This might have been the first time I found myself at a nightclub where at the end of the night I felt like a champ and not a strikeout. I would easily date all of these women. They were all my type and totally into me. But I knew we had another social the following night and I couldn’t wait to see what was on offer. I made notes on my top ten and pocketed it away.
Outside the nightclub, the air was crisp and refreshing. It must have been in the low thirties but that didn’t matter. I was flying high with energy. Deep breaths of the frigid air felt great. So much so that I decided to walk back to the hotel. I had a heavy jacket with me and felt quite warm. All I needed to do was walk along side Janki Kupaly Park and then follow the Svislach River back to the hotel.
“Elana, is it okay if I walk back?”
“Why you want to walk?” Elana said with a frown.
“It’s a nice night. It might be neat to see the city.”
“You saw city in afternoon on tour.”
“Yeah, well, I want to see more. So I’m going to walk back.”
And then Alonzo piped in. “Hold on. You got a girl waiting for you, don’t you?”
“You have a girl stashed away? Which one?” Gene asked.
“Darby, no women tonight. Not allowed,” Elana said.
I grinned. “Look, there’s no girl. I’m not meeting anyone. I just want to walk back. It’s a nice night. I can find my way. So please all of you, get into the van and I’ll see guys tomorrow.”
Elana was hesitant at first but gave in. She and the rest of the gang piled into the minivan and took off. I watched them until the taillights disappeared around a bend in the road. I crossed the street and headed toward the park.
The park was empty and serene. All I could really hear were my shoes crunching the frozen grass every now and then. It was an extremely peaceful way of walking off a buzz. Every now and then I would pass a person, but for the most part the streets were mine at one in the morning, at least in this area. It seemed like the entire city had already settled into bed. Even though the lighting in the park was dismal, it didn’t feel the least bit threatening. It was beautiful and calm.
And then I heard a scream.
Definitely human.
Chapter 13
The scream sounded like it came from inside the park somewhere. It must have since I was the only one on the sidewalk as far as I could see. One part of me said, “Someone’s in trouble.” The other part of me shouted, “Get the hell out of here!”
Tav is always asking me how I find myself in the middle of these situations. I honestly think these situations find me.
There were two lamps in the area of the park around me, but they might as well have been cheap flashlights hanging upside down from a tree branch; the illumination was so pathetic. I didn’t feel like leaving the safety of the sidewalk so I just stood there.
I scanned for any type of movement. Nothing so far. And then I heard the scream again. It was closer this time and heading in my direction. I prepared myself for whatever it might be. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was already committed to helping.
Suddenly a person appeared from the darkness, running toward me. “Pomogite! Pomogite!” she shouted.
By now I could see her better. She was young, only a teenager.
In seconds she reached me. Her nails dug into my arm. Tears ran down her bruised face.
“Pomogite,” she said again.
“I don’t understand. What’s wrong?”
“Help me.”
I looked around. The streets were empty. What do I do?
“Please.”
I grabbed her arm, “Come on; let’s go.” We immediately ran across the street toward the buildings. Whatever was chasing her, we had a better chance at losing it by getting back into the safety of the city.
We turned down one narrow side street and then another, sticking close to the buildings and using the shadows for cover. Where are the four policemen for every one Belarusian citizen?
By now I had a pretty good idea of what was chasing us: a gang of men. I could hear their voices, and they didn’t sound happy. They were gaining ground quickly. We wouldn’t be able to keep our distance with the speed we were maintaining for much longer. They would eventually catch up.
I took a chance and guided us both up the steps of a nearby office building and hid in the shadows of the entrance. “Shh,” I breathed into the shivering girl’s ear. I pulled her close to me and wrapped my coat around her. She had on practically nothing: a light t-shirt, sweatpants, and a pair of athletic shoes—not exactly the sort of outfit you want to be wearing at this temperature.
Suddenly three men ran past us. They were big and looked extremely pissed off, especially the first one. His was a face full of rage and determination. It was obvious he wanted this girl captured.
The girl froze when she saw them, even stopped breathing. Only when they were completely out of sight did she dare take another breath. Right then I realized she wasn’t so much as shivering but trembling. We weren’t far from the hotel. If we could make it there, we’d be safe.
We stuck to the shadows of the buildings and moved on our tiptoes. I didn’t say a single word to the teenager and she didn’t once question any of my decisions. We were on the same page: finding safety. Once more we spotted the three thugs and had to duck into some bushes alongside a building. They walked right by us.
As soon as they cleared, I took off, pulling the girl behind me. The hotel was across the street—thirty yards until safety. I hoped and prayed they didn’t see us run inside.
The front doors of the hotel burst open, startling the young man behind the desk. The two of us were wet with sweat and breathing heavy, trying to catch our breaths. I looked around the lobby. It was empty. Thank God. We walked over to the boy, his big eyes not once straying from us. He didn’t dare move an inch. I didn’t want any problems, so I placed a fifty, American, on the desk. I pressed my finger against my lips and nodded at him. He nodded back and pocketed the money.
Once upstairs in the safety of my room, I learned that the blond-haired girl was only sixteen and her name was Natasha Buchko.
I sat on the bed contemplating what to do next. Natasha was still frightened when we got to the room. The first thing she wanted to do was make a phone call but not on the hotel phone. She said it could be bugged. A little dramatic but given the situation, I agreed to let her use my cell phone. I had no idea who she called or what the conversation was about, but I could tell she was relieved.
I offered her a hot shower, to help warm up. She jumped at the opportunity, leaving me to wonder what I had gotten myself into.
Chapter 14
I was sitting on my bed. It was two in the morning. I had just rescued a teenager from three thugs and now she was taking a shower in my room. I’m pretty sure I’m breaking one of the many rules Elana set forth.
I heard the shower turn off and a few minutes later Natasha came out of the bathroom with the same clothes on. I gave her one of my clean shirts and a sweater to change into, which she did. I didn’t think my jeans would do her any good.
She sat quietly in the chair with her hands obediently at her side. The bath must have helped because she didn’t seem to be shivering anymore. She stared at the floor, but I could tell she was taking quick glances at me. I didn’t think she was afraid of me but certainly she was wondering what would happen next. That made two of us. What now, Darb? It’s not like you can hide her away until you leave. If I was going to help her, I needed more information. From what little she had said so far, I knew she was Russian and she seemed to understand English to some degree.
“Do you want to tell me what happened?”
Natasha continued to look at the floor. I was afraid I had a non-talker on my hands when she opened up. “I was taken, how you call it….?”
“You mean kidnapped?”
“Yes, kidnapped,” she said with her strong accent.
“By those men who were chasing us?”
She nodded.
“Why did they kidnap you?”
I felt sick when she described how she had been abducted by men right off the street; it took only seconds, she said. You never know how you’re going to react when you hear this stuff. It shouldn’t be happening in this day and age even though you know sex trafficking is alive and well because of the occasional news report highlighting it. The proof was sitting right in front of me.
“How did you escape?”
“The men, they drink and not pay attention. I take key to my handcuffs. I go to bathroom. One always comes but he was drinking and I convince him to wait outside. Then I climb out of window and I run.”
“Are there more of girls like you, taken?”
“Yes. Seven.”
“We should call the police.”
She leaned forward urgently. “No, we cannot. Is dangerous. These men have many connections.”
I frowned. “But we can’t leave them there.”
“I can help. Later.”
“What can you do?”
“Not me, my father.”
“Is that who you called?”
“Friends of my father. They will come get me and take me back to Ukraine. I will tell them everything, where girls are. They can help rescue them.”
“Wait. You’re from Ukraine?”
“Yes, that is where we are from. Me and the other girls. The men said they were taking us to Poland. From there, we go anywhere they need to send us. To Germany, to France, to Middle East, even to U.S.”
“As working girls?”
She looked confused by the term.
“Prostitutes I mean?”
She lowered her head and barely nodded.
For the next hour, I asked her questions and she answered them. We watched a little TV. I even fed her some of the snacks I had bought in the lobby earlier. They were souvenirs for Tav but I figured she could use them more. While she munched away on a candy bar, we both heard a knock at the door. Natasha jumped out of her chair toward the door and said something. A man responded and she immediately opened the door. Two very large KGB-looking men entered the room. They were dressed in leather jackets and jeans and could easily have been mistaken as one of the thugs who chased us.
Natasha practically leapt into the arms of one of the men and they hugged each other. He was definitely happy to see her. The two spoke for a few minutes before he turned his attention to me. “Thank you for helping Natasha. I am…we all are very grateful.” The giant then stuck out his hand and said. “I’m Oleg Barishnikov.”
My hand disappeared inside of his grip.
Before I could introduce myself, he pulled a handgun out of his jacket with his free hand and pressed it against my head.
“Now, who are you?”
Chapter 15
The three thugs had split up and were combing every street near the park looking for the girl. The leader found it hard to believe that she could have escaped them and decided to double back. Retracing his steps he looked closely at the moisture on the street and the sidewalk. And then he saw them, her footsteps. He knew the girl was wearing athletic shoes. But that’s not all he saw. There was another pair of prints next to hers. Someone was helping her.
The stone-faced man tracked the footsteps up to a building. He walked up the stairs and looked into the pitch-black nook. They hid here. He could still smell them. He had run right by them earlier.
He left the building and picked up their tracks again. He followed them for another fifty yards until they disappeared. He searched a ten-foot radius but could not find them again. Where did they go?
Looking at the bushes off to the side of the sidewalk, he finally realized where they went. Little frightened rabbits hiding in the bush. He figured they moved within the brush, so he kept walking along side it until the footprints appeared again. And they did, not far from the Hotel Yubileinaya. He looked up at the tall building. Every room had a view of the river. And only one of them had a light on.
I know where you are.
The other two men caught up. He pointed to the hotel. Both men nodded and started to walk toward it. He stopped them. Not tonight. They must get back to the other girls.
Thirty minutes later the three men were back at their safe house. The rest of the cargo, the other seven girls, was all accounted for. Letting one escape was a big deal, especially that one. She was the prize. She was Viktor’s special one.
Natasha Buchko was the daughter of an important government official. She would have brought them a lot of money. Fucking her would be akin to fucking the government. Her escape was the worst possible thing that could have happened. Not only would they have to answer to their bosses, but they now would have to deal with the repercussions that could arise from the girl’s family.
Grisha Berzin was the man who went with her to the bathroom. She escaped under his nose, his watch. He felt bad for letting his comrades down. He was also terrified of what would happen next. Grisha sat in a chair, his head hanging low like a man at fault. Too ashamed to look at his comrades, he focused on his shoes.
Viktor came over and patted his shoulder. “It could have happened to any one of us,” he said reassuringly in his gruff voice. Grisha relaxed somewhat, but kept his eyes down. And then with the speed of a striking cobra, Viktor placed a hand on either side of Grisha’s head and twisted it with such force that everyone in the room heard the dull snap. With Grisha’s head now turned unnaturally to the left, his body crumpled to the floor.
Chapter 16
“Who are you?” the big man demanded again.
I finally managed to get my name out. “Darby. My name is Darby Stansfield.”
Oleg pressed the gun harder into my head and this time emphasized each word, “Who. Are. You?”
What was he asking? I told him my name. I looked over at Natasha. She kept her head down and wouldn’t look at me.
“I’m—I’m nobody. I’m just a tourist here on vacation. She ran to me tonight asking for help. I’ve never seen her before in my life,” I blabbered.
Oleg turned to Natasha and exchanged some words with her. After a few seconds he lowered the gun.
“Sorry, Mr. Stansfield. But I must understand complete situation. Please forgive and my apologies. We are grateful for your help.”
“Okay… Well, you’re welcome. What happens now?”
Natasha finally spoke up. “Oleg will take me back home, to Ukraine. We will leave now. Thank you very much, Darby. If not for you, I don’t know what will happen to me tonight.”
She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed. I hugged her back.
“Darby, be careful with the rest of your time here. These men are dangerous. They kill for fun. I hope they have not seen you.”
“I don’t think they did but I leave in a couple of days anyway.”
Oleg shook my hand again. And then the three of them left.
A sparkle out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. Near the entrance to the bathroom, a silver bracelet lay on the floor—Natasha’s. The bracelet had a single charm dangling from it: a hammer and a sickle. I thought briefly about trying to catch up with Natasha before they left but decided it wasn’t worth it. I’ll just hang on to this as a souvenir.
I sat on my bed thinking about her warning. They kill for fun. I traced every step from the moment Natasha ran into my arms near the park until now. I didn’t think any of those men saw me. How could they? It was dark, right?
Chapter 17
Elana walked to the end of the hallway where the house phone sat on a table. She dialed the operator and asked to be connected to Darby’s room. Three, four, five rings had gone unanswered. Just as she was about to hang up she heard a faint voice.
“Darby? Is that you? It’s Elana.”
“Why are you calling so early?”
“Everybody is to meet for breakfast at 9 a.m. This is rule: I don’t see you, I check.”
“I can’t make it. I need more sleep.”
“Nothing is wrong. I’m really tired.”
“Tired from what? What you do last night? You come straight to hotel after club, yes?”
“I did nothing. I came straight back.”
“What about trip to Dudutki? You not going?”
“I’m going to pass. Don’t worry. I’ll see you in the afternoon.”
“If don’t see you in lobby, I will come to your room.”
Elana took out a master key that the hotel gave her for the rooms her tour members occupied. She had learned from a previous tour that this was a good thing to have. Once she had a man who had snuck a woman back into his room after a social. It turned out that the girl was a gypsy and had plans of her own. She was able to drug the man and handcuff him to the bed. She stole all of his money and credit cards. She also left a gag in his mouth. He was near suffocation by the time a maid checked the room around noon. I hope I won’t have to use this.
Elana returned to the hotel restaurant were the rest of the group was feasting on various breads, jellies, pastries, teas, juices, hard-boiled eggs, and sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. Everyone seemed to be enjoying breakfast.
Alonzo, the jam guy, had scheduled a date today with one of the women he met the night before and was eager to get started. The time was 9:30 and he was due to pick up his date at 10:30.
Elana came over to the table where the men were finishing their coffee.
“Okay, Alonzo. You wait in lobby. Lena come in half hour. She then take you to get flowers and then to Julia’s apartment. Okay?”
“That sounds great.”
“The rest of us go on tour of Dudutki. This is outdoor cultural museum which show what village life was like for typical Belarusian over one hundred years ago.”
The lawyer spoke up. “What about that other guy? Darby?”
“Darby not feel well. He stay at hotel.”
“Maybe he’s got a case of the blues—balls that is,” Alonzo suggested before laughing and being joined by the rest.
Darby Stansfield Thriller Series (Books 1-3 & Bonus Novella) Page 32
