Clinch (The Underground Book 2) (28 page)

“Huh. I figured you made that call.”

“No. I couldn’t have taken that risk even if I wanted to, but I didn’t tell anyone to either. It came from someone else.”

“That’s weird. I’ll keep you posted.” Leo ended the call.

When he glanced at Katie, he was shocked to find her nearly back to normal. She even rubbed her fingers across the back of his hand.

She pulled his hand to her face and rubbed her cheek against his fingers as if verifying that he was indeed alive. But she didn’t speak again.

There wasn’t much to say. Not now, anyway. Later.

When he pulled up to the front of her clinic, the place was already bustling with activity.

Ivan’s car was out front. Several squad cars were already on the scene too.

He helped Katie out of the car and wrapped her into his side to make their way into the clinic. The front door was fixed, shocking Leo.

Katie’s receptionist was in the waiting room, and she rushed forward and met them at the door.

Leo realized it was still Monday afternoon. A work day. They hadn’t been able to open the clinic without Katie there, but Mandy had arranged for the door to be replaced. The sweet rounded woman with the brown bob took Katie from Leo and pulled her in for a hug. “Are you okay?”

Katie nodded and forced a fake smile. “I’m fine. Where’s the woman they brought in?”

Of course. Always the doctor.

Mandy led them through the throng of police officers in the waiting room, all seeming to speak on top of one another, and into the back where the exam rooms were located.

She opened the door across the hall from the entrance and stepped back.

Leo was surprised to find Mikhail in the room. He sat in a chair, and he still held the redhead in his lap. It didn’t seem like anything had changed since they’d left the house. The woman still clung to him with the same grip.

Katie pushed past Leo and reached for the woman’s wrist to check her pulse.

“She couldn’t keep her eyes open on the way here,” Mikhail whispered. “It seemed like she was drugged.”

An officer approached Leo at the doorway. “We’ll need to ask her more questions after the doctor checks her out. And the rest of you too of course.” He glanced around at all of them.

Haley stirred, lifting her face, though thick red curls concealed her expression. When she grew more lucid, she bolted upright and leaped off Mikhail’s lap as though he’d burned her.

She took deep breaths, backing up while Mikhail stood, his hands in the air. “You’re okay. You’re safe.”

Katie leaned into her line of sight. “I’m a doctor.”

Haley shook her head. “No doctors.” She crossed her arms, shivered, and backed farther across the room until she hit the wall. Her dark blue scrubs made her skin appear lighter than it probably normally did. Her eyes were wide saucers, her gaze darting around the room. Why was she wearing scrubs?

Katie eased closer while Leo watched from the doorway, not wanting to make any sudden moves. “You’re safe here. This is my clinic. These are my friends.”

The redhead blinked in confusion, and then she reached to rub her forehead with one hand.

Leo glanced at the officer and whispered, “Katie will probably get more information than you can.”

The man nodded.

“My name’s Katie. What’s yours?”

She licked her lips and lowered her hand. “Haley.”

“Haley. I love that name. Are you a doctor or a nurse?”

Haley tipped her head in confusion. “No.”

Leo was thinking the same thing. Why was the woman wearing scrubs if she wasn’t in the medical profession?

“Okay. Can you tell us what happened?”

Haley bit her bottom lip.

Mikhail inched forward until he was directly behind Katie and to one side.

Haley furrowed her brow before she shook her head. “I was kidnapped weeks ago. A man brought me to that house this morning. What day is it?”

“Monday,” Mikhail responded.

Haley nodded. “Monday…” She rocked back and forth, tears still falling down her cheeks. Finally she slid down the wall until she sat on the floor, her knees drawn up, her face in her hands. “It’s over. You rescued me.” She glanced up at Mikhail. “How did you find me?”

Mikhail crouched down in front of her. “By accident. We had no idea you were there. Did you say Christianson brought you there this morning?”

Katie flinched. “Ted Christianson?” She jerked her gaze to Leo.

He winced and eased farther into the room to wrap an arm around her shoulders and haul her into his embrace until her cheek pressed against his chest. He threaded his fingers into her hair and muttered against her head. “He was there, babe. I’m so sorry. He said it was his house.”

She gripped his T-shirt at his waist with both hands. “Is he…” she mumbled against him.

He whispered into her ear, “Yes. I’m sorry. He must have been working for Yenin. He was the one who stole the blood samples.”

She sobbed now. “My God.”

“Did you know any of the men in the house?” Mikhail asked Haley.

She lifted her face to more fully meet his gaze and tucked a red curl behind one ear. “No. I didn’t even know there were others in the house. I thought it was just that small, skinny man. I was so tired… He drugged me. I fell asleep in that room. When I woke up, I heard so many voices. I just wanted to get away…”

Mikhail reached forward tentatively to tuck the errant curl back behind her ear again. “Where were you before today?”

“Some sort of medical facility. I didn’t see much of it. I was in a white room with a cot and a sink and a toilet. Kind of like a jail cell. Or maybe an asylum.”

That explained the scrubs. Leo held Katie tighter as she shuddered. He glanced at the doorway to see two officers now taking notes.

One of them stepped all the way inside the room next to Leo. “Did you catch anyone’s name?” he asked.

Haley shook her head. “No.”

“Were you kidnapped?” the cop asked.

“Yes.”

“From where?”

“I’m an aid worker. I work with the homeless. I was working on the edge of the West side that day.”

Katie jerked out of Leo’s grasp and spun around, though he still held her loosely by the biceps. “Someone grabbed you from the street?” She glanced at the police. “That’s what seems to be happening to many of the homeless people in the area.”

The officer nodded. “Is it possible someone mistook you for a homeless person?”

Haley bit her lower lip. “Yes. I suppose. I try to dress down and blend in when I’m working with people.”

“Did you see anyone else at the facility where you were held?” the officer asked.

Haley shook her head. “Not many people. Doctors. They checked on me often. Brought me food and drinks. Took blood. Gave me injections.” She shuddered. A tear ran down her face. And then she sobbed and leaned her forehead on her hands again against her knees. “What the hell did they do to me?”

Leo was afraid of what the answer to that question might be. Did all the blood work and injections have anything to do with his own samples? And those of his friends?

Mikhail kneeled closer to Haley and threaded a hand in her hair. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll figure this out. You’re safe now.”

She lifted her gaze to him. “Do you believe that? Because I’m not sure I do.”

One of the officers in the doorway spoke. “Where did you say you got the gun?”

“When I woke up to voices arguing in the kitchen, I was frantic. I rummaged around in the room looking for anything I could use as a weapon. It didn’t take long. The gun was in the bedside table.”

The officer nodded and took a few more notes. “Did you see anyone else at the facility? Or the house? Any other prisoners?”

She shook her head. “No. But I do think there were others at the first building. I saw an entire row of rooms as I was leaving.”

The officer wrote that down as well. “We need to have you examined, ma’am, and run some blood work to see what drugs are in your system.”

Haley’s eyes went wide. She shook her head violently and grabbed Mikhail’s forearm. “No. I can’t take anymore.”

The officer frowned. “You were kidnapped and held against your will. Time is of the essence. We need blood work as soon as possible. You need to go to a hospital.”

Haley’s face paled, and she turned to face Mikhail. “I can’t do it.” She shivered violently.

Leo couldn’t blame her. If she’d been held in a hospital situation for weeks, she would be scared out of her mind. He turned toward the officer. “Can Katie draw the blood here?”

The officer looked at Katie. “I don’t see why not. But this woman needs to see someone beyond a medical doctor. She’s traumatized.” He turned back toward Haley. “Is there someone I can call?”

Haley shook her head again and nearly shouted, “No. God. Please. No.”

Mikhail frowned.

Why didn’t the woman want someone to contact her family?

Katie kneeled in front of Haley. “Let’s take this one step at a time. Can I get you to sit on the table for me so I can get a quick blood draw?”

Haley exhaled slowly. “Yes,” she finally murmured.

Katie stood and pointed at the door. “Everyone else get out. Give me a few minutes. You’re all suffocating her.”

Katie’s adrenaline wouldn’t stop pumping through her body. It had been several hours since they’d arrived at the clinic, and she was still on edge.

Haley was finally sleeping in one of the exam rooms, her body curled into a ball. Thank God there was no evidence she had been raped or otherwise molested. The only thing Haley remembered was blood draws and injections.

For two weeks.

Rarely did anyone speak to her, and she was usually drugged into sleep.

What bothered Katie was that Ted Christianson had not only been involved in this, but he was now dead as a result. She had thought of him as a friend. How long had he been working for the Mafia?

She cringed. Had he done something to Haley? He specialized in diseases. The lab results she’d seen indicated several of the guys had been exposed to unusual diseases. That couldn’t be a coincidence. Ted was one of the best in his field. And now he was dead.

Had he exposed Haley to anything infectious? She shook the thought from her head. Even if Ted had injected her with something, it would have been in the form of immunizations. After all, the guys all had antibodies without ever experiencing the illnesses.

She tried not to think about Ted for a while. It was wearing on her. Instead she turned her attention to Mikhail.

He’d seemed inordinately protective of the stranger, but no one commented on his nurturing side. Though, judging from the strange looks Katie had seen Leo shoot at Mikhail, she doubted Leo’s taller, fairer friend usually behaved in this manner.

The three men and Katie crowded into the exam room next to the one Haley slept in so they could be close enough to hear her if she roused.

“We’re in over our heads,” Mikhail stated. “I mean, I know the cops are investigating this thing, but what the fuck is going on?”

The cops had questioned all of them for the past two hours, including Katie to find out what she’d witnessed from the Trans Am. They were exhausted and had more questions than answers.

Mikhail looked toward Leo.

Ivan also stared at Leo as if he too believed Leo had the answers. “Yenin has to be involved in this. Weird blood work? Missing people? Boris and Erik following us all over the place? Gives me the creeps. And Alena. Jesus. What if someone finds her?”

Mikhail ran a hand through his hair, still staring at Leo. “You know something you aren’t saying. Who the fuck picked up Marshall in the middle of the road?”

Leo exhaled slowly. “Yeah. I know stuff.” He took a step back and leaned against the wall next to the door, his shoulders slumping. And then he rubbed his neck.

Katie assumed he was trying to decide how much to tell his friends. She was just as curious. Would he tell them about his contact? She didn’t think he had the liberty to do that.

Mikhail sat in a chair near the doorway. Ivan sat on the exam table.

Katie inched into Leo’s space and grabbed his arm. He stared at the floor.

“What’s going on?” Ivan asked.

Leo lifted his face and met everyone’s gaze. “I’ve been an informant for the FBI for two years.”

“No shit?” Ivan’s eyes widened.

Mikhail gasped.

“They’ve been investigating Anton Yenin for years.”

“And you’ve been working for them and didn’t tell us?” Ivan sat up straighter, his hands fisted on his thighs.

Leo nodded. “Didn’t have a choice. They picked me up one night and gave me no other options. Trust me, this has nothing to do with any of us. I’ve never ratted any of you out for anything. The FBI isn’t interested in a bunch of underground fighters. They’ve got a much bigger fish to fry. Their goal is to nail Anton Yenin for something even I don’t understand.”

“Jesus,” Mikhail muttered. “Who do you report to?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

Mikhail nodded.

Leo continued, “You all know something isn’t on the up and up with Yenin. It shouldn’t come as a shock the FBI is investigating him.”

“No shit,” Mikhail said, “the guy’s Russian Mafia.”

“Yeah, well, it’s much more than that. And the FBI’s trying to figure out what that man’s cooking in his drug lab and why,” Leo said.

“They don’t believe it’s meth or something?” Ivan asked.

“Do you?” Leo responded.

Ivan exhaled slowly. “No.” He flinched. “You think the missing homeless people and this Haley woman have something to do with Yenin’s lab?”

“I’m sure of it,” Leo confirmed. He tucked his hands in his jeans pockets.

Mikhail stiffened in his chair and glanced at the doorway. “You think Haley was kidnapped by Yenin and held in his facility?”

“I’d bet money on it.”

“Oh my God. And the homeless people found dumped? They were killed by Yenin?”

“Most likely.”

“Why?” Mikhail looked ready to pounce.

“That’s what no one knows. But more importantly, why did Haley live?” Leo asked rhetorically.

Mikhail sighed, glancing at the door again.

Katie was sure his interest in the pretty redhead extended beyond anything purely platonic.