by Sadie Jacks
“I’ll start reaching out to my contacts here. If Kuznetsov is playing under the idea that Amatuccis killed his family, then he will kill Talia as a blood debt.”
“That’s what Talia said he said,” Turo replied. “I think it’s safe to assume that’s what he believes.”
I scrubbed a hand down my face again. “Yeah. Fuck. We need to find someone who was there. Someone who has actual knowledge and information.”
“I can get started on that,” Ryker said. “Turo, Nico, and I will take that part. You work on your end. I’ll make sure to have the medic kit ready for you along with some extra hands. They’ll be headed towards you in three hours.”
As if by some prearranged signal, we all hung up at the same time.
I sat there in silence, stared at the phone. We were in deep shit. This had just gotten exponentially more dangerous.
Talia was the prize.
Chapter 23 – Arkady
I waited outside the door like the good little foot soldier I was pretending to be. My higher rank meant nothing to these men. Not now. Not after what had happened.
So I stood there, gaze on the opposite wall. I could hear her talking. Probably on the phone I’d managed to smuggle in for her. She needed someone to come get her out of this before shit went sideways.
When the men started coming down the hall, it was too late to signal her. But at least the door would be harder to open, giving her extra seconds. Barrikad, Ustin, Kostas, Dusan, and Gavrie all stomped down the hall. The second generation of Kuznetsov men. Each more insane and brutal than the last. I prayed they were here just to talk.
Barrikad waved me away from the door. Motioned for one of his brothers to open it. The asshole couldn’t even be bothered to open his own door. He was insufferable.
Standing as I was across the hall, I saw Talia sitting on the new mattress I’d given her. More prayers ran through my mind. I didn’t think I could stand by and do nothing if they raped her again.
If they just roughed her up, that was one thing. But another gang rape? Internally, I shook my head. Readied myself to step in if necessary. It would blow seven years of work, but I was willing to risk it.
“Little dove, you stand,” Barrikad said. He purposely deepened his Russian accented English. He could speak with an American accent if he wanted. He simply chose not to for her.
Talia lifted her chin, got to her feet. I saw the fabric of her pants trembling as she faced them. Other than that, there was no indication that she was even troubled by their presence.
She was amazing. Strong. Brave. Courageous. Everything about her spoke to me. Called me to her in a siren’s song I was desperately trying to ignore.
Talia remained silent. Something of a miracle, that. She was definitely smart enough not to call their ire down on her head.
Barrikad nodded. “Good. Tell me what you know of my uncles.”
Talia shook her head. “I don’t know your uncles, I’m sorry.”
Barrikad nodded again. Stepped back. He waved two of his brothers forward.
Ustin and Dusan stepped forward. Similar enough in appearance to look like twins, but more than ten years separated their ages. Brown hair, bright blue eyes, and a hard cast to their bodies and faces, they looked like angry gods here for vengeance.
Ustin grabbed Talia’s right arm as Dusan secured her left. They stretched her between them as if she were on a rack.
Barrikad nodded again.
Gavrie stepped forward. As tall as his brothers, but a wirier build, his dirty blonde hair was pulled back with a tie at the nape of his neck. A true sadist. He smiled as he bowed to her. The false sign of respect grated on my already taut nerves. The asshole was just playing with her.
Gavrie straightened. The smile still on his face, he pulled his fist back and slammed it into her belly.
As she buckled forward, her arms still suspended, Gavrie caught her in the face with a knee. A knee, I knew all too well, that was covered in a hard plastic case.
Blood spurted from different spots on her face as low moans filtered through the air. She hung limp between the men who acted as her uprights.
“Tell me of my uncles,” Barrikad said again.
Talia cut off her low sounds of agony. Pushing to her feet, she lifted her head. Spat blood and other things at Gavrie. Smiled when they hit his shirt. “I don’t know your uncles.” She looked at Barrikad right in the face. Held his gaze as if at war for dominance.
Barrikad smiled, waved his brother on.
Gavrie repeated the same jab and knee kick as before.
The crunching and cracking of bones was loud in the mostly silent room.
“Tell me of my uncles,” Barrikad demanded.
I bit my lip to keep from interjecting. That would do nothing but earn her more punishment. Earn me restricted access. The one thing I’d been waiting for.
Once again, Talia tightened her legs. Pulled herself up. Her face was a bloody, mottled mess. She spat. Or tried to. It slid down off her mangled lips and dripped to the floor. Splashed against her own foot.
But she shook her hair back, a grimace on her face. “Fine. I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
Barrikad smiled. “Eventually you always do. You are not so tough, are you?” He stepped forward, grabbed a fistful of her hair. Yanking her head back, he got right in her face. “Say their names.”
“Uncle Sam wants you in the Aaaaaarrrmy. He’s a lousy lay, but he’s old. Whatdaya gonna do?” She smiled, her teeth stained red.
Barrikad yanked her head back until her neck arched in a brutal angle. “Do not mock me, little dove. You can be broken.”
My mouth dropped open as I watched her lift her head. Push her face into his as much as she could. “Try me, fucker. The only option you’ve got left is to kill me. And if you do that, you’ll bring hell down. Not only on you, but on your boy band here. If you think to end a blood debt with me, you don’t actually know what a blood debt is. My family will rip yours to shreds. We’ll bury you so far and so deep that your ancestors will cringe from the decimation. You will be wiped from the mind of the locals for fear of retaliation. So come at me, bro.”
She bounced her face forward, brushed the tip of her bloody nose against his. “Wanna rape me? Drop your drawers. Want to beat me up? Get those fists rocking. Want to strip me down and cut ribbons of flesh from my body? Get your rusty knives ready. I don’t know you, don’t know your uncles. Don’t know your family. You are nothing to me and mine.” She snickered. “Well, you weren’t until you kidnapped me. So do whatever you want to me. Your family is already dead. Your brain just hasn’t gotten the message yet.”
Even from this distance, I could see the veins pulsing in Barrikad’s head. The rush of red that covered every inch of his scalp spoke of his fury. While I had to admit that Talia’s bravery was hot as fuck, her mind might be a little on the cracked side.
Barrikad dropped her head. Chopped the edge of his hand down on her exposed throat. “You will answer for everything your family did to mine. We will extract their lives from your flesh. I hope you are ready for torture and retribution, little dove. You will see that Americans are no match for Russians.”
She choked and coughed as she struggled to catch her breath. But there was no respite. They kicked, punched, slammed, elbowed her body. Every inch was decorated with imprints and bruises.
When they finally left thirty minutes later, she was a pile of flesh and bone curled on the floor. Unconscious. Barely breathing.
The Kuznetsov brothers pushed through the door. Barrikad stopped in front of me. “Get her upright and mobile. She dines with us tonight.”
I nodded.
The bosses left, leaving me in the hallway alone. I wondered how well the Italian Princess would handle humiliation. Would she crack under the weight of it? Or rise like the goddess she really was and swim above it?
Either way. I had a job to do. And it needed to be done. For both our sakes.
Stepping into the cell, I closed and locked the door behind me. Not that it would keep outsiders from entering, but at least we would have some modicum of privacy. Walking over to Talia, I knelt down next to her.
“Princess, you in there?” My voice was soft. I didn’t really know why I was whispering. I doubted she heard me anyway, but it felt right. And right now, I was going to give her what I could.
When she didn’t answer, I laid my hand on her shoulder. “Talia.” I spoke a little louder.
Still nothing.
With a deadline looming over both of us, I moved over to the first aid supplies I’d gotten her from before. The penicillin and other antibiotics hadn’t been touched yet. But all three bottles of rubbing alcohol were gone.
Pulling my phone from my pocket, I dialed my second in command, Vasili. He answered on the first ring.
“Da?” Yes?
“Prinesi mne yeshche spirta.” Bring me more rubbing alcohol. I hung up before he had a chance to respond. Vasili had been the one to help me kill the snitch we had in our midst. His honor was above reproach.
Until it wasn’t.
I wasn’t under the idea that loyalty was the be-all, end-all in this world. Money was a fantastic motivator. And it motivated a lot of people into doing stupid things.
While I waited on Vasili to bring me what I needed, I gathered the rest of the supplies I could from the dwindling collection on the floor. Stacks of gauze and cotton swabs, triple antibiotic ointment, and what was left of the bandages.
Crawling back over to the lump of woman, I got everything set up the way I wanted it. Crime life leant itself well to field training in first aid. As long as she didn’t have a lot of broken bones—I wasn’t holding out a lot of hope on that one—then it should be a fairly straightforward patch job.
A heavy pounding on the door sounded. The distinct pattern we used on our team told me it was Vasili.
“Vkhodit'.” Enter.
The heavy grinding of the door started to fill the room. Such an awful sound. He finally made it in. His arms were full of at least four bottles of isopropyl alcohol. He also had a bag full of more cotton rounds and gauze.
He was my second in command for a reason. A thinker, that one. And did what he was told without a lot of pushback.
“Speak English until I know she’s awake. I don’t want her to freak out on me.”
He nodded. “I’ve got the stuff, boss. Here. Do you need help with her?” He set the bottles and bag down. Jutted his chin towards Talia.
“I need to get her flat so I can check bones. Help me roll her over. After that, I should be good. I also don’t want her to wake up and find more of us in here than necessary.”
Vasili nodded. He wasn’t into sex in any capacity, so I didn’t have to worry about him making inappropriate moves on her. He moved over to Talia. “I’ve got her head and neck.”
Moving into a crouch, I grabbed her hips and gently rolled her over to her back as Vasili kept her head stable.
A low moan floated from her lips. But other than that, she still didn’t make any other sounds or motions. Out cold.
“Her neck feels fine. It doesn’t even feel like anything is out of place.” He nodded, got to his feet. “Best of luck.”
“She’s been invited to dinner tonight.” I looked up at him. Saw the surprise that he quickly masked again.
He dipped his chin. “I’ll get Oksana to get her a dress.”
I nodded. “Thanks.”
He nodded once more and left the room, pulling the heavy door shut behind him. I heard the exterior lock engage. Smiled at his ability to anticipate my needs.
With Talia stretched out on the floor, I got her pants pulled down her legs long enough to check for any bleeding or bruising. Only a couple spots that bore boot prints. But no overt bleeding.
I shook my head in amazement. This woman…literally like a Timex. She takes a licking and keeps on ticking. It didn’t look like any broken bones in her legs or pelvis. Her left hip was going to be raw and sore though.
A long scrape decorated the ridge of her hip. It was already a vibrant wash of blues and purples. I just hoped everything was in line where it was supposed to be. If not, walking was going to be a particular kind of hell.
Pulling her pants back up, I was in the process of pulling her shirt up when she jerked, moaned, and started flailing her arms. “Talia. Talia, it’s Arkady. I’m trying to help you.”
Her eyelids flashed open, but her eyes were still blind.
Replacing the hem of her shirt, I backed up. Kept talking to her in a soft voice. The timbre of my voice probably wasn’t as soothing as I hoped, but it was all I had. I just hoped I didn’t send her into a full-fledged nightmare.
“Talia, it’s Arkady. Just me. No one else is in here.” I repeated the words over and over. Willed her to hear me.
She was in there. I knew it. Knew the strength she carried. I just needed her to let me in, to let her guard down enough to trust me. If she could do that, if we could work together, we would both make it out of here alive.
“Talia, it’s Arkady.”
Her tongue darted out to wet her cracked and mangled lips. “Ark?” Her lids closed for a brief second. When she opened her eyes again, she was back.
She was drenched in pain and agony, but she was back.
“Yeah, princess, it’s Ark.” I felt my lips quirk at the corner as she used my nickname.
She nodded slightly, more a movement of her hair than anything else. But I got the message. “What happened?”
The half-smile fell from my face as if it had never been there. “They beat you up. Don’t you remember?”
Her dark brown eyes flicked from side to side. A frown pulled at her brows. I saw the moment the memory hit her.
She flinched as if under the blows again. A low whimper came from her mouth as tears rushed her eyes. “Did they break anything?” Her voice was a hoarse whisper.
“Your head and neck seem to be fine. Your legs are bruised, but I don’t think anything is broken. At least no compound breaks. I was just about to check your chest. Make sure your ribs were in good shape.”
She nodded again. The slight shifting of her hair made a low shushing noise against the concrete floor. “Please check.” Her eyelids slid shut on a moan.
I bit my cheek. “That means I need to lift your shirt. Are you ready?”
“Just do it, Ark. Please.” She turned her face away, red dusting her pallid face.
As quickly as I could, I raised her shirt. The narrow expanse of her waist and the ladder of her ribs made my fingers itch. But now wasn’t the time for that.
With as brisk movements as I could manage, I felt each rib. Nodded as each one felt like it was still in the right place. Only a couple spots felt spongy from bruising, but those would eventually fade on their own.
I told her the good news as I lowered the shirt back down to her hips.
“Thank you.” She turned her head back straight. Looked up at me. “If you can get me to the bed, I can probably do the rest of it. You don’t have to stay and take care of me. I realize you probably have more important things to do.”
I made sure to catch her gaze before speaking. “The brothers want me to make sure you are up and mobile. You’re going to dinner with them tonight. You are literally my job right now. And even if you weren’t, I would still stay here to make sure you were okay.”
She studied me from a foot away. I could almost feel her weighing my words. Eventually she nodded. “Thank you.” Her voice was a quiet murmur of sound.
I smiled. “Let’s get you up off the floor. See how well you’re moving around.”
Setting my feet, I helped pull her up into a seated position.
Her groan of anguish set my teeth on edge. I knew exactly how she felt. The initiation rites to get into the Night Terrors was not something that was easily endured. A lot of recruits ended up dead by the end of it.
Probably why the numbers were still pretty low. Gett
ing into the family came with its own set of challenges. Staying in the family…well, it certainly made disloyalty look like a bad proposition.
Once she stabilized to the new posture, she nodded up at me. “I think I’m good to stand.” She bounced her legs softly a couple times.
Putting her hands into mine, I got to my feet and waited for her to initiate movement. Once she made the move that indicated she wanted to rise, I pulled on her hands. Gave her something to pull against.
By the time we got her to her feet, her forehead was beaded with sweat. Her lips were trembling. And new tears gathered on her lashes.
She stood there, close enough to touch. But her whole body shouted at me to stay clear. Everything about her screamed at me to leave her alone.
Her measured breathing poured against my chest in a steady pattern. The heat of her, a living, breathing inferno, called to me. Especially in the cold of the room.
A veritable mix of conflicting signals. But I never went where I wasn’t expressly invited. As much as I might want her, she was safe with me.
Sex was not a tool in my toolbox. Not something used in power games for gain or manipulation. Sex was a celebration. Always. Even if that celebration was anger. Angry sex…it was a wonderful kind of delicacy.
“How did you get caught up with this family?” Talia asked softly in the silence between us.
My gaze darted down. I studied her face for a moment. “There are few options in the world for a man without a family. They offer at least a form of camaraderie and security.”
Her brow furrowed. “There are other families out there. Ones where rape isn’t the first choice for behavioral modification.”
I snorted softly. “Like the Amatuccis?”
She nodded. “We’re not angels. But we don’t use rape. Ever.”
I shrugged. “The Kuznetsovs do.”
I watched as she appeared to mull that one over in her mind. “Yeah, they do. Why don’t you leave? Find a different family?”
I started walking her back to the bed. Each inch felt like a victory; I could only imagine how she felt about the progress.
