to the branding fire. They threw her to the ground and held her face down, each man on one of her outstretched limbs. Her face rose up toward Dani.

“
Pomogite mne
!” she screamed. “Help me! Please!”

Dani jerked as if slapped in the face. She started toward the woman, only to be hauled back into place by Boris and Ivan.

“
Nyet
,” Dani screamed at the men. “Stop this. Now.”

But everyone ignored her, and the brothers had learned their lesson about her feet. They avoided her kicks easily.

The man by the fire pulled one of the irons from the coals. The woman on the ground screamed as he matter-of-factly shoved it against her shoulder blade. The woman’s shrieks couldn’t drown out the sizzle of her flesh. The brand lifted and the man jerked his head. “Done.”

The other men stood up, releasing the woman, but she didn’t move. She lay sprawled on the ground, moaning and weeping. A small ‘R’ of blackened skin with red, raw edges showed on her pale back.

Dani looked at the other women in the cage on the right. All had a similar brand. She swallowed back bile and didn’t protest when the brothers pulled her back outside. She dragged in mouthfuls of fresh air and fell to her knees.

“Get up,” Ivan said. “Vladimir wants you to work now.”

Dani took a last shuddering breath before standing up. She grit her teeth and walked with the two brutes back to their boss, trying to find her emotional armor again. She couldn’t think about the plight of those women. She couldn’t or she’d crack.

Vladimir’s smirk almost made her lose it. He’d probably been watching her when she’d fallen.

“Why the brand?” she asked, keeping her voice even and trying to sound bored. “It’s disgusting. Don’t your clients object?”

His lips twitched as if he found her amusing. She hated him for that.

“Not at all, actually. And it’s amazing what being branded does to a person,” Vladimir said. “It breaks their spirit more effectively than any beating. We’ve had much less product loss since we’ve started the practice.”

“Product loss?” she asked. “You mean runaways?”

He shrugged. “They can be so troublesome when they first arrive.”

“Where are you finding them?” she asked.

His eyes narrowed as he studied her. “Why so curious?”

Because she wanted to get the women back to their homes. She made a decision and arched a brow. “You want me to work for you. I need to know about your business.”

He didn’t say anything for a moment and she wondered if she’d overplayed her hand.

“I do not trust you,
Kotyonok
,” he said. “But let us see if you are worth all this trouble. Come.” He waved at a workstation on the far wall. “I have a simple task for you.”

She followed him to the computer and sat down at the desk. “If it’s simple, then why do you need me?”

He smiled and leaned close. She wanted to pull away, but managed to stay still. “It should be simple for
you
,” he said.

She placed a single finger on his chest. “We haven’t discussed payment yet.”

He struck like a snake, fast and vicious. He grabbed her hair in one hand and had his pistol pointed at her temple before she could do anything to stop him.

He whispered in her ear, “Your payment is your life.”

Her heart hammered and she froze, afraid to make any sudden moves. She swallowed. She needed to prove to Vladimir that she wasn’t a victim or she’d lose his interest and find herself branded, drugged, and on sale before she could set her fingers to the keyboard.

She exhaled slowly and raised her hand from where it was splayed on his chest to the pistol. She used one finger again, but this time ever so slowly, she touched the barrel of the pistol and gently pushed it away from her temple. “I see your point,” she said evenly. “What would you like me to do?”

He let her move the gun aside. At the same time, he stood up, towering over her. He hadn’t released his grip on her hair and he tilted her face so he could see it. Rage curled inside her gut and she wanted to rip away from him. But she lifted her chin even higher, letting nothing of her hatred show in her eyes.

His smile came slowly. “I want you to hack into U.S. Customs and Border Protection.”

Dani had just finished the dinner Anya had brought her when the door unlocked and Vladimir strolled in. The Boulder Brothers waited in the hall.

She stood up but didn’t back away, even though she wanted to. “What do you want?”