by Box Set
“You will either speak to me here and now, or when we land, I’ll pass you over to my boss’ men, and they will question you instead. Listen to me. You won’t want what they have planned for you if I fail to deliver, to my boss, your secrets on a silver fucking platter. Their methods will make what I’ve done to you so far seem like a pleasant dream.”
Evelina’s indrawn breath rasps in her throat, and I clench my teeth, waiting. When she doesn’t respond, my last thread of patience breaks.
“Have it your way then,” I snap, dragging Evelina to the floor by her wrists, where her knees hit the carpet with a soft thud. Using the long ends of the rope, I lift Evelina’s arms above her head until she’s on her knees in an upright position with her body stretched out. I shove my tie into her mouth, gagging her with the soft material, and swiftly unbuckle and remove my belt one handed. Holding the buckle in my hand, I wrap the leather strap once around my fist to ensure a better grip, and I edge over to one side of Evelina to give myself more room to maneuver. I don’t warn her when I’m about to begin; I simply land the first stroke across the back of her bare thighs with a crack.
The muffled scream that escapes her lips makes my cock twitch in my pants. I ignore it, and laying another slap of leather across her asscheeks, I clench my teeth together when her high pitched yelp reaches my ears. I swing again, harder this time, and the belt snaps sharply against the tender skin between her ass and thighs, just below her little sleep shorts. Evelina’s howl beneath the gag is like fucking music to my ears as it echoes around the cabin of the plane. Her back is arched, and I can see the tears streaming down her face. The agony etched all over her delicate features and the graceful arch of her body have my cock straining for a taste of her.
White-hot anger at myself for allowing her to escape, her stubborn bravery under my questioning, and this whole fucked up situation blinds me until I can see and feel nothing but the leather and rope in my hands. It’s not until she slumps down as far as the taut rope allows and my muscles begin to burn that the fog starts to lift, and I’m finally able to stop.
I tear the material from her mouth, and soft sobs fill the air around us. Then I lower the rope attached to her wrists and watch as Evelina hunches over into a ball at my feet, weeping with her hands covering her face. I’m breathing hard, and the red haze obscuring my reasoning is starting to ebb, but I’m not sorry for hurting her. I’ve no time for mercy, and Evelina will receive none when I hand her over.
I find myself drawn to the glimmer of light that glows in Evelina’s eyes, and I’m desperate to drag her into the darkness I reside in. But what I want doesn’t matter. My own light dimmed a long time ago, and it will never be rekindled. We’re more alike than she’ll ever know, but I’d sooner shoot her than admit to how much we share in common. I walk away, leaving Evelina shattered on the floor. Ignoring the way my gut clenches at what I’ve done, I take a seat and close my eyes, letting the sound of her pain echo around us, lulling me into a light sleep.
11
EVELINA
Sokolov. So that's his name, but knowing it doesn't help me. Even if I were to escape now and go to the police, I know it wouldn't make a difference. Money speaks volumes, and it's clear he or his employer, at least, isn't lacking in it. The private flights without needing passport checks, and the speed with which we’re changing from plane to plane, all screams of wealth even without his obvious ties to Maksim.
I bring my knees to my chest and close my eyes, letting my thoughts carry me back home. I'm sure my mum has discovered I'm missing by now, and it hurts my heart to know she’ll have to go through the pain of losing me again. Even if I never return, I’ll cherish the short time we spent together when we were reunited after being apart for so long. I missed her so much; I miss her now. The ache in my chest increases with the heartbreaking knowledge I'll probably never see her again. Not this time around.
A low groan reaches my ears, and I open my eyes, meeting the hard, assessing gaze of Sokolov who is staring at me from across the plane. I look away, not wanting to face him after the way he hurt me. When I fled from Maksim’s mansion, I thought the pain and suffering would be over. I couldn't have been more foolish or more wrong. This isn't over. Not by a long shot, but all I can do is pray my ending will be swift.
“Have you reconsidered your decision to remain obstinately silent, and finally give me what I want? Tick-tock, Evelina, we’ll be landing in my country soon, and you still haven’t told me anything of substance.” His voice is husky with sleep, but the threat in his tone is deafeningly clear.
I refuse to look at his face, avoiding the hard way he’s scrutinizing every minute expression and movement I make. I’m torn between ending this now by telling him everything and holding my tongue like I was taught. Pain and darkness have been a part of my life for so long now we are less like strangers and more like family. I was forced into this life by Maksim, and his inescapable hold over my mind and body didn’t end with his death. I loathed everything about him and what he put me through, but I can’t prevent or smother his effect on my psyche, still controlling me even now.
The anger radiating from him fills the silence and the cabin, and I can’t ignore the fact that I’m the cause. Agony floods my nervous system when I’m pulled out of my seat by my hair and thrown to the floor. Before I have time to get my bearings or try to move, I’m pinned with my arms pulled above my head, again. He grabs my bound wrists and straddles me, holding me to the floor of the plane with his heavy body. I close my eyes, turning my head away from him.
“Get this through your pretty little head, Evelina. I’m not a good man, but there are many who are worse than me… and some who could even make a man like Maksim seem fucking human. They work for my boss, and I’ve been ordered to hand you over to them. I can promise you’ll be begging for death by the time they’ve finished with you,” he snarls, his breath hot in my ear.
I’m trembling beneath him, and the weight of his body holds me captive, robbing me of my ability to move. My breath catches when I feel his cock dig into my stomach, and my eyes fly open, latching onto his face. His eyes are nearly black, and the heat and fury emanating from them, stirs the fear already brewing in my stomach.
His eyes tell me he wants me, and so does his body, but his expression is deadly serious, and I know the anger far outweighs the lust.
The plane banks slightly, and the look on his face changes. The new, unfamiliar expression scaring me more than any he's already directed at me. I gulp, and his eyes cloud over for a split second before he grins at me.
“Time's up,” he says simply before crashing his mouth down over mine.
Surprise makes me gasp, and he doesn't hesitate to claim my mouth even further, tangling his tongue with mine. I can't stop him from taking this from me, and a small part of me doesn't want to. My skin is burning, and I lose track of time as I remain powerless beneath his lips and body. When the plane bumps against the runway on landing, he pulls away, leaving me breathless, confused, and shamefully aroused.
He rises, and gets to his feet, reaching down to pull me upright. In my kiss-drunk and helplessly bound state, I probably wouldn’t have managed it by myself. I flash him a tiny smile of thanks, and he scoffs, shaking his head at me. After straightening his suit he moves over to the door of the plane, waiting, I assume, for the airport attendant to come and open it.
Fear sends icy prickles through my blood, and I shiver not knowing what awaits us on the other side of the door. The curtains are still closed, but the lack of light peeking round the sides of the material, suggests it’s nighttime where we are. The handle turns and the cabin door is pulled open as I just stand there staring, immobilized by fear.
12
LUKA
The door is open, and I blink in surprise when I see Pavlo standing on the other side, looking windswept, but with his usual cocky grin in place. Fucking great.
“Luka! I’ve been waiting ages for you to arrive. I hope your journey wasn’t too
rough? It took you fucking long enough. I’ll never understand why you insisted on taking so many different flights to get here…” He tapers off, his attention no doubt drawn to the beautiful young woman standing behind me.
I glance over my shoulder in time to see her eyebrows pinch together in confusion, and then the flush, which had so recently filled her cheeks, drains from her face as fear steals the blood from them. She probably thinks he’s either my boss, or one of her men. She wouldn’t be wrong about the latter, but not in the way I’m sure she’s assuming right now. Evelina is rooted in place, and I have to give her credit for remaining where I left her and not cowering. It seems she’s learning what’s expected of her, not that it’ll do her much good.
The sky is black, and clouds are hanging low, obscuring the stars, but in the distance the lights of one of my favorite cities pierce through the darkness. I can make out the familiar shape of the buildings, and the air smells exactly as I remember it. I don’t halt the smile that spreads across my face, and I grin at Pavlo who has finally stopped staring at Evelina. He aims a knowing look at me, and I shake my head and snort quietly.
“No, I haven’t. But trust me, the thought has certainly crossed my mind, especially with her so bound, pretty, and at my mercy,” I say to him… the words of my native language rolling off my tongue as I switch over mid-sentence.
Pavlo’s eyes widen in surprise, but he masks it quickly, laughing as he says, “That's unusual for you. Normally the pretty ones don’t stand a chance when you’ve caught them in your sights.”
“Evelina is not like the others. She’s too fucking broken for what I would like to do to her. Although something tells me the little suka would enjoy it.” I smirk, using the insult to play down my attraction to her, then shrug. “Maksim did a fucking number on her. She won’t talk, and I’m almost out of time.”
His face darkens, and his eyes don’t leave Evelina when he opens his mouth and says, “How about I try and persuade her to talk?”
I hesitate and glance over at Evelina, taking in her rigid posture, her wide and frightened eyes, and the slight tremble that shakes through her petite body.
“You have an hour. Do it, but don’t fuck her… and don’t ruin her,” I say as I exit the plane, and pulling out a pack of cigarettes from my jacket, I head down the steps to the runway.
It’s been too fucking long since I had one of these, and fuck, it’s just what I need. I ignore the sound of Pavlo’s voice, and the whimpers, cries, and muffled screams coming from the plane behind me. A flicker of guilt threatens to blossom in my mind, but I tamper it down, knowing that Pavlo won’t go too far although he’s effective at what he does. Evelina has left me with few options and no fucking time. The next plane leaves soon, and it’ll only take an hour to fly to the last stop on our route.
I don’t need to see what he’s doing, and I don’t know whether I can stand and watch him be the one to hurt her, instead of me. If Pavlo can’t get the answers we desperately need, then I’ll either have to step up my game and really fucking hurt Evelina, or just hand her over. I may be a fully fledged asshole, but even I don’t want her to go through whatever the boss has planned, and I have no control over her men even though I might be above them in rank. My own brutality is a fucking art form whereas they have no boundaries and simply tear their victims to shreds.
The desire to make her bleed and cry so prettily for me again, runs rampant through my veins, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to hold back next time.
“Luka!” Pavlo’s voice breaks through my thoughts, and turning, I drop the end of the cigarette on the ground, crushing it beneath my shoe.
“Pavlo?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.
He shakes his head and looks behind him. Dashing back up the stairs and past him, I look into the cabin. Evelina is curled up on the floor, her arms are covered in welts, her face is a mess of tears, and I have to bite back the anger when I see her rough state: her reddened cheeks, and bloody lips where she’s bitten them. I want to be the only one to touch her, but I know that’ll never be the case. I initially thought he may have killed her when I saw the contemplative, anxious look on Pavlo’s face when he glanced back at the plane. I don’t know what he did, and I’m not going to ask, but apart from scaring the shit out of her, and the marks on her arms, which are probably from his belt, she’s unharmed.
I walk over to her, and she flinches when I bend down to pull her to her feet. There is still a remnant of fire in her eyes, indicating her refusal to give in, and I’m not sure if I can bring myself to be the one to extinguish it. I sigh, raking my fingers through my hair.
“No more chances, I’m taking you to the boss. You could have made this so much easier for yourself. Her men can fucking have you now… you’ve left me no choice.”
Evelina sucks in a breath, “No, don’t give me to them. Please, don’t do this.”
I shake my head but don’t answer. Instead, I grab the rope between her wrists and drag her stumbling form across the airfield to where the final plane is waiting for us to board. Pavlo is already seated when we get there, so I shove Evelina through the door. When she falls, he moves to help her up, but I send a threatening glare his way, and he stops, sits back down, and looks out of the window. I shut the door and the plane shakes and judders slightly as the pilot starts the engine. After a few moments we are in the air and on our way to Kazan. The final stop, and where the boss is waiting for us.
Rounding on Evelina who is still sprawled on the floor of the plane, I feel my need to follow orders warring with something else. Stamping it down, I narrow my eyes on her, but when I see the frightened gaze she’s leveling at Pavlo, I hesitate. Smothering the prickle of guilt inside me at the thought of leaving her there on the floor, I take a seat. Out of the corner of my eye I see the way he’s watching her, tracking every little movement she makes. Fuck, I wish he wasn’t traveling with us, I can’t fucking focus with Pavlo in here.
I can’t concentrate, and unease filters through the haze clouding my mind. I’m not sure if I can inflict the pain and terror necessary to rattle Evelina, and to shatter whatever walls she’s put up to protect herself from Maksim. I’m second guessing myself. I don’t know if it’s Pavlo’s presence, or if it’s simply Evelina. I’m drawn to her, and I can’t figure out what I want to do most: hurt her, fuck her, or kill her. All I do know is one way or another, I want her for myself.
13
EVELINA
Pavlo is on the new plane with us, and even though he didn’t really hurt me, some of the things he said chilled me more than anything I’ve experienced since I was dragged from the cell at Maksim’s. I can tell, underneath his unassuming, calm exterior, lives a monster who is more lethal than he leads everyone to believe. Although I suspect Luka, as I’ve now learned my captor’s name to be, is more than fully aware of the hidden malicious streak lurking within Pavlo. The friendly welcome and tone Pavlo used to address him speaks of a deeper bond between these two than just colleagues.
A short time spent in his presence was enough to break me to the point where I almost spilled all of the sordid, terrible things I’d suffered at the hands of Maksim, his friends, and his business associates. More importantly I nearly told Pavlo details of the secret business dealings I’d overheard while forced to be in their company. I spent most of my time being used and degraded by them, but I wasn’t blind or unaware of the goings on at Maksim’s little get togethers… I witnessed and bled through enough of them.
Burying the painful memories, I turn to face Luka who is staring at me with a strange look on his face. Something flashes in his eyes: a flicker of an emotion, which is quickly stifled and erased too fast for me to figure out.
Luka takes a seat, but the cabin slowly fills with the tension that’s rolling off him in waves, seeping into all the gaps and making it difficult to breathe. I don’t know whether it’s because of me or Pavlo, and I’m not sure I want to find out. The last stretch of the journey seems to drag on forever, and Lu
ka doesn’t approach me at all during the whole flight. I’m uncertain whether I should feel relief or fear that he’s left me alone, but having managed to drag myself to a seat, his eyes never leave me the entire time.
When we finally touchdown I don’t move, I remain in my seat, staring out of the window and into the darkness, trying to make out something, anything, about where we have landed. I feel a presence at my back and fear skitters down my spine. A gentle hand brushes my hair from my neck, but before I’m able to turn and see who it is, I feel a prick against my skin. I whip my head around and see Luka walking away from me with a hypodermic in his hand.
Suspicion and unease creep their way into my blood, curdling in my veins until gradually I feel myself grow heavy and sluggish as whatever he injected into me, begins to take hold. The last thing I see before I lose myself to darkness are the lecherous eyes of Pavlo watching me, a sinister smile playing on his lips.
———
When I open my eyes, everything is blurred, and the shapes in front of me are fuzzy and out of focus as if I’m looking through a frosted window. My head is pounding, and when I reach up to rub it, I realize I can’t move. Fear and adrenaline pulse through my blood, bringing everything into sharp, clear focus. I’m in a barren room with cold concrete flooring, painfully hard beneath my knees, and my wrists are bound with rope; a length of which has been twisted through a metal hoop that’s buried in the floor. I can move, but not very far, and the door is completely out of reach.
Whipping my head around, I search for him, my frantic eyes looking for something familiar in this strange place. I’m alone. I catch sight of a surveillance camera high up near the ceiling, in the corner of the room, and it’s trained directly on me. The small light next to the lens is glowing red, recording. Then, the lights go out. Letting out a high-pitched scream, I pull at the restraints holding my arms. Ragged sobs break free when the rope pinches the skin of my wrists, but I don’t stop struggling, twisting, and trying to free myself. Even when the ropes rub against my raw skin, burning and cutting into me, I don’t give up, not until I feel the first trickles of blood start to run down my arms.
