Page 3 of Ruthless

“What?” Lina jumped up, her heart hammering. “Why? What’s going on?”

“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out. I need you to get in the closet, and don’t come out until I come back for you.”

“No. If something bad is happening, you need to come with me. Security will protect us.”

Lina swallowed a gasp when, instead of agreeing, Shelby lifted one side of her dress, revealing a gun holster strapped to her leg that held a small pistol. Pulling the gun from the holster, she said sternly, “Do as I say, Lina. Go. Now.”

The knowledge that her friend wasn’t the woman she’d claimed to be was a secondary shock she would have to deal with later. With the sounds of shouts coming closer and closer and people running down the hallways screaming, it was obvious the embassy was under attack.

An explosion sounded, rocking the floor beneath their feet. Screams of pain and terror surrounded them.

“Go, Lina,” Shelby said. “I’ve got this.”

“But I don’t—”

The blast of a gun and the jerk of Shelby’s body told her it was too late. Shelby managed to turn and fire her weapon twice. Then, with a hoarse whisper, she said, “I’m so sorry, Lina,” before she dropped to the floor.

“No!” Lina knelt on the floor, her mind screaming in horror as she searched for Shelby’s pulse with a trembling hand. There wasn’t one.

This couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t! Shelby’s pretty green eyes were empty, her face slack and expressionless. “Shelby, no! Please, no!”

“You!”

Lina jerked her head up. A masked man stood before her, pointing a rifle at her. “Come with me,” he snapped.

Her entire body trembling, Lina stood and shook her head. “No.” She had wanted to shout the word, but it had come out more of a whisper.

Instead of giving her the order again, the man strode to her and raised the rifle higher. Knowing this was it, that this was the moment she would die, she closed her eyes and thought of her family. She saw her papa’s and her brothers’ faces, felt their love surround her.

Pain pierced the side of her head, and she dropped to the floor. As her eyes fluttered closed, the last thing she saw was Shelby’s blank, lifeless face.

CHAPTER TWO

Icy, cold air woke her. Her body shuddering, Lina opened her eyes and blinked. She could see nothing and, for an instant, wondered if she had been struck blind. The darkness was total and complete. She tried to sit up and then groaned as agony ripped through her head. Her mind searched for answers, and in a flash, she remembered. Shelby was dead. Masked men had attacked the embassy. She remembered a man telling her to come with him, and she had refused. She remembered that same man had walked toward her, and then pain had exploded in her head. He must have hit her with his gun. She touched the tender spot on the side of her head and winced at the knot that had formed.

Where was she? Gritting her teeth, she tried once again to sit up and finally made it. Nausea roiled in her stomach, and she swallowed hard to avoid vomiting. When she finally felt a little steadier, she swung her legs off the cot she was lying on and took a breath to get her bearings.

What could she tell about her surroundings? It was dark, but she could hear voices, garbled and far away, but they were there. And she heard people walking. The steps were heavy, which made her think the people were likely wearing boots. Who were these people? The man who’d shouted at her had spoken English and had had no accent. Which meant nothing in the grand scheme of things.

She pushed her hands down on the cot and tried to stand. It took three tries. Darkness and pain whirled inside her head, but she finally managed to stay on her feet. Once she stood, she knew an instant of relief as if she’d done something proactive. She raised her head and saw a small window across from her that she hadn’t noticed before. Stars were shining, and she spotted a tiny sliver of the moon.

The attack had happened around ten in the morning, and it was now nighttime. Was she even still in Paris? She had been unconscious for hours, so she could be anywhere.

Her hands out in front of her, she blindly took a step forward and then another. She counted twenty steps before she got to a thick wall. It felt like a concrete structure. She walked along the wall, feeling for a door as she went. She swallowed a sob when her hands found what felt like a steel door. Even knowing it was hopeless, she found the knob and twisted. Of course it was locked.

Swallowing her panic, she continued around the room and found a small sink as well as a toilet. She twisted the faucet and was relieved that water flowed easily. Only cold water came out, but a handful splashed onto her face did wonders in waking her up. She swallowed several mouthfuls, and considering her churning gut, she was relieved that the liquid stayed down. Turning from the sink, she continued around the room until she found herself back at the cot.

Who were these people, and what did they want? Attacking an embassy was considered an act of terrorism. How many had they killed? Where were Francois and Herbert? Had they been hurt? Had anyone else been captured? If so, were they close by?

What did the attackers plan? A ransom demand? Her father would, of course, pay, but what about the other people? And sweet heavens, Shelby, her friend… Her sweet, beautiful friend was dead. Of that, she was certain. The reason that Shelby had had a gun was fairly obvious. She had thought her papa had been a little too keen on having Shelby live with her. He had acted as if he didn’t know her but had told her she’d been checked out, and he believed she would be a good friend.

Based on how Shelby had acted, Lina was sure that she had been paid to protect her. She tried not to resent that. Shelby might not have been who Lina believed she was, but she had always been kind and hadn’t deserved what had happened to her.

What was going to happen now? Would that man, or one like him, come back and hurt her again? They wouldn’t just leave her here, would they?

She sat back down on the bed and considered her options. Once it was daylight, maybe she could find a way to climb through the window or, at the very least, look out of it to see where she might be. The window was high, so she wasn’t tall enough to see outside, but perhaps if she stood on the bed. Was the cot secured in place?

She stood and tugged on the cot, swallowing a sob when she realized the frame was bolted to the wall. There was no way she could move it. She dropped back onto the cot, covered her face with her hands, and prayed for a miracle.

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