Freak by Francine Pascal Page B

coma—”
    â€œYuri ordered you to be taken out of the picture,” Natasha finished. “I didn’t know it at the time—I was as shocked as everyone else when you were taken to the hospital—but that is what he was doing. He wanted you gone so he would be free to—”
    â€œTo approach Gaia,” Tom said.
    â€œPrecisely.”
    Tom’s mind reeled. This was unbelievable. In his wildest dreams he never would have imagined that this was the story behind everything that had happened. That Yuri was alive. That the Organization still functioned under his watchful eye. That Loki . . .
    â€œLoki had nothing to do with my kidnapping,” Tom said, almost to himself.
    Natasha snorted. “Of course not. It was all Yuri. Even Loki’s coma. It was all orchestrated to gain access to Gaia.”
    She said it like it was the simplest thing in the world. Like she hadn’t just told him that his own daughter—his only child—was susceptible to the world’s leading psychotic. How could she do this? How could she talk to him like he was an enemy, like he was the scum on the bottom of her shoe? How could she do this to him—to them?
    â€œI want proof,” he said firmly. “I want proof that Yuri is still alive. Proof that you’re related to Katia.”
    Natasha sat back in her seat, suddenly bored. “Go to the safe house in Alphabet City. Under the painting on the wall is a safe. The combination to the safe is three, twenty-two, seventeen. There will be a box inside. There you will find everything you’re looking for.”
    Tom was out the door before she finished the sentence.

TOM
    I am the worst father in the history of the earth. I brought a daughter into this world, and from the moment she took her first breath I have failed her in every conceivable way. I protected her from nothing. Quite the opposite, actually. All I’ve ever done is put her in harm’s way.
    I lost her mother. I let my insane brother worm and scheme his way into her life. Let him influence her. I left her with George Niven—an alleged friend who turned out to be a traitor. And then I left her with Natasha, who not only tried to kill her, but who was working for a man who wants to take her and groom her to become head of one of the most evil institutions ever known to man.
    My daughter grew up not only without parents, but having to face the worst possible threats on a daily basis. Not only did she have to deal with the normalanxieties of adolescence—boys, school, friends–but she had to fight off my enemies. She had to fight for her life every day and I wasn’t there to comfort her, to guide her, to give her a shoulder to cry on.
    I’m a sham.
    If this turns out to be true—if Yuri is alive—I have to take him out. He will not have my daughter. I don’t care if I have to move her to Alaska or Australia or the Amazon. But this time, I will protect her. I will do whatever it takes.
    Even if I die trying.

Resignation
    â€œGET AHOLD OF HER, DAMN IT! Grab her around the arms!”
    â€œShe’s freakin’ strong, man!”
    â€œShe’s just a girl, for Christ’s sake!”
    The muffled voices came through the dark shroud that had been yanked over Gaia’s head. She struggled and fought against the viselike grip of the man who held her, kicking her legs out, flailing back and forth, but it was no use. She was being dragged backward toward the door, off her feet, the heels of her boots squeaking against the hardwood floor.
    What the hell is going on? Gaia wondered. Were these the same people that had taken Dmitri? And kidnapped her father? How had they known she would be here? They had, after all, come prepared. They had black sacks for blindfolding and a precision uncommon to run-of-the-mill burglars and drug fiends that might prey on a recently deserted apartment.
    Yep. This was planned. Planned, of course, for