I go back and walk toward the door. I wonder if he left the door open on purpose or if it was by accident. Not that it matters because if I’m supposed to stay here, I’m gonna explore this mansion completely, whether they like it or not. They can’t keep me locked in this room forever.
So I grab the handle of the door.
But then I hear stomping.
It’s coming closer and closer, and I let go of the door handle.
That’s when I hear him roar. “What?”
“Wait, Viktor, don’t charge at her. Take it easy on her.”
“Fuck that,” he growls.
And then he bangs the door.
The loud noise makes me step back.
“Alexis? Get out here and eat breakfast with me.”
“No,” I say. I don’t even have to think about it twice.
“Why?”
“Because you’ve been nothing but an asshole to me.”
“That doesn’t make any sense!” His voice is a mix between growling and screaming.
“To you it doesn’t, but I don’t eat breakfast with assholes, no offense.”
He grunts. “You eat breakfast with me, now, or nothing at all.”
I turn away from the door. “I don’t care.”
“Are you crazy?”
“No, are you?” I taunt. “You’re the one keeping me here as a prisoner anyway.”
He pounds on the door again. “I’m not the one trespassing in other people’s homes and stealing stuff that doesn’t belong to them. You both belong in jail. I gave you another option.”
“This is the same thing,” I say. “And it’s not chivalrous.”
“At least this place is better than prison.”
“It’s a luxurious prison … but it’s still a prison,” I retort.
He grunts again, but he doesn’t say a word.
“Viktor,” I hear Winston interject, whispering. “Be. Nice.”
It’s silent for a few seconds.
“Will you please come out of your room and eat breakfast with me?” His voice is much softer now, and for some reason, it sounds kind of funny, even though it’s not. It’s not fucking funny that I’m basically a prisoner in either his home or in jail … and for what? Getting my sister out of trouble?
“It would make me happy,” he adds.
But that’s just the thing. I don’t want him to be happy.
“No, thanks.”
The sound of a lion roaring behind my door brings me chills to the bone. “Fine. Go hungry then, like I give a fuck!”
The floors rumble with him as he storms off.
I turn around, take a deep breath, and then fall down on the bed, determined not to think of my growling stomach. What a dickhead. I struggle to hold in my frustration, so I bury my face in my pillow and scream. God, I hate this. I have to keep reminding myself why I made this decision … So Alisha wouldn’t have to go to jail … So I won’t have to go to jail.
Because that’s what this is all about, right?
His desire to punish us for what we did.
For my sister trying to steal so she could help us.
For me trespassing, trying to get my sister out.
We lived the bad life, and this is the consequence.
Captured by a man who’d rather not even have me here, judging from the way he acts around me… but then why does he want to keep me? Is it to teach me a lesson? Or is there something more behind it? Because I sure as hell remember when Winston told me he liked me … I’ve never seen any man so turned on by just a dance.
I smile as I roll over and face the ceiling again.
I guess that’s just it.
That’s why he’s so angry and looks desperate at the same time. Because he wanted me.
Not my sister. Me.
And by trading her captivity with mine, I handed myself to him on a silver platter.
***
Hours later
After a while, when my stomach begins to growl like mad, I open the door. I told myself I’d rather die than come out of this room, but I want food more than I need my pride. I look around to see if Viktor is gone before I go out. I tiptoe through the hallways, hoping no one will hear me as I walk downstairs. Delicious smells from the kitchen entice me … where I find Winston cleaning up the table.
Shit.
I back away slowly, trying not to make a sound, but then I bump into a table and ruin it.
“Oh, you’re up!”
I look up only to find Winston staring right at me.
But my eyes immediately widen at the sight of the stack of pancakes on the plate he’s holding in his hand.
“Hungry?”
I nod and lick my lips.
He beckons me. “C’mon. I won’t bite.”
I hesitate, but the welcoming smile coupled with the mouthwatering smells pull me in.
He places the plate on the kitchen countertop and pulls out a stool, patting it. “Sit.”
I do as he says and sit while he grabs a fork and a knife, which he places in front of me, along with syrup and a cup of tea. “Do you like tea? I’m sorry, I didn’t even ask.”
“No, it’s fine,” I say, smiling as I take a sip. “I love tea. Thank you.”
“Oh, no worries.” He looks at the pancakes. “Go on.”
I put the syrup on the pancakes and cut a piece. When it enters my mouth I almost die right on the spot. The moan that comes from my mouth is indecent, but fuck it … food this good needs to be celebrated.
Winston chuckles. “Well, I’m glad you like it.”
“Oh, my God, these are delicious,” I mumble with a mouth chock-full of pancake.
“Really?” He perks up from my compliment, so I guess he made them.
“Yeah, too good.” I gobble up some more. “You’re a great cook.”
“Oh, I try my best.” He cleans up a few more of the dirty dishes. “Why else do you think Viktor keeps me here? It’s not for the advice, but I bet you already noticed that.”
“Yeah, he doesn’t seem interested in acting like a normal human being, does he?”
Winston shrugs. “Eh, he has his moments. He’s not all bad.”
I take another bite. “Oh, really? But he keeps you a prisoner as well.”
“Oh no, I’m not a prisoner,” he says, laughing a bit. “And I’m sure you won’t be either once he comes to his senses.”
“If he ever will …” I sigh.
“He will,” Winston says, looking up at me. “I just know he’ll come around.”
“How?”
He puts down the plates and forks he was cleaning. “Because he’s not as bad as he makes himself seem.”
“He just likes to be an asshole.”
“Exactly. It’s his way of defending himself.”
“From what? Me?”
Winston rubs his lips together. “Yes.”
At first, I don’t know what to say, but then I almost burst into laughter. “Nah. What? You can’t be serious, right?”
The man raises his brows. “It’s the truth. But don’t tell him I told you.”
“All right. So is that why he wears that mask? Because he’s shy?”
Winston averts his eyes. “Well, yes, but there’s more to it than that …”
“What’s he hiding then?”
His face darkens. “I shouldn’t be telling you this, but … something horrible happened to Viktor.”
I frown and lean in, eager for more. The man’s eyes flash to mine and back to the dishes before he opens his mouth again. “If I tell you this, you have to promise me you won’t tell him. It’s too sensitive.”
“I promise,” I say.
He takes a big breath. “All right. Well, about ten years ago, I was strolling through a valley, searching for specific herbs. My wife needed them because she was sick, and we didn’t have a lot of money to get regular medicine, so the herbs had to do. You’d be surprised what you can find in the grass just a few miles away. Anyway, somewhere in the middl
e of the field, I heard a man screaming. I thought it was just my imagination, but it became so loud that I just had to go check. It turned out to be Viktor.”
Winston takes a break in his story to grab an apple and start peeling it. “When I found him, he was covered in blood.”
My eyes widen, but Winston’s still focused on the apple in his hand. “He was nailed to the ground. Literally.” He shows me his hand. “See that little bit of skin between your thumb and your index finger?” He pulls his own skin to show me. “That’s where they put the nails.”
I wince.
“But that wasn’t all. His face … God …” Winston shakes it off. “It was horrible. He was still such a young boy at the time.”
The more he talks about it, the more I’m beginning to understand why he hides behind a mask, and I wonder if it’s even worse than what Winston describes. I’ve never been able to get a good look at him because he wears a hoodie all the time. It’s almost like he’s scared to show himself.
“What happened to him?” I ask.
“At the time, he wouldn’t tell me. He just begged me not to take him to the hospital so the cops wouldn’t take him in, so it must’ve been something illegal.”
“And then?”
“He offered me money. Anything, as long as I helped him, so I did. I took him home and patched him up as best as I could. He was lucky I was a trained physician, or he would’ve been dead by now. Poor boy.”
“And you’re still here with him … after ten years. Wow.”
Winston smiles. “Sometimes friendships happen in strange places.” He slices the apple into pieces.
“Hmm.” I nod, trying to grasp the story, but I think I’m missing a lot, and for some reason, I feel like I need to know more.
“Want one?” Winston holds out a slice to me.
“Oh, no thanks, I’m stuffed,” I say. “So is this your home? I haven’t seen your wife around here, though.”
“Oh, no, it’s Viktor’s home. My wife already passed away. The cancer finally took her, but at least she wasn’t in any pain.”
“I’m sorry.” I swallow away the lump in my throat. “I shouldn’t have asked.”
He smiles gently. “It’s fine; it was a long time ago. Besides, I still have Viktor.”
“Hmm …” I don’t really know what to say, so I say the first thing that comes to mind. “Well, it’s good that you two have each other.”
The way Winston talks about Viktor almost makes me think he has a whole different side to him. One I haven’t seen but am curious to discover.
“He gets a little grumpy every now and then, which I’m sure you’ve noticed.” He glances at me quickly before eating a slice of apple. “There’s a lot of darkness in his past. Now, I’m not saying that’s an excuse, but please remember what I told you the next time he talks to you that way. I know he seems like a nutcase, but there’s more to him. Underneath it all … he’s a good guy.”
“It’s hard for me to see him like that when all he’s done is yell at me.”
“I know that, but it’s all just a defense mechanism. You have to believe me.”
“How do you know there’s more to him? Was he always this way?”
“To me? No. Never. To others … always. But he became this way because of what happened. He became bitter … but he has a heart of gold. I just know it.”
“Because you’ve spent so much time with him, you know.”
“I know because deep down … no one is evil.” He looks at me intently. “Look at yourself, for example. You’re selling your body. Your sister steals. You trespass.”
“Hey, this wasn’t regular business for us.”
“You needed the money. I get that. Viktor probably gets it too. Doesn’t make it right. But you’re not the only one who’s doing stupid stuff. You do it because you have no other choice.”
I’m a bit taken aback because it’s as if he can read me like an open book.
“Viktor is the same.”
“I dance, strip, and fuck men to make a living. Viktor doesn’t have to be an asshole to survive.”
“Viktor doesn’t know any other way to live. Not anymore. He’s been through too much. Seen too many things.”
“Hmm.” I don’t know what to think of it all. Is Viktor’s history really that bad? Can I believe Winston or not? After all, they’re friends … maybe he just wants to convince me to trust Viktor so I won’t be tempted to run. Or maybe I’m just overthinking things.
I sigh out loud and rest my head on the kitchen countertop.
“You look like you could use some cheering up. Why don’t you go explore the mansion?”
“Explore? Am I even allowed?” I jest, shaking my head.
“Of course,” he says cheerfully as if it’s an odd question.
I get up from the stool and say, “Okay. Maybe I’ll go do that then. Thanks for the pancakes. They were delicious.”
“No worries. Glad you liked it.”
As I turn around, he clears his throat.
“One more thing before you go around the house. Just make sure you don’t leave the property. Don’t try to climb over the fences. Just stay on the grounds and you’ll be okay.”
I lick my lips and think about it before I answer him. “What if I do it anyway? What if I try to run?”
The temperature in the room suddenly feels like it’s dropped ten degrees. “I know Viktor well … Don’t try to run. He will find you.”
It doesn’t sound like a threat from Winston. It sounds more like a warning … A warning about how badly Viktor wants to keep me here.
But I know something they don’t know about me.
I can’t be contained, and I’ll do anything to be free again.
Chapter 6
Alexis
A few days later
I search around the house for windows I can open, but everything seems tightly shut. I wonder if it’s on purpose since I managed to get in perfectly fine the other day. I just can’t get out. And more importantly, even if I find a window that I can open, and I jump out and make a run for it … will I be able to escape?
Winston warned me not to try, and for some reason, I think I should take his word on this. At least not until I get on Viktor’s good side.
So I make my way up the stairs and explore the upper quarters. There are many rooms—one filled with books, one to play pool in, another guestroom and bathroom, and a washing room. I’m not just looking around … I’m looking for anything I can use to help me. A computer. A cell phone. Anything. If only just to contact my sister and make sure she’s okay.
But I don’t find a phone anywhere or anything that looks remotely like technology, which is weird. You’d think someone like Viktor would have a phone, but no. The only place I haven’t checked is his room.
And I’m scared shitless to go there.
But I’m still gonna do it.
Am I nuts? Is it worth it? Hell, yes.
Besides, he’s not there right now. I saw him storm into the kitchen just a few minutes ago while I was hiding in one of the rooms upstairs. And that means I have time to hop in and out of his room and do a quick sniff.
Checking to see if anyone’s coming, I peer out the door and listen to them yelling, but I’m not paying attention. I swiftly run to his room and pull the handle. To my surprise, it opens. What I find inside makes my jaw drop. Shards of glass lie in a pile in the corner, tables have been flipped over, scratch marks are on the wall, the closed curtains are shredded, and a chair has been used as a target practice. It’s a complete mess.
I almost wanna say ‘wow,’ but then I remember I gotta stay quiet and be quick before he gets back. I go in and start sifting through his things, making sure only to touch what’s necessary, like his drawers and closets. I’m looking for anything I can use; even some information about him would be nice. In his closet, I find different kinds of masks and in another cabinet, a whole array of painkillers.
Jesus, this guy is on a lot of st
uff.
It makes me wonder if it’s really as bad as Winston made it out to be … or worse.
Is this why he wears the mask? Why he hides behind curtains and sneaks up in the shadows? Because he’s in pain and doesn’t want anyone to see?
I won’t know the answers until I see the man behind the mask, and the more I learn about him, the crazier my obsession with finding out who he really is becomes.
From the corner of my eye, I suddenly spot something metallic glint from underneath his bed, and I crawl underneath and pull out a cell phone. Fuck, yes. Success.
With sweat running down my back, I analyze the older phone and realize I don’t need a passcode, so I quickly type in Alisha’s number.
But then the door flings open wide.
I turn around in shock, and the cell phone slips from my hand.
It’s him.
My eyes widen at the sight of his mask and the eyes that flare beneath it.
Fuck. He’s caught me red-handed.
With a quick shove of my foot, I manage to slide the phone back under the bed as he storms over to me.
“What are you doing in here?” he growls.
He’s right in my face as I get up on my feet. I have to think of something. Anything. “I … came to dance for you.”
Shit, was that the best I could think of?
His eyes narrow as he snorts, his fists balled. A knot forms in my stomach as I look up at him from under my lashes, determined not to panic. But damn, if he says yes, I guess I’ll have to break my promise to Alisha already.
“Dance … for me.” He cocks his head.
I rub my lips together and nod, hoping to God that he didn’t see me grab his phone.
His fingers slowly relax, and he takes a step back. “Why?”
“Because … I owe you one,” I say. “Because of what I did. What my sister did.”
I step forward and place my hand on his chest. He flinches but doesn’t step away. Just the tips of my fingers are enough to feel his thick muscles tightening as I touch them.
I swallow away the lump in my throat as I softly push him back, guiding him to the chair next to the window. I nudge him until he falls into the chair and press a button on the radio on the table next to him, switching channels until I find something sexy.
Viktor Page 5
