Page 84 of Lethal Game

His voice sounded close but also far away.

"I'm so sorry," he added. "I never should have let this happen to you. I never should have even had you. I was selfish to want a family."

She frowned as a wave of nausea ran through her along with a metallic taste in her mouth that made her want to gag.

"Alisa," he said sharply, urgently. "Please, wake up."

She finally got her eyes open, first one then the other. It was difficult to focus. Everything was dim. But as her vision cleared, she realized her dad was standing about ten feet from her. There was a table filled with lab equipment in front of him.

Her gaze moved past him and around the room. They were in some sort of a warehouse with high windows. The room was filled with boxes and very little furniture, an old couch, a couple of chairs, and a cot in the corner.

"Alisa, are you feeling okay?"

"Where—where are we?"

"I don't know. I was blindfolded when they brought me here."

She lifted her hand to wipe the sleep from her eyes when she realized she was tied to a chair. "Can you untie me?"

"I'm sorry, baby, I can't." He held up his wrist, and she saw a cuff attached to a chain. "I can only make my way around this table."

"What are you doing?"

"Something I don't want to do," he returned heavily.

"Oh, my God! Are you building a bomb?" she asked, coming fully awake at that thought.

"I'm supposed to be. I've been trying to stall, but now I can't."

"Because I'm here." She could see the truth in his eyes. "You look tired, Dad." He didn't just look tired; he looked like he'd been beaten. There were bruises on his face, and his brown hair had become grayer in the last few days. "They hurt you, didn't they?"

"It doesn't matter what they do to me." He bit down on his lip as he shook his head. "It's you I'm worried about. I never imagined this could happen to you."

"I found out your secret. You were a chemist in Russia, right?"

"I was."

"You stopped some attack, and the US gave you asylum. And you married Mom without telling her any of this."

"Does she know now?"

"Yes."

"She must hate me."

"She loves you. I mean, she really loves you. There is no doubt in her mind about the man she married. I have to admit I've had more than a few doubts, wondering why you left her in the hospital, why you didn't warn me."

"I was going to. I tried to tell you in my text."

"That was already too late. They tried to kidnap me Wednesday night, and then they cut the brakes on my car on Thursday."

He blew out a breath. "I knew about what happened in the garage, but I heard you were all right, that the FBI was protecting you. I didn't know about the car. But you're right to be angry with me."

"I don't want to be angry. I love you, Dad. But how are we going to get out of here?" The situation seemed overwhelmingly hopeless.

"I just have to do what they want, and then they'll let you go."

"No, they won't. Don't lie to me. I can't take any more of your lies. As soon as you do what they want, they'll kill me.And you, too, probably. Unless they need you to build more bombs."