Tycho Read online

  Tycho’s eyes glowed, and before he could stop himself, he surged forward. The men at his side held him firmly as he growled loudly.

  A sharp poke shot through his arm, leaving burning and stinging. The room spun for a moment.

  “Fuck,” Tycho grunted as he slumped forward, too weak to lift his head now.

  Dmitry laughed. “Oh, the beast comes out? Too bad.”

  A fist landed hard in Tycho’s stomach. The hybrid grunted from the pain. Another blow landed on his ribs. Then another. Dmitry was ever so brave when it came to beating a drugged man.

  Tycho could sense the man as he leaned forward and struggled to move. If he could just reach out and snap his neck, it wouldn’t matter what happened next. She would be safe from that piece of shit.

  “You made mistake crossing me,” Dmitry whispered. “I sell you off, and you never see your Vestal again. Then she is my Vestal. I hope you think about that everyday until the day you die.” He chuckled.

  Tycho struggled in the arms of the thugs, but it was to no avail. He clearly had no control over his body.

  Dmitry sneered. “Ship him out tomorrow morning. This is good. This is very good.”

  The two thugs pulled Tycho back over to the cot and dropped him into it. His whole body ached as the concoction they had injected him with worked through his system. For at least an hour, he would be useless, and more than anything, Tycho hated that feeling.

  Matt stared down at him, a strange look on his face as if he were still trying to figure Tycho out. He shook his head and moved over to the door. The keys jangled once again as they locked in Tycho.

  The hybrid cursed himself in his now very loopy state. This wasn’t what he had wanted. He was supposed to lay low and get information. Instead all he’d done is shown that he could do more than they expected. He might have hurt his own chances for escape.

  The only thing to hope now was that they didn’t decide to tighten security when nightfall came. Because that night was his chance. If he weren’t out tomorrow, he might never get out or see Mia again. And if he couldn’t kill Dmitry, then he had to at least make sure she escaped his clutches.

  Tycho slowed his breathing and measured his heartrate. The less he moved the better. Right then what he needed was time, which was running short. Instead, he’d have to rely on what he knew, conserving his energy and getting ready for the coming battle.

  Chapter Three

  It took hours before they were ready to drive Mia to her sister. The last time she’d visited with Mya, it’d been much the same situation, but now they were taking even more precautions because of the feds breathing down their necks.

  Mia blinked a few times under the blindfold they had placed on her. She’d purposefully worn her bun a little lower so she might be able to at least see something. Even a hint of a clue might be helpful later if she managed to escape.

  Thick hands guided her down the stairs and out into the cooling evening. She could just barely make out the concrete below. She wouldn’t be able to see much, but with her memory and the limited visibility, maybe she would be able to figure it out.

  The driver helped her carefully into the back seat, and then he went to the front.

  It was interesting. Only one guy came to get her. It only confirmed her suspicions that things were worse than Dmitry wanted to admit. He didn’t have a single extra man to spare. That meant a chance to escape might be coming.

  The car surged forward, and she paid attention to the movement. Right. Left. Left. They came to a stop, and she tried to see out the window. There were no street signs, but she could make out something sweet in the air, like someone had been baking bread or maybe even pastries. She tried to commit even the smallest clue to memory.

  They pulled ahead again and drove for a bit. She tried to count in her head but stopped after a moment. She figured it would be useless since she didn’t know the speed they were going, and even if she did, she wasn’t sure she would be able to do the calculations.

  They dipped hard and then ran over something that shook the whole car. She frowned.

  Railroad tracks? It was hard to be certain, but it was the best guess she had.

  The car made a sharp right and then came to a stop. She could hear the driver step out onto gravel and the crunch of his shoes just before he closed the door. It was silent for a moment, and she listened around her. Nothing. No indication of where she might be. No animal noises, no running water. No distant cars. Nothing.

  The door opened, letting a breeze inside the car.

  “We’re here,” the driver said in a gruff voice. “Step out.”

  Mia turned and fumbled to find the ground, all the while trying to listen for where they might be. It had to be someplace industrial since she didn’t hear the normal traffic of the city. She already knew the place she was staying at was just on the outskirts of the city.

  The driver moved her quickly to the building. She only knew they had arrived when her feet met concrete instead of rock. He opened the door, and it squeaked loudly.

  “Boss’s old lady to see one of ‘em,” he explained. “The sister.”

  Mia knew there were more Vestal prisoners, but she just didn’t know where they might be. Whenever she met her sister, it was always in the same bare room, and she never got to see the rest of the place.

  It only made sense though. Dmitry’s ambitions would require more than just her and her sister. There was no way a man like him would leave such a precious resource untouched.

  “Take her in,” another man said, “and I’ll get the other one.”

  Again, the driver pulled Mia along. She tried to see out the bottom of her blindfold, but it was dark on the floor with no distinguishing characteristics. It was frustrating to be so close and not be able to just whip the blindfold off, but if she did, she risked the wrath of Dmitry and that was not something she wanted. It would likely be her sister who paid the price.

  Another door opened, and the driver pulled her in. Once they were inside, he yanked off the blindfold.

  “Sit on the couch,” the driver said. “She’ll be in soon.”

  Mia made her way over to the tan leather couch. A coffee table sat in front of her. Various non-descript pictures hung on the walls. They were likely picked up at some retail store. In truth, it reminded her of a waiting room at a doctor’s office. All they needed was some cheesy instrumental music pumping from the ceiling speakers, and they’d have it down pat.

  She leaned nervously against the back of the couch. Each time she worried. Maybe they wouldn’t have her sister, or maybe she wouldn’t come. That’s what it was like being under Dmitry’s thumb. No freedom and only the tiniest scraps of hope.

  The door opened, and a taller, older version of herself stepped in. Mia shot up and raced to embrace her sister. She squeezed her hard in her arms as the driver closed the door with a click of the lock behind him, a faint annoyed look on his face.

  Mya was thinner than the last time Mia had seen her. Mia couldn’t believe they would treat a Vestal like that.

  “Are they not feeding you?” she whispered against her sister’s shoulder.

  Her older sister only shook her head.

  Mia could already feel the tears against her neck. “Let’s sit down,” she said with another squeeze.

  The two made their way over to the couch and just stared at one another. Her sister was clearly thinner. There were dark circles under her eyes.

  Anger boiled inside of Mia. Damn Dmitry. He needed to pay.

  “What have they been doing to you?” she asked, venom in her voice.

  Mya shook her head. Her long black hair hung loosely around her. “You don’t understand. I got a virus last week. I was sick for days. They sent a doctor to help me. It was rough for a while.”

  A doctor? It was Mia’s first time even hearing about all this. She didn’t even know they had a doctor who worked for Dmitry.

  She reached forward and took her sister’s hands into her own. “But you�
��re feeling better now?”

  Mya nodded. The same icy blue eyes as her own stared back at Mia. People used to mistake them for twins despite the age difference, but the recent events had aged Mya. Worry lines crossed her face, and they only seemed to be deepening. This existence was grinding Mia’s sister down.

  After a moment, Mya burst into tears, overwhelmed.

  “I’m so sorry,” she mumbled. “I wish you’d never gotten involved in any of this. It’s all my fault.”

  Mia’s heart ached for her sister’s pain. It had been a year, but somehow it felt like they had been under Dmitry’s thumb all their life.

  “I shouldn’t have tried to leave him,” she whispered. “If I had just stayed, he would have never turned his interest to you.”

  It was true. Her sister had been swayed by the pretty package that Dmitry offered. Handsome man, money, stability. All the things they had lacked growing up. It was no wonder Mya jumped at the chance for a little bit of ease in life.

  “Mama would be so disappointed in me,” Mya whispered.

  Mia leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her sister. Lovingly, she patted her back as Mya cried against her chest.

  “You couldn’t know,” she whispered. “After dad split and you worked to provide for us both, of course you’d be attracted to a bit of glitz. It’s only natural.”

  It hadn’t been bad at first. Dmitry had taken her sister to places she’d never even dreamed of before. He insisted they moved into a place he owned and helped make sure there was food on the table. It seemed like a wish come true.

  Until the night when they saw his true colors.

  It had been a package. The ironic part was that it had actually been a surprise for Dmitry. A new scarf for him to wear in the winter. The delivery boy had maybe flirted with Mya a little. Nothing serious. Just harmless flirting. At the worst, it was worth an eyeroll.

  Her sister had smiled but politely brushed off the advances, and he was on his way. Done and over with. Or so they thought.

  That night Mia had woken to someone beating on the door. At first, she thought it must have been a fire and stepped into the hall just in time to see Dmitry slap her sister hard across the face, hurtling spittle-flecked invectives at her.

  Mia raced out and placed herself between them. The towering man stared her up and down as if measuring what he was going to do. Still she stayed between them.

  A neighbor across the hall peeked out, and for a moment she thought he might help, but seeing Dmitry, he quickly closed his door and tried to ignore what was going on.

  Dmitry said something in Russian and then stormed out the door, slamming it behind him.

  Once Mia had gotten her sister on the couch with an ice pack, she learned that they were being watched. Mya was certain she’d acted inappropriately somehow, but Mia knew it was just the start of the attention from a controlling monster.

  The next day the delivery boy was found dead in a canal. One gunshot wound to the back of the head. All for a little flirting.

  Soon Dmitry switched his attention from her sister to Mia, after Mya tried to break it off. He said she was just who he wanted. She was perfect. When he showed up with Tycho, his efforts to win her only seemed to double.

  It wasn’t until he promised to make both her and her sister disappear that she agreed to the marriage. She also made sure to never, ever make him angry.

  It had been two long months of hoping for a better solution, and now Tycho was gone, and Mia would soon be Dmitry’s wife.

  “You can’t marry that monster,” her sister whispered. “Run away.”

  Mia took her sister’s face into the palms of her hands. “Not without you,” she said. “We’ll find a way. Just keep hanging on.”

  She’d figure out something. She had to. There was no way she could lose her sister.

  Mya let out a soft sigh and nodded. “Okay.”

  It was weak, but it was something. Still, she didn’t know how much longer Mya would be able to hold out. Dmitry had locked her sister away as collateral against her to make sure the wedding happened, but living like this was killing her.

  A loud knock came at the door. “Time’s up. Let’s go.”

  They knew she had to go. The first time they had held on too long, and Mya had paid for it.

  “I love you.” Mia hugged her sister hard.

  They stood, and she watched as her sister stepped over to the door as it opened, Mya’s eyes still on hers as a meaty hand reached in and grabbed her by the arm.

  Mia stared at her sister’s ice blue eyes until the door was shut. She collapsed back to the couch and cried for the second time that day, not quite certain there really was a way out of the mess.

  Chapter Four

  Tycho had burned off a lot of the drugs in his system, but not as much as he would have hoped. His thoughts weren’t clear, and his muscles weaker than he would have liked. He wouldn’t be at the top of his game, but the fact was he was a hybrid, and his enemies merely human. Even on his worst day, he was clearly the stronger man, which, of course, was why they had kept him drugged. After his little stunt with Dmitry, they’d be less inclined to let down their guard.

  The sound of footsteps and the scent of food drifted from down the hall.

  This was where all his time paying attention to the schedule would pay off. It was time to make his move.

  Meals were one of the few times that the doors opened. He knew the drill. Two men. One would inject him with more drugs, and another would set down the tray. It was the same with every meal, and he suspected they would be giving him a higher dose this time.

  The clang of the keys at the door kicked his heart up a little. He could feel every fiber in his body go on the alert. He was ready. There was no way he could let them ship him off.

  The door squeaked opened, and one of the men entered. Tycho knew the other would follow like clockwork and place the tray on the other side of the room. Maybe if they varied their procedures, they might have been better prepared for him.

  A rough hand grabbed Tycho’s arm, and his eyes sprang open.

  An audible gasp came from the guard. He was likely surprised to find Tycho awake, let alone to have the hybrid’s glowing amber eyes glaring back at him. That was the last thought he’d be allowed.

  “What th—”

  Tycho moved before the man even finished. His arm grasped the hand with the needle, and he quickly turned it toward the man. Before the man had time to even process what was happening, the needle had been shoved into his neck and emptied.

  He slumped to the floor a second later, and Tycho was certain the concoction he’d been given wasn’t made for humans.

  “Code nine!” screamed the guard across the room.

  He fumbled with the gun on his waistband. Tycho leapt off the bed and crashed into the man. He was larger than the other guard, and the impact was harder than Tycho’s drug-addled mind expected. For a moment the room spun, and the hybrid struggled to right himself. If his enemy hadn’t been fumbling in panic, the escape might have ended right there.

  It was only as the guard managed to get the gun off his belt that Tycho came to his senses again. He slammed the arm with the gun hard against the wall behind the guard. The man cried out in pain.

  The heavy footfalls of reinforcements from down the hall made it clear that Tycho didn’t have time to mess around. If he didn’t escape tonight, he’d either end up dead, or even in a best-case scenario, a slave.

  In one swift move, he reached to the guard’s neck and gave a quick jerk. The loud crunch was clear. The man dropped to the floor as Tycho snatched his gun. Maybe he wouldn’t have needed a weapon if he weren’t drugged, but now he needed every advantage he could find.

  Tycho shook his head trying to clear it. He needed to get into the hall before they had the chance to corner him in that small cell. If that happened, he’d have no chance, gun or not.

  Gun in hand, he raced for the door just as another guard stepped into sight.<
br />
  Tycho fired without hesitation, hitting the man directly in the chest. The guard stumbled backwards, clutching his wound.

  The hybrid didn’t stop to see if the man fell. He didn’t have time for that. He ran into the hall at full speed. A bullet whizzed past him and hit the wall to the side. As he rounded the corner, the second bullet sliced along his right side. He grunted at the pain.

  He wasn’t quite sure of the full layout of the place, but from his memories of lying there listening to the men, he assumed the room where the poker game was happening was at the back.

  It made the most sense. They wanted to be as far away from where their boss might surprise them. It also made sense that would be the direction where there would be the most men.

  He could hear them racing into the hall behind him. Tycho breathed a small sigh of relief that he’d been right. Escape was starting to seem like a real possibility.

  Still, he didn’t really know the way out, only the direction he needed to go. Although any window or door at that point would be an option. This wasn’t an attack mission or revenge. This was escape, and the fewer enemies he engaged, the better.

  Two men stepped around the corner. He fired before they even had the chance to notice him. They both slumped to the ground.

  Before Tycho’s time with the Russians, he hadn’t really thought much of weapons. The Horatius Group, the monstrous people who had previously imprisoned him, hadn’t really cared about him learning to use weapons unlike many of the other hybrids they were training to be soldiers. Maybe they were worried he might end up using it against them without the instillation of discipline many of the others had received.

  But the Russians had insisted. And although it had been foreign at first, Tycho found he quite liked guns’ ease of use.

  He stumbled to one side as he continued to run, the drugs still making themselves known. Adrenaline could do a lot for a man, but whatever they had been pumping into him was something else. That little bastard Matt had come up with something evil.