Hard to Kill (3 page)

Based on the abundance of mountains, the house had to be in the southern half of Austria. By US standards the acreage was miniscule, but by getting-out-of-Dodge standards, it was as vast as the Pacific Ocean. They might be close to Italy if in the southwest, Switzerland or Germany if straight west. Getting her bearings was high up on her list of things to figure out.

Evan ushered her into the back seat then came around to the other side, assisting Scar Man then Liz before closing the door. He got behind the driver
's seat while Marco occupied the front passenger seat. Scar Man positioned himself between her and Liz, stretching out in the back. No doubt satisfied the two of them were subdued and under control, he made himself comfortable, resting his arms across their shoulders, and slid down until his knees bumped the front seat. 

Within a few moments, he began to snore
while his chin bobbed intermittently against his chest. Sabrina leaned against him. Not that she had a whole lot of choice considering the confines and his arm pressing against her shoulder. She feigned sleep, resting her head, and tried not to gag on the aroma wafting around him.

The car heater brought the sensation of warmth to her chilled bones, allowing for a reprieve to her overworked psyche. With one less thing causing a brain drain, she could get down to the business of planning an escape.

Scar Man's breathing slowed as he slid into a deep slumber. Capitalizing on the moment, she inched her tethered hands along his side, betting that he'd be sporting a pocketknife somewhere on his person.

Securing some sort of a weapon before they got into town ranked as her number one priority. Being outnumbered she could handle, but without something to help even the odds, any attempt at freeing herself and Liz was a lesson in futility. She kept a vigilant eye on the driver
's rearview mirror while her fingers snaked along the pudgy area above Scar Man's pants. Seconds later she touched what felt like a pouch. The resultant sliver of victory felt good despite the circumstances.

Being orphaned at a young age, she and her brothers had learned lessons in survival. Pickpocketing was one of those skills, so the task wasn
't difficult, even with her hands still bound. The weapon wasn't nearly as big or as lethal as she would have liked, but given the right angle she could perpetrate some damage. She slipped the knife into the pocket of her skirt while Scar Man continued to snore. Now she had to strategize how to take full advantage of her prize.

They drove for an hour, maybe more.
She tried to get a feel for the direction based on the countryside, since the sun hadn't yet started to rise in the sky. But darkness seemed to be her enemy.

Evan and Marco remained eerily quiet in the front seat. Scar Man continued to sleep while Liz whimpered
against the outside door. In a perfect world, she would offer the girl promises and reassurances of success, but that seemed impossible, especially since her main objective was escape and survival.

Signs of the emerging town began with intermittent homes along the roadway. Within a few moments, two-story buildings came into view, along with groupings of larger structures and streets.
Sabrina kept her head bowed, her position relaxed. All while every muscle in her body was charged with a heightened state of alert.

She
'd been trained by one of the best. Fooling Marco's merry men shouldn't be difficult as long as she kept her wits about her.

After heeding directions from Marco, Evan parked along a deserted street on the outskirts of town in front of what looked like an abandoned house. He shut off the car, then got out and opened the back doors and helped both her and Liz maneuver out.

She'd have to figure out her exact location later. But right now, she played her part—submissive and powerless—as she shuffled to a standing position outside the car with Scar Man in between her and Liz.

"
I'll wait here, with this one," Scar Man said, motioning toward Liz. "You take the other one to the meet with G. They'll be two of you and one of her in case she gets out of line."

"
That won't be necessary. She understands the gravity of any mistake," Marco responded, but Sabrina could tell by the tone in his voice that he was digesting the information, second-guessing his decision.

"
I don't trust her," Scar Man said while pointing to Sabrina.

"
You worry too much, Arte." Marco blew out a breath and eyed her. "She looks agreeable to me. Especially when we're holding her new friend for collateral." Marco ran his hand down the front of Sabrina's blouse, groping her breast. Suppressing the urge to utilize her weapon was a test of her patience. "See, nothing to be afraid of." He let loose a little chuckle.

Scar Man
, a.k.a. Arte, shook his head. "If you ask me, we should have taken care of her back in the States."

"
That's why you're not in charge." Marco encircled her bicep with his hand. "But you're right. Why show G everything we have from the get-go? Maybe we can up the price a little if we keep him guessing."

"
They're both redheads, as he requested, but the young one is a little scrawny; probably looked a lot better in the photos we sent him." Scar Man spat onto the ground, the spittle landing inches from Sabrina's toes. "You already know how I feel about that one."

Right back atcha, bud
.

Scar Man was doing the hard sell, wanting to keep Liz around, which made Sabrina anxious. She could handle anything he might try without too much effort, especially with the weapon she
'd commandeered, but Liz would be like a lamb brought to the slaughter. Pleading her case or reacting to their discussion in any way would let them know she understood German, so she kept her face impassive and bided her time.

"
You're not used to American women." Marco shrugged. "But I have to agree. I prefer peace and quiet to that mouth of hers." He grasped tighter on to Sabrina's bicep. "G has no idea what he's getting." Marco let out a girl-like giggle.

Patience.

Scar Man chuckled. "If you ask me, G deserves her."

While she hated the idea of Liz stuck alone with Scar Man
, that meant her own odds were lower. She could get away from Marco and Evan, and head back toward Liz.

Evan spoke for the first time
. "Where are we supposed to meet this guy?"

"
A man will be selling fresh flowers at a market a couple of blocks from here. We'll take turns bringing the women there so that G can see what he's paying for. He'll be watching from one of the rooms above." Marco stopped, as if formulating a plan. "Once I have confirmation the money has been transferred to the account, we go ahead with the exchange. Since G isn't the most trustworthy guy, I'd rather walk in and leave the car here. That way we keep our options open."

Evan nodded, but his eyes remained on Sabrina. While her head was down
, as she pretended she hadn't understood every word they said, she could see his gaze between her lashes. She didn't know quite how to interpret his look, but suspected he, like Scar Man, didn't trust her. Or maybe he was contemplating her offer. Or maybe he'd seen her relieve Scar Man of his knife and was about to go all Rambo on her.

Instead of any of those things, he unclipped the plastic ties binding her hands while
Scar Man went back inside the car, dragging Liz with him into the back seat. "Remember, I have your friend. You wouldn't want anything bad to happen to her," Scar Man called through the window.

As if she
'd forget
. The terrified look on Liz's face would haunt Sabrina until she returned.

They had walked about a block from the car when a police officer pulled alongside them
on his motorbike. Even though not a big fan of police officers, Sabrina was tempted to plead her case and tell him all she knew about what was about to go down. But something about Marco's relaxed posture gave her pause.

"
What are you doing in town so early, Mr. Peterson?" the officer said in German, while the motorbike kept a steady hum between his legs.

Marco
's hand remained secure across the breadth of her bicep, but she sensed no spike to his pulse. No nervous hitch to his breathing. He was confident he had control of the situation.

Sabrina got the impression Marco was well known in this town. And judging by the officer
's deference, well respected.

That eliminated her first option. Running to the nearest police station wouldn
't further her cause. It would only make Liz more vulnerable.

"
Business," Marco responded without hesitation, a broad smile upon his face.

"
Bankers must keep odd hours, like police officers."

"
If you want to stay ahead, you've got to do what you've got to do." Marco chuckled as he drew Sabrina closer to his side.

Could the whole town be part of this?
Probably not. So were they stupid, naïve, or saw what Marco wanted them to see? Sabrina bet on the last.

Which meant Marco was good
at covering his tracks. This whole organization was no doubt cloaked in respectability from the top down. The strategist in her couldn't help but wonder how it was structured. Did different operatives work different areas of the continent?

In order for this organization to be so successful, they had to fly under the radar and be the last people anyone might suspect. And he was only a cog in a giant wheel of this operation. She couldn
't imagine the level of respectability the man in charge might hide behind if Marco was any indication. She had to wonder about G as well. Was this whole network a group of well-connected, respected individuals that no one would suspect of wrongdoing, let alone dealing in the flesh trade?

F
rom the start, she'd naively assumed the men involved would be representatives of the seedy underbelly. Disgusting-looking people doing disgusting things. She could pick them out in a crowd by the way they looked, the people they hung with.

But, like most things, that hadn
't been the case. They looked like normal, everyday folks, but underneath they dealt in scum. They lived in chateaux and chalets, probably a castle or two, but had a dark side nobody knew about.

Which only meant
they would be even harder to find. No doubt there was a protective wall and a sterling reputation a mile wide around the man at the top. When a person had a lot to lose, they did everything they could to ensure their dirty little dealings stayed underground.

"
I'll let you and your date be on your way. Don't work too hard." Without another word, the officer revved up his motorbike and sped off.

Sabrina fought against the wave of hopelessness. She
'd faced worse odds than this on many occasions. Most missions she'd worked alone, but this felt almost insurmountable, knowing the obstacles in her way. Still, it wasn't time to throw in the towel. Besides, she didn't have a lot of options where this mess was concerned. It was go big or go home, and she wasn't going anywhere until she accomplished her goal.

Marco pulled at her arm
. "Come on, let's get moving. We're already running late." She trudged after him, letting the shuffle to her walk and blankness to her expression give him the false impression nothing occupied her mind. She played the part and led him to believe she was scared and powerless and willing to do whatever he wanted, because she had no other option but to be subdued.

T
he streets were deserted given the early morning hour. A hint of fog hung along the mountains, keeping the town temperate. Even so, Sabrina shivered as the breeze ripped through the thin cotton of her peasant blouse.

Evan
eyed her as she walked with Marco. Something in the furrow in his brow made her contemplate the idea there was more to his glance than a status check. But allowing her mind to concentrate on that potential wrinkle would not be a prudent use of her time. Searching for possible avenues of escape remained her number one priority.  

She took in the scene, anxious to spot avenues that might allow for an escape. Every doorway, around every corner became a possibility, although it would have been much easier if they
'd kept she and Liz together. Then again, the plan to separate them had been ideal from their perspective. If the situation was reversed and she was in the power position, she would have done the same thing.

Never underestimate your opponent, Saby. 

Even though Anya had killed him over a year ago, reminders of Petrovich were a constant. He'd been both a blessing and a curse rolled into one. And, being back in the area where he'd been so much a part of her life, the bubbling up of memories was a given.

She shook off thoughts of the past and focused on the present.
She was in the open and had a weapon. To add to the good news, she'd spotted a sign indicating Switzerland was five kilometers away—a little over three miles. This was definitely doable.

A sign over an old three-story building read
"The Langford Inn," confirming the location in the southwest corner of Austria in the city of Langford. Once they had their break, she could lead Liz toward freedom. Switzerland would be the safest bet for now, since it might be far enough away to be out of Marco's immediate reach.