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“You plucked the wrong man. I know nothing about the report or any other evidence against you. If I had, you’d be a dead man.”
Jekyll stood. “I’m giving you one more chance, Typhon.”
I shook my head, chuckling like a madman. “Fuck off.”
Jekyll looked at me. “There’s nothing I can do to help you if you don’t cooperate.”
“I’d sooner die.”
He looked up at someone I didn’t realize was behind me and nodded. Something that felt like a big rock crashed into my skull, and everything went black.
When I opened my eyes again, I was alone, as far as I could tell. When I heard the familiar sound of a creaking door opening, I lowered my head and closed my eyes, feigning sleep. The sound meant my captors were returning with yet another instrument of torture designed to make me succumb and confess, which was impossible for me to do, regardless of what they—or Jekyll—did to me.
My head sprang up, and my eyes opened wide when what I heard instead of them coming for me was gunfire. Several rounds of it. Along with it were shouts of people clearing rooms, others confirming those shot—whoever they were—were dead. Every word I heard was spoken in an English accent I was too out of it to say I recognized.
The door sprung open, and I grimaced. Friend or foe, I wondered.
“We’ve got him! He’s in here.” In my delirium, I could swear the voice belonged to Saint.
“Typhon! Can you hear me?” a different voice asked.
I opened one eye and looked into Brand’s, then slipped back under, though I could still hear voices.
“Eliza, it’s Niv. We’ve found him, luv. He’s alive. Pretty beat up, but alive.” There was a pause. “I’ll be sure to let him know.”
I pried my eyes open again. The two men were trying to get me free while others came rushing into the room. “Saint?”
He looked up at me. “Eliza said to tell you she loves you.”
“Jekyll?”
He stopped what he was doing and stood. “Was he here?
“Affirmative.”
He raced from the room, along with several others.
“Let’s get him on the stretcher, boys.” I looked up at Seshat. “Hello, Typhon. I brought you something special this time.”
“What’s that?” I managed to say when I was finally free and they were trying to get me out of the chair and onto the stretcher.
“Meds. Enough to make a wounded elephant feel no pain.”
“Pain,” I groaned as they laid me on the stretcher, and I passed out again.
The next time I came to, I looked into the eyes of an angel. “El,” I whispered.
“Levi.” She leaned down and brushed my lips with hers.
“Where am I?”
“At the Medical Military Academy Hospital in Belgrade.”
“Serbia?”
“Yes, my love.” She gently dabbed a cold compress on my forehead. “As soon as you’re stable enough, there’s a plane on standby to take you home.”
“Casa Melro?”