Ultimate Vengeance (Wanted Men Book 4)(144)

“What? Did you think I’d upgraded to a desert eagle?” He chuckled. “Now stop being who you are and take a painkiller. No one is going to judge you for being human.”

Taking the water, he went into his pants pocket…his shoulders slumped. The bottle was gone. He patted his other pocket.

“What?”

“The bottle must have fallen out in the car.”

“Don’t bullshit me. I heard the pills rattling as we climbed the stairs.”

Vasily looked back at what appeared to be a massive staircase, but in reality was only nine steps. Coming down was nothing. Climbing…he just couldn’t.

“Maybe they fell out when I sat on the bed.”

“I’ll go see.”

Grateful, Vasily nodded. “While you do, I’ll check out the basement. I’ll meet you back here in a minute.” The blank look he received had him growing impatient. “I don’t have the energy to fight with you, Dmitri.” The note of exhaustion in his voice confirmed it. “Now save me the trouble and go. The worst thing I’m going to come up against down there is a fucking spider.”

“Sorry.”

His boy threw the door open and disappeared down the stairs. Not sure whether to be flattered by the protective gesture, or fucking annoyed by it, he followed more slowly. A minute later, Dmitri was winking at him then taking the stairs two at a time to go up and do as planned. After having scoped out the basement rooms.

All but one.

Vasily wiped at the sweat trickling down his temple as he made his way to what was once supposed to be a wine cellar, but had ended up an empty room with piles of oak boards stacked against the wall. Going through, his shoe soles tapping on the tile he, Sergei, and Vincente had laid together, he wondered if he’d find anything more than the wine racks he’d purchased himself.

With little enthusiasm, but not wanting to leave without checking everything because it would nag at him, he reached out to press the edge of the seamless door—

He jerked back and had his gun out before he could blink. The pain caused by his sudden movement was disregarded. A moan. He’d just heard a faint moan. From inside the room.

Looking over his shoulder, he considered waiting for Dmitri, but then it registered that the sound had been high in pitch as if made by a woman. With his stomach cramping, and dread sweeping in to dry his mouth at what he might find, he pressed on the door and heard the quiet click of the touch latch disengage. With his finger on the trigger, he slowly pulled the panel back…

What he saw in that small room in the basement of his dead nephew’s deserted house blasted a wave of shock through him that was so strong his vision warped and faded to the point where he was sure he was about to pass out. Fighting the emasculating reaction, he squeezed his eyes shut, took a slow, steadying breath that barely made it through his constricting throat, and then opened them again. What came next put his previous reaction to shame.

The crippling jolt that hammered through him sent him to his knees. He hit the floor, the impact causing his gun to clatter away. He immediately brought his hands up to swipe at the hot moisture blurring his sight. Disbelief beat at him as his throat ached with the need to…to…

“Kathryn…?”