Page 137 of Fire and Ice

"The hell you are!" Viktor responded acidly.

Jack's hands tightly gripped the arms of his chair to keep from reacting.

"Ah, she is important to you," Gavlik noted with interest.

"All my people are important to me. How do I know they're even alive?"

Gavlik nodded to someone and the screen split. One showed a cell-block with three of the Guardians whom Jack recognized as Edmunds, Manning and Chavez from Brett's protective custody. Maia was on the other screen and appeared to be in a regular room, but with shackles on one of her ankles. She was wearing harem pants and swaths of silk fabric covering her breasts, but her midriff was bare. Her gorgeous red hair was crowned with intricate beads of a harem headdress. She was shivering, obviously feeling cold in what she was wearing.

"What the fuck?" Viktor bit out, exactly echoing Jack's sentiments. The screen switched back to Gavlik. "Why the hell is Agent Pierce dressed that way?"

"First of all, she is being punished for her insolence," Gavlik said with a sadistic curl to his lips that made Jack's blood run cold. "Second, if I don't see any proof that you have the formula in your hands in 24 hours, I have a very rich sheik who has been after me to find him a redhead. I must say your Agent Pierce fits the bill perfectly. A little older than our standard virginal offerings, but she more than makes up for it with her exquisite beauty and spirit. My client will enjoy taming this one, such fire... I must warn you, once he gets his hands on her she shall disappear into his harem forever."

With that, the videoconference connection was severed.

Viktor swore violently while Jack exploded out of his chair and started pacing the room barely restraining himself from putting his fists through the wall. He stopped in front of Viktor.

"We have to leave now!" Jack growled.

"Calm down. We have to run through a tactical exercise first with everyone involved," Viktor said, although his voice was far from calm—Gavlik had obviously rankled him.

"He better not touch her, I'll kill him."

"He won't touch her," an analyst spoke up. "At least not in the way you think he will. Gavlik prefers young boys."

Jack's mouth fell open. "He's a pedophile?"

The analyst nodded.

"Sick fuck," Jack muttered.

***

The three Black Hawks landed in a huge facility near the outskirts of Samara. Jack, Viktor and six other Guardians alighted from the imposing military choppers and met their Russian host, Alexsey Volynsky. He was flanked by an Italian-looking commando.

"Viktor, I am so pleased to finally meet you," Volynsky greeted them with an anxious look on his face.

As they made their way towards one of the outbuildings, Viktor made the introductions as Volynsky introduced Erik Costa, the leader of their faction.

"I am troubled to hear about Agent Pierce," Volynsky said gravely. "I fear it is my fault that she got into this mess. But she is one of the best I've seen. Fearless, that one."

Jack grunted in disapproval.

Erik glanced sharply at Jack. "I've had the pleasure of working with her, I think you need to show some respect."

It had been a long, tedious trip, and Jack's patience wasn't exactly all there, so he got into Erik's face and snarled, "Look, man, I've worked with Maia and I know her more than you think I do, so back ... the... hell... off!"

"Jack..." Viktor admonished.

Before Erik could retort, Volynksy said, "Jack, Maia's Jack?" Alexsey walked back and clasped his hands.

"Maia mentioned me?" Jack whispered dazely.

Volynsky nodded. "I wanted her to stay longer so we can plan our offensive against Gavlik which would take another few weeks, but she said she had not quite left things right between you two and asked for a week to..." Volynsky saw Jack's stricken face. "It wasn't fixed?"

Jack shook his head, unable to speak. He felt sick. Maia left in the middle of a mission to set things right with him and he broke up with her. How could she forgive him?

Erik clapped Jack on the back, "We'll get her back, man."

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