by Box Set
A couple of days later, once the cleanup crew have been and gone, I tap the destination into my GPS and leave Maksim’s house behind. It doesn’t take long for me to drive through the quaint little towns and villages, weaving through the ridiculous islands jutting out into the road. Chicanes I think they’re called. As I approach the street she lives on, I pull over. I need to plan how I’m going to grab her.
I wait until nightfall, and when her mother leaves the house for work, Evelina is all alone. Vulnerable. It’s time to make my move. Once her mother’s shitty car has long gone, I turn on the ignition of my car and drive slowly up to her house, pulling up quietly out the front. I kill the engine, exit the car, and walk up the driveway to the side gate. Pulling down the latch to the gate, it opens easily… it doesn’t even have a bolt. Anyone could get through, not that a locked door or gate would stop me, but this just makes things that much easier. I make my way around the back of the house until I’m in the rear garden. Light is streaming through open french doors, and I edge forward slowly, keeping my footsteps light and my body crouched low.
I can see clearly into the room and no one is there. I draw the knife I keep hidden in a sheath inside my boot and walk into the room. I stand there, listening for movement for any sound, which might indicate another presence in the house besides Evelina and me. When a few minutes pass with no sound but my breathing and the clock ticking on the shelf, I make my way through the house to the stairs. I carefully inch up them, alert and aware of everything around me. On the landing I see light peeking out from beneath one of the doors and I smile. When I’m outside the door, I slowly turn the handle and open it a fraction.
Evelina is asleep on her bed, and the lamp sitting on the nightstand is on, casting a soft light over her delicate features. I walk silently over to the bed and stand there watching her for a moment. I want to destroy this girl; I want to make her suffer for her disobedience before ruining her beauty forever. Smirking, I run a finger down her face, caressing the soft pale skin of her cheek. Evelina stirs, opening her eyes to see my form towering over her. Her gaze darts up, and when her eyes lock onto mine, they widen in terror.
5
EVELINA
I wake up to a strange man standing over me. Recognition floods my brain when I realize it’s the man from Maksim’s house. I lift my hands to push him away, but he grabs my wrists and pins me down, and when I start to scream, he clamps his other hand down over my mouth. Tears leak from my eyes, running down my cheeks and over his hand as I tremble.
“I’m going to ask you this once, and if you even think about lying, you’ll be fucking sorry. Did you talk?” he growls, and I breathe in sharply. “And if I find out you’ve lied, then I'll personally ensure that your mother pays for your loose tongue with her life.”
I shake my head. Mum has repeatedly asked me what happened, and where I’ve been for the last four years, but I couldn’t answer her, and I wouldn’t let her call the police. I couldn’t drag her into the darkness. How could I even begin to tell her what Maksim did to me? Even when she presses me to talk, I can’t find the words to explain to her why every night since I’ve been home, I’ve woken us both with my screams. The nightmares haven’t faded…they never will.
He leans closer, and I can feel his warm breath against my skin as he whispers, “Don’t fucking move you little suka. You’re coming with me, and when I’m done, you’re going to wish you’d let me put a bullet between your fucking eyes when I dragged you from that cell.”
I whimper with fear, but the sound is muffled by his palm pressed flat against my lips. I don’t want to die, but the terror I’m feeling isn’t from the fear of death, it’s from the darkness lurking within his eyes, peeking out of his soul, and chilling my fragile heart. The lamp on the nightstand illuminates his face, and I can see his features more clearly than the first time I saw him. His eyes are such a dark shade of blue, they are nearly black, and his ebony hair has been swept back, but a few loose tendrils fall across his face.
Wriggling in his hold, I try to break free and manage to force out a scream, which vibrates against his hand. He squeezes my wrists tighter, and pulls my arms higher until I’m arched against his body. Then he shifts slightly, and the movement brings him so close I can feel his arousal against my hip. Pure terror washes through me, making my blood run cold.
I kick out, and he growls at me, “Don’t even think about pulling that little stunt again, or I’ll make things go even worse for you.”
He fumbles with his belt, and I start shaking my head at him. No. He raises an eyebrow at me and scoffs as he pulls it out of the loops in a single fluid motion. “I’m going to tie your wrists. If you make a single sound after I let go of your mouth, then I’ll fucking whip you with it instead.”
I lie there frozen, too afraid to move or make a noise as he proceeds to bind my wrists with the soft leather belt. I watch him, not daring to fight and barely breathing the entire time he’s doing it. When he’s finished, he checks it’s secure. It’s tight but not so much I’m going to lose circulation; at least I can still feel the blood pulsing through my fingers. Dread swirls in the pit of my stomach at the thought of what he’s planning to do to me. Thoughts of my imprisonment with Maksim swim to the forefront of my mind, and I have to swallow back the bile threatening to escape my throat.
He uses the thick wad of leather between my secured wrists to yank me to my feet. The fear makes my knees weak, and stumbling, I fall onto the floor and start to gasp for breath. Not again, I don’t want to be locked away, again. I don’t make any attempt to stand when he pulls at my wrists.
“Don’t fucking test me, get up!” he orders, and I flinch at the cold threat lacing his words.
I force my legs to obey and awkwardly get up from the floor while he watches me with a piercing gaze. Once I’m standing, he gives me a long hard look and then pushes me forward in front of him. My bare feet make no sound on the carpet while his boots softly thud behind me. Tears start to run down my face as we pass my mum’s room and slowly head down the stairs. His proximity sets me on edge… even more than his overwhelming presence, and I shiver in spite of the heat radiating from his body.
I’ve only just returned. What’s Mum going to think when she discovers history has repeated itself, and I’ve left without a trace, or a note to say goodbye? Will I ever get to see her again? I close my eyes and fight back the sorrow that’s threatening to engulf me because I know, this time, I’ll never come back. Soundlessly I whisper my goodbyes as my captor forces me into the backseat of his car and drives me away from the only place I’ve ever known as home.
Silent sobs wrack my body while I lie on the seat; fear, pain, and sadness overtake me until I’m a weeping mess. I put my face in my hands and let the tears flow freely. I know in my soul I'll not survive whatever he has planned for me. If I live to see another day, then it will only be because fate has decided to draw out my torture.
His phone rings, distracting me momentarily from my internal pity party for one, and when he pulls over to answer it, I listen closely, hoping to hear something I can use as leverage to make him let me go.
“Ma’am,” he answers, his voice respectful and calm.
The level tone takes me by surprise because all I’ve heard are gruff orders and threats from him. It’s only now I detect a slight accent to his voice although I can’t place where he might be from.
There’s a pause, and he glances at me in the rearview mirror as he answers, “It’s being rectified as we speak. I have her with me in the car, and I’m going to take care of the little problem.”
I can hear a faint voice through the phone although I can’t make out what is being said. When he responds again, he’s no longer using English, but I can’t figure out what language it is, only that it sounds vaguely familiar to me. His eyes don’t leave me for a single second, and something close to panic starts to build within me, the longer he speaks.
After he hangs up the phone and tosses it on the se
at next to him, he turns and addresses me, “Change of plans; we’re going on a little trip instead. Congratulations, you get to live a little longer, but I wouldn’t get too complacent if I were you. This is all going to seem like a fucking dream compared to what comes next. You want your freedom, and I want your life. Too bad, neither one of us is going to get what we want.”
6
LUKA
Every now and then, I check on her in the rearview mirror while I’m driving to the private airfield. I need to get us out of the country before her mother calls the cops about her disappearance, not that it’ll make any difference. We’ll be far away before she even returns to find her daughter gone. Evelina has been crying silently the whole journey, and I squash the urge to offer her any form of reassurance. There will be no source of comfort or happiness for her when we arrive. She needs to learn that she hasn’t escaped from her nightmare, and that running away didn’t end her captivity.
I’m not sure why I’ve been instructed to bring the girl, but I can’t disobey a direct order. Something about Evelina must have piqued the boss’ interest. Maybe it was the info Pavlo dug up on her or the fact that Maksim kept her for so long. I’m not sure, but that’s something I’m going to find out. It’s a long flight from here, so there will plenty of time to interrogate her myself before we land, and I hand her over.
When we arrive at the private airstrip, I pull her from the back of the car. She’s stopped crying and is acting surprisingly obedient, walking silently with her head down. When I put my hand on her back, she barely responds, but I feel her muscles tense under my touch. I don’t remove it, reveling in the feeling of power it gives me over her, knowing she isn’t as unaffected as she’s pretending to be. Her obedience gives me a sense of satisfaction; she’s learning to behave herself, but it won’t stop me from punishing her for her earlier indiscretions.
Her steps falter slightly as we draw closer to the small plane we are about to board. The sky is lightening, but the sun has yet to make an entrance. I nudge her forward, urging her to continue on and reminding her I’m paying attention. A shudder wracks her small body, and though she doesn’t stop walking, it’s at a slower pace. I’m close behind, and right now, I’m losing my patience with her continued hesitation, regardless of her reasons. I don’t give a fuck, it’s not just Evelina who’ll suffer if she continues to pause like an untrained and disobedient slave.
“Keep moving, girl,” I bark, and she jumps before increasing her speed.
When we’re finally on the damn plane and the door has been sealed, I round on her, pushing her against the nearest seat with my hand on her throat. Her faint whimper and wide fearful eyes make my blood heat, and I grind my teeth, fighting against the arousal starting to flow through my body. She really is beautiful, and I want to do terrible things to her. I want to taste her tears, her lips, and every delectable inch of her sweet little body.
“Let me make this perfectly clear. You will obey every command I give you. Just because Maksim isn’t here, it doesn’t mean you get to misbehave.” I don’t miss her flinch when I say his name, but I continue as if I hadn’t, “That little taste of freedom you had will be the last. There is no light where we are headed, and any hope for you has long since died. I suggest you think very fucking hard about how to conduct yourself from now on. Do you understand me?”
She gives a nearly imperceptible nod, and a small tear escapes from the corner of each of her eyes, tracking a thin, wet path down her cheeks. Unable to resist, I lean forward and trail my tongue slowly up each of her cheeks, licking the salty moisture from her skin. Her breath catches, and I smirk down at her.
“Behave yourself Evelina,” I hiss, releasing her.
“Where are you taking me?” she questions, and her voice is soft, almost melodic.
“To where the monsters live,” I reply, flashing her a quick grin.
She inhales sharply and turns her head away from me, but I force her to meet my gaze with a hand on her jaw, and I let my fingers caress the soft skin there for a few seconds before speaking.
“I don’t want this… I just want to go home,” she begs.
“There are worse people in this world than Maksim, and they want to meet you.”
I let go and stalk down the short plane to a seat farther away from Evelina. We have a long journey ahead of us, and there will be plenty of time for us to get better acquainted. But, right now, I need to back off before I lose all control. My restraint is already being tested by the pretty little slave sitting a few seats away. I’m tightly wound and needing release. If Evelina chooses to test me, I’ll do one of two things: I’ll either kill her or fuck her.
It ordinarily takes around three or four hours to fly to our final destination from the United Kingdom, however, we’ll have to stop several times, changing planes along the way. The flight plan even includes a brief stop in Moscow, but as much as I love the city, we’ll not be there long enough to visit. As we are entering my country illegally, the longer journey on private planes not only reduces the chances of detection from the government but also makes it impossible for Evelina to alert someone to her presence. Evelina has no idea what I’m dragging her into, and I suspect my little warning will not be enough to prepare her for the reception awaiting her… awaiting us.
I intend to do a little digging to pass the time and determine what she knows about Maksim, the organization, and anything else that might be hiding inside her head. I'll extract every last morsel of information from her I can. No one can say I’m not thorough in my work. I’m well versed in the art of pain and torture, and I’m dying to sink my teeth into her porcelain skin and make her bleed. If she forces my hand, then I'll be only too happy to oblige.
7
EVELINA
A hand roughly shaking my body draws me away from a nightmare. My breathing is ragged, my pulse is racing, and I can feel the tears start to fall as I slowly open my eyes.
“Master, you want me?” I mumble groggily before looking up and realizing that it isn’t Maksim waking me, but I’m still just as much a prisoner now as I was before.
My new captor gives me a strange look, one that makes me shrink away from his hand still on my shoulder. He may not be Maksim, but he exudes enough danger and darkness to flood my veins with fear. I glance out of the window and see we are now off the ground. I can’t escape up here, and given how fleeting my freedom was before he caught me, I never will.
I curl up on the seat, trying to make myself smaller to escape the dark eyes still watching my every movement. He’s standing so close I can feel the heat and threat radiating from his body, and I can’t stop the involuntary shiver that wracks my body at his proximity. The only men I’ve come into contact with over the past four years have all wanted the same two things: to hurt me and to fuck me.
It destroyed me every time Maksim would pass me around to his friends. He ruined every last fragmented piece of my soul he hadn’t already stolen from me himself, and the thought of being used like that again makes my stomach roil. The look on my captor’s face is a far cry from the leers I’m used to, but I’m not comforted by that knowledge. Not knowing what is going through his mind, leaves me more on edge and vulnerable than ever.
His hand lunges out, grabbing me by my throat while his other pins my arms above my head, which I now notice are bound with rope instead of the belt, which I can now see he is wearing once again. Terror sends my mind into a frenzy, and I struggle to break his hold.
“Stop fighting me… it won't do you any good. All it'll do is make this process more painful,” he growls and releases my throat.
“Who are you, and why are you doing this?” I ask, unable to keep the wobble from my voice.
He looks at me, slowly dragging his gaze over my stretched out body, which is still dressed in the same clothing I fell asleep in. The thin cami and tiny shorts do nothing to hide me from his eyes. I look away, not wanting to see his face and the expression he’s no doubt wearing.
“M
y name is unimportant, and I'm doing this for two reasons only: one, because it will be worse for you if I don’t; and two, because I want to. Answer my questions honestly like a good girl, and I won't need to make it hurt,” he says slowly; his tone dripping with the threat behind his words.
I feel the sob building in my chest as the hopelessness of escaping from one nightmare only to be immediately dragged into another, hits me all at once. I can’t stop the fresh tears from falling as the last vestiges of fight start to drain from me. Up here, in the confines of this small plane, there is nowhere to run or to hide from him.
“Tell me everything you know about Maksim? his friends? Anything you overheard while you were in that house? I want all the details, names of any of his business associates, descriptions.”
“Why? And how did you even find me anyway?” I ask, bitterly.
An impatient sigh leaves his lips, but he answers anyway. “Maksim planted a tracker in you.”
I jerk my head up to face him as the realization of how he found me, crashes through me. “Maksim put a tracker in me? Why would he do that?”
He shakes his head, scoffing at my question, but his eyes never leave mine. “I’m not sure why he would bother to put trackers in his fucking toys in the first place, but you weren’t the only one. I’ve no idea why he would bother planting a tracker on the little slave girl he kept locked away in the dark; especially when you could hardly escape from where you were being kept. What I’m more interested in is anything you can tell me about him, and that’s exactly what I intend to find out. Start talking, Evelina.”
I flinch at his tone, shivering at the way he draws out my name. The light accent in his voice becomes more obvious with his strange pronunciation, and I now realize it is similar to Maksim’s. I’m filled with a sudden dread at what lies at the end of this journey. I open my mouth to answer, but I can’t find the words as memories of my time with Maksim flood my mind: faces, pain, humiliation, the countless nights spent sobbing alone in the darkness, wondering why this was happening to me. My name became a curse.
