THE BRAVO BOYS - SNAKE EATER [book three]

Chapter THIRTY ONE

Shelby Quinn

~Strysakstan~
...four years ago...

Rusted chains clink and scrape over each other as my captor binds my wrists and ankles to fix me in place against the cold brick wall.. Somewhere nearby in the room I can hear the pained breath of another prisoner but there is nothing I can do to help them.. There is nothing I can do to stop the torment..
I had sacrificed everything to save my squadron.. I had given my all.. And it hadn't been enough..

"Sergeant? Shelby- is that you?" I am affronted by the fearful rasping voice of the young private who I'd fondly referred to as 'Tank' due to his towering stature and heavy build..

He is still alive.. And he sounds terrified..

"It's me, Tank.." I croak, tasting the dusty remnants of sand in my mouth and scratching at the back of my throat.. "Are you alright?"

"N-no mam'--" He whimpers, the chilling sound of a grown man reduced to a blubbering mess.. "I'm- I'm scared.."

My bones ache so deeply that I can barely lift my head to angle my neck in his direction, murmuring false words of support.. "It's gonna be okay-"

-BANG-

"NOO!" A shrill scream eminates around the dank dungeon as the residual resonance of a gunshot echoes around the cavernous acoustics, but it takes a few moments for me to realise that scream is my own.. "TANK?! TANK?!"

A menacing snicker is the only sound to greet my ears as the wheeze of Tank's last breath is lost forever.. "You are lazt Amerikanskiy who remainz, Mizz Quinn.."

"Why? Why are you doing this? What do you want from me?" I scream..

"To send message.." That cruel Slavic cadance croons..

"A message to who?!" Flicking strobes of a brutal bloody massacre and my abduction flash behind my eyes every time I close them, visceral and vivid howls of anguish echo in the back of my subconscious and the hammering thud of my panicking pulse rises and roars until it is all I can hear..

....

"Shelby, Sweetie?" A smooth and smoky voice slices through my hellish reverie and I glance up from my seat in the Specter headquarters bullpen to see Iris.. All shiny in her white pantsuit and pearls, she smiles down at me apologetically.. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, Mam'.. Sorry- I was a million miles away.." I straighten my shoulders and toss my ponytail back over my shoulder, bracing myself for the very worst news possible.. As I rise to my feet, she waves a hand to direct me to follow her through the bullpen towards her office..

"I'm sure Killerwolf has kept you abreast of the details in regards to this god-awful hack, and I know you've taken leave to search for Hendrix, so I hate to do this-" She strides with a quick and confident gait in her patent leather pumps, powerful in her poise.. "But I called you in today for an update briefing.."

"Yes Mam'.." My stomach twists into tense knots.. The idea of my fellow agents being exposed to the world is sickening, but the fear I feel for myself almost paralyzes.. The thought of being left out in the cold or captured again by any number of Specter's enemies puts me on edge and I've barely slept a wink since the privacy breach...

Even if it was interrupted, last night at Logan's apartment had been the best night's sleep I'd gotten in so many days, perhaps longer.. Still I couldn't bring myself to ask The Hacker for anything more.. I couldn't bring myself to pressure him.. He is already helping me so much, and while I owe Iris my life, I have to respect that Logan owes her nothing..