Night Watch (Kendra Michaels #4)(102)

“He’s weaker, but just as bad as Dyle,” she said, remembering Biers’s expression when he was looking at Waldridge. “And he’s jealous of you. I’m surprised you didn’t pick up on that.”

“We were colleagues. I celebrated any success he made. I thought he did the same.”

“And you trusted him,” she repeated. “But he belongs to Dyle now. He didn’t even get up off his knees without Dyle’s okay. He was the one who cut that GPS out of me. If Dyle told him to cut out my eye, he’d do it in a heartbeat.” Her lips twisted. “Of course, he might have to fight Jaden for the pleasure.”

He muttered a curse. “No way, Kendra.”

“I hope we can keep that from happening.” She had to stop this shaking. “I guess you know how I’d feel about that. Dyle managed to hit a bull’s-eye. No one can really know the difference unless they’ve been there.”

“I won’t let him touch you.”

“You might have to let him go ahead and do it if we have to find a way to stall.”

Waldridge took her in his arms and held her. Comfort. Friendship. Togetherness. “No, then we’ll find another way to stall.”

“How? You can’t give him what he wants. You said if you gave in, you knew it would only be signing your death warrant. Do you think he’d let me live afterward? Not likely.” She pushed him away and drew a deep breath. The shaking had almost stopped. She was getting better, that moment of realizing that she was not alone in this battle was helping. “You can’t do it. We’d both end up dead.”

He didn’t speak for a moment. “Quite possibly.” His lips twisted. “Then we’d best come up with another solution. Dyle believes he’s come up with the perfect mechanism to force me to his way of thinking. He knew what seeing you tortured would do to me. He was entirely serious about taking your eyes.”

She had known that, and the fear had nearly paralyzed her. Snap out of it. They could get through this. They had no choice.

“Tell me about the layout of this place.” She looked at the large, reinforced door through which Dyle had just exited. “Do you know where that leads?”

“Oh, yes. That leads to an office–sitting room and a kitchen.” His lips twisted. “And a small room where Dyle spent a number of hours trying to convince me of my duty to him.”

Torture. Would that be where she’d be taken if Dyle decided to take her eye? Don’t think about it. Concentrate. “So that’s the main part of this encampment? Where do the guards sleep?”

“Not in the main facility.” He nodded at the other smaller door. “You said you thought that led outside. You might be right. There might be an outbuilding out there. When they were taking me back and forth to my charming little home away from home, I saw a few tents as I passed the window in the office.”

“So there will be tigers behind either door. We just have to plan a way to get past them.”

“Or invite them into our parlor?” Charles asked. “I believe Dyle has already issued a command invitation himself.”

“That’s an hour from now.” She took another step back and glanced around the lab. Concentrate. Memorize everything about it. “In an hour, we won’t be here.”





CHAPTER

17




KENDRA HEARD FOOTSTEPS in the hall outside the lab.

She tensed, she’d been expecting it, but it still caused her heart to speed up.

They were coming for her.

Her time was up, and Dyle’s men were now unlocking the door. Her hand closed behind her around the bump key she’d identified as most likely to work on the door. Her palms were sweating, and her pulse was erratic as she stared at the door. She murmured to Waldridge standing next to her at the table. “Here we go.” She moistened her lips. “Good luck.”

“You, too.” He picked up two corked flasks filled with water. “Even if this goes horribly wrong, it’s better than the alternative.”

“Gouging my eyes out, you mean?” Her gaze never left the door. “Can’t argue with that.”

The door swung open, and the same two gunmen as before entered. Dyle wasn’t with them. Too bad, Kendra thought.

She shared a quick glance with Waldridge.

Almost time.

The two gunmen moved forward. The larger of the two men, a muscular man with a handlebar moustache, gestured toward Kendra. “Time’s up, lady. Unless Waldridge has changed his mind and decided—” He broke off as his gaze went down to the floor. The two men had stopped warily as their shoes crunched on a gritty mixture of potassium permanganate and glycerin that Waldridge had carefully spread on the floor. “What’s this shit?”

Waldridge walked toward them with his water-filled flasks. “Only a science experiment. After all, Dyle ordered me to get to work.”

He hurled the flasks toward the floor.

The flasks shattered.

The two men were instantly engulfed in flames!

Kendra and Waldridge dodged behind the nearest table.

Screams! The man with the handlebar moustache squeezed off a barrage of shots before he dropped his gun as his arm was engulfed in flames. Within seconds, the other gunman was on his knees, yelling as he tried in vain to extinguish the chemical fire on his clothes.