Angel and the Assassin: Be Brave

failed attempts
    to move his legs, he managed to open his eyes. Disoriented, he found he was lying
    on his side on the ground, and he was naked. No wonder he was so cold. Why the
    fuck had they taken his clothes? He looked down at his legs. His ankles and knees
    were bound together with heavy electrical tape. With difficulty he managed to move
    his fingers to explore what held his wrists. It too was electrical tape. He doubted it

    Angel and the Assassin: Be Brave

    127

    was from the budget shop because it was very strong. Having used it himself a few
    years ago to secure a sub who wanted a prisoner scene, he knew how strong good
    electrical tape was, especially when it was wrapped several times.
    What a fucking disaster.
    Ekaterina was still not safe; in fact they might have moved her because of him.
    How would he find her now? And that was assuming he got out of this alive. He had
    no idea how long he had been lying there. An hour? A day? There was nothing
    present but the pain in his head.
    “Not such a fucking big man now, are you? You got me thrown out of SIS.”
    Rolling onto his back, Kael looked up at Denbigh.
    “You were never in. You were only training,” Kael said and found that his
    voice was raspy and weak. “You didn‟t make the grade. They would never have
    employed you. If I hadn‟t had you dismissed, another instructor would have.”
    He moaned when the toe of Denbigh‟s boot made contact with his hip once and
    then again with a second heavy kick.
    “You‟re never going to get out of here alive. Where‟s your pretty boy? He‟ll
    never know what happened to you.” Denbigh walked toward the door.
    Daddy, I’d die if you didn’t come back.
    “Fuck off, Denbigh. You‟re just a failed recruit who couldn‟t abseil down a
    building with a boy and a little, skinny woman.” If he had any sense, he would shut
    his mouth. He was making things worse for himself.
    Coming back, Denbigh said, “At least I don‟t fuck teenagers.” He swung back
    his foot and directed a blow to Kael‟s chest. There was a very distinct crack as at
    least one of Kael‟s ribs broke. The pain took his breath away, leaving him gasping.
    Denbigh walked away and closed the door behind him. For a long time, Kael lay
    alone, drifting in and out of consciousness.
    At some point the light bulb hanging from a wire overhead had been turned
    on. A small voice close to his ear said, “Dyadya.”
    “Ekaterina. Get me some water.” He struggled to sit up, but the pain in his
    head and ribs was atrocious. He took a long breath. Get yourself under control. Long
    breaths. Focus on your intention. You must look for every avenue for escape. You are
    obliged to escape.
    The child disappeared and returned a few moments later carrying a filthy,
    cracked cup with water. She held it to his lips, and Kael drank it all. “Good girl.”
    “Where are your clothes?” she asked.
    “I don‟t know. The men took them. Can you get a knife and cut the tape off my
    wrists?”
    “We don‟t have any knives down here. They‟re in the kitchen, and it‟s locked
    except when the big girls are allowed to go up to make food.”
    “Is this where you sleep, in the cellar?”
    “Yes. There‟s bunk beds in the other room.”

    128
    Fyn Alexander

    “How many girls?”
    She looked at her hands and began to say the names, counting them off. “Eight
    girls, but sometimes more come. And sometimes they leave. Dyadya, you said you
    would get me away from here.”
    A harsh female voice speaking Russian drew their eyes to the door. “Katya, get
    out of here. You‟ll get beaten if the men catch you.”
    “Get the tape off my wrists. I‟ll help you escape,” Kael said. At the sound of her
    native language spoken so beautifully, she stopped and looked at him. “Please help
    me,” he said.
    “I can‟t help myself, never mind you. If I put one foot wrong, my family at
    home will suffer. They said they would kill them.” She was perhaps eighteen, but
    her eyes had dark circles around them and she was very thin. She grabbed
    Ekaterina by the wrist. “Do you want to get beaten? Leave him alone.” She pulled
    the child from the room and closed the door.
    Mercifully, even with the pain, Kael slept.

    * * *
    Someone kicking his feet woke him up. Kael opened his eyes to see several

    men, including Denbigh and Dudek, standing over him. Again he had no idea how
    much time had passed. “You are English but you speak French and Russian?”
    Dudek