“Dimitri,” I said, leaning across the table to make sure he was looking at me, “my name is Dr. Danvers. Gage has asked me to come in so you could have someone to talk to.” I spoke to him in Russian.
His eyes focused on me. He glanced quickly at Gage standing behind me, then jerked his head back to me. “You speak Russian?” he asked me.
I nodded. “That’s why I’m here.”
“What’s he saying?” Gage asked eagerly.
“Nothing yet. We’re just making our introductions,” I told him.
“Well, tell him he better talk or else I’m going to start breaking his fingers.” I decided to ignore the perverse pleasure Gage seemed to take in making his threat.
“Are you okay?” I asked him, refusing to repeat Gage’s threat of violence.
“I don’t want to talk with him in here,” Dimitri told me.
I cut my eyes to Gage, wondering if I could bring myself to ask him to leave us alone. He glared at us, at me in particular, from just beyond the pool of light surrounding the table. The darkness fought with the yellow glow of the light to conceal his features. The effect was a sinister play of light and shadow on his face. I didn’t feel I could ask him any favors while he looked like that. He didn’t look human anymore. He looked demonic, as if he really was a King of Hell sent to torture poor souls like Dimitri’s.
“He doesn’t know what we’re saying,” I assured Dimitri in Russian. “He asked me here because he can’t understand a word of Russian.”
“You’re talking too much,” Gage barked. “I need you to get him to talk.”
I turned to him. “I know I’m not making threats and being aggressive, but let me work at him my way. What do you want me to ask him?”
“Ask him where I can find Ivan.”
I didn’t ask who Ivan was. I figured there were things I didn’t need to know, and the less I knew, the better. I shifted my weight in the chair and leaned across the table. “He wants to know where he can find Ivan,” I told Dimitri.
He looked at me with his cold blue eyes.
“You know who he’s talking about, don’t you?”
“I’m not telling him anything,” Dimitri said, cutting his eyes to Gage.
I rubbed my brow and sighed. “He’s not talking,” I told Gage.
The behemoth stepped into the light and leaned over the table, bringing his face within inches of Dimitri’s. “You tell him that if he doesn’t start talking, we’re going to make his life a living fucking hell.” Though he looked Dimitri in the eye, he spoke to me.
“He said if you don’t cooperate, he’s going to make your life a living hell,” I told Dimitri.
The Russian laughed in Gage’s face, and I saw rage darken his features even more. I was surprised when he stood up and refrained from hitting the man. “You’re not helping,” he told me in a threatening tone. “If you don’t start getting answers, you could find yourself in trouble with him.”
I looked at Dimitri, whose eyes met mine, and for a brief moment it looked like he understood the threat Gage had just issued. Maybe he’d just picked up on the tone of his voice.
“What did he just say?” Dimitri asked me.
“He threatened me if I can’t get you to talk,” I told him in a flat tone. “I need you to give me something I can use.”
“Tell him to go fuck himself,” Dimitri told me.
I shook my head.
“What is it? What did he say?” Gage asked, his voice growing more and more frustrated.
Emotions were starting to run a little too high for my comfort, and I was stuck right in the middle of it all.
“He’s not talking,” I answered.
Gage let out a frustrated groan. “Tell him if he doesn’t start talking, I’m going to kill him. Then, I’m going after his family.”
I sat back and looked at Gage, shocked. “You told me I wasn’t doing any such thing,” I protested.
“I told you before we walked in here to follow my lead and say what I told you to say,” he reminded me. “Now, if you can’t do that, I’ll find someone who will, and you might find yourself in a chair like Dimitri’s,” he threatened. He leaned down, bringing his face down beside mine. I could feel the heat of his anger radiating from his face and hear his deep, hard breathing.
“Except, what I’ll do to you will be far worse than Dimitri’s fate,” he whispered in my ear.
Dimitri sat upright, bound to his chair, and watched our little exchange with concern in his eyes. I gave him a sidelong glance.