Viktor

by Clarissa Wild

  ***

  Viktor

  She hasn’t come out of her room since the phone call and our disastrous follow-up.

  I take full responsibility.

  I should’ve known her sister would want to see her. They need each other, probably even more than I need her. But I’m still not willing to let her go.

  As I sit at my workbench crafting a new bracelet, I wonder if it was all worth it.

  Keeping her here.

  If getting to know her was worth having her ripped away from me again.

  It probably was.

  But I’m still going to fight to avoid it at all costs. I don’t wanna lose her.

  She doesn’t know why she’s at risk. Why, at any moment, someone could come and take her away from me. But the bigger issue is that if I tell her the complete truth, she’ll lose all faith in me. She probably already has.

  I often wonder why she’s still here.

  Why she hasn’t fled.

  Then again, it’s not like she could.

  I carefully chisel off another slice of the crystal, so it’ll fit the setting. That’s when someone knocks on my door, disturbing me.

  “What?” I yell in a monotonous voice.

  “I’ve got some news, Viktor.” It’s Winston.

  I sigh. “Not interested.”

  After a few seconds, the door creaks open anyway. “I think you should hear this.”

  I turn around, annoyed. “What’s so important?”

  He closes the door behind him. “I just got a call from Vladim.”

  My jaw drops. “What?” I pull the working glasses off my face. “And you didn’t even give the phone to me?”

  “It was too late. He’d already hung up.”

  I frown. “What’d he say?”

  Winston comes closer and puts his hands behind his back, closing his eyes. “He demanded that you come work for him again. He won’t take your resignation.”

  “Bullshit.”

  Winston clears his throat. “He also added … that he’d kill you if you didn’t.”

  I take a deep breath and lower my instruments, gazing at the shining jewels underneath. “Let him. I don’t care anymore.”

  “I think you do because he also said he knows you have the girl.”

  My eyes widen, and I slam my instruments down on the table. “What? How?”

  “I don’t know. He didn’t say and refused to tell me. Call him. He might tell you.”

  I run my fingers through my hair. “And you’re sure he knows she’s here?”

  He nods. “No doubt. Even his description of her matches.”

  I close my eyes for a second to think. “Ugh. You know what? I’ll deal with this later,” I say. “I don’t want to talk about this. Not now.”

  Winston rubs his lips together. “Do whatever you think is best. I’m just the messenger.”

  “Thanks,” I say, as he turns around and walks away.

  “Oh, Viktor?”

  I look up.

  “Hmm?”

  “Try not to punch a hole in your door next time. I’m getting tired of having to replace them.”

  I laugh. “I can try, but I won’t promise anything.”

  He shakes his head as he closes the door behind him.

  I sigh and turn around, attempting to get back to work, which is when the door creaks again.

  “What do you want now?” I say.

  “Nothing.”

  Startled, I turn around at the sound of her voice.

  “Lexi.” My voice almost falters when I see her naked legs coming out underneath a tiny, white nightgown. A thin piece of cloth covers her delicious, naked body … and I know exactly what it looks like. I see it in front of me, even when she’s not totally nude … but it feels like she is.

  I lick my lips at the sight of her. Damn. I’m so glad I bought those clothes just in case I ever got a visitor.

  She holds up a finger and sways, a smirk on her lips. “Alexis or Lex. Not Lexi.”

  “You just don’t like it when I decide what to call you.”

  She narrows her eyes at me but doesn’t respond.

  I shrug, grinning like a stupid motherfucker. “Still angry with me?”

  She takes a deep breath and closes the door behind her, slipping closer seductively. “Depends…”

  “On what?”

  “This place … you haven’t shown it to me before.” She looks around and takes everything in.

  “It’s my workplace.”

  “Where you like to be left alone. Yeah, I know.” She looks at me and raises a brow. “Sorry.”

  I put down my stuff again. “It’s fine.” I clear my throat when I see her push her tits forward with her arms.

  “Can I touch stuff?” Touch stuff … oh boy.

  “If you don’t break anything.” I watch her from the corner of my eye as she goes around the room and pulls books off the shelves, picks up some of the jewelry I’ve crafted, and inspects the tools I work with like they’re made by aliens.

  “Find something you like?” I ask.

  She turns her head and smiles deviously. “I have …”

  “Show me,” I say, leaning back in my chair.

  A hint of a smile appears on her lips, and she sits down on the table a few feet away from me.

  Her legs widen.

  Spread.

  A cocky smile flashes on her face as her hand carefully slides down the crevice between her tits, all the way down her abdomen to the place of my fixation. She slowly pulls up the nightgown until it exposes just a slight sliver of her pussy … but it’s more than enough.

  Two fingers slip down her slit, and I shiver with delight.

  They swirl, agonizingly slow, circling her clit, and all I can think of is going over there and doing it myself.

  But I bury my nails in my seat, sit back, and watch her intently, curious as to where this is going. Why she’s doing this.

  Up and down her fingers go, her legs spreading even farther as she speeds up. Wetness glistens at her entrance, and it makes me want to lick my lips. Instead, I bite my bottom lip and force myself to stay put.

  She keeps gazing at me with this seductive look in her eye … but it isn’t a look I recognize.

  It feels like a trap.

  Like she’s planning to use this against me, and I don’t like it one bit.

  “You want this?” she moans, bringing her finger to her mouth to suck it. “Mmm …”

  I cock my head, narrowing my eyes. “Lexi … I’d kill for you. In fact, I already have.”

  She grins, but I find it hard to concentrate on her eyes with her pussy wide open and on display. “You’d kill for this pussy … Come and get it then.”

  “I would … but I know nothing comes for free.”

  She frowns. “C’mon. Let’s just have some fun.”

  “What do you want, Lexi?”

  She makes a face. “Isn’t it obvious? I want you to fuck me.”

  “And I want to fuck you, but that doesn’t mean we should.”

  “Of course, we should …” She jumps off the table, the nightgown falling over her legs again, finally allowing me to breathe. “You want me, I want you. One plus one equals two. It’s not hard. Although, you are …” Her tongue dips out to playfully wet her lips as she walks toward me and sits down on my lap.

  I tense up immediately, my body still not used to the fact that someone wants to touch it … someone seeking me out.

  But it’s all a lie.

  I know she’s mad at me, and she’s using this as a ploy to get to me.

  “Don’t,” I say.

  She hooks her fingers under my shirt and rolls it up, dipping over to lick my skin with her tongue.

  Oh, fuck me … I’m so hard right now. How am I supposed to resist?

  “I want you so badly, Viktor …” she moans into my ear. I shudder as she licks my earlobe. “Do you want this? It only takes one second …”

  She hovers so closely to my lips now, I
could almost taste her. All I have to do is lean forward and press my mouth to hers, but she keeps arching her back just far enough so I can’t reach her.

  Fucking flirt. She knows exactly how to spin me around her finger.

  “Take it all off,” I growl. “Strip for me.”

  “Hmm … I’ll do that …” Her finger travels along my chest in a tapping motion. She looks deeply into my eyes while hers flare with a need I can’t quite put my finger on. “… after you tell me what that talk with Winston was about.”

  Fuck.

  I knew it.

  I fucking knew something was up.

  “No,” I say, and I push her off me.

  Why do I let my dick do the thinking all the fucking time?

  “What’s your problem?” she says, as she stands.

  “You. You’re trying to fuck your way into me spilling the beans. Well, fuck you,” I growl, willing my cock down while cursing her in my mind.

  “Maybe you should’ve told me the goddamn truth then,” she spits. “I know you were talking about me.”

  “Yeah, what do you know?” I say.

  She folds her arms. “I heard the phone call.”

  God-fucking-dammit.

  “You eavesdropped?” I rub my face. “Jesus Christ.”

  “Yeah, I was listening in to your conversation because I have a right to know when you’re talking about me,” she says, pointing at me. “What were you two talking about?”

  “Nothing,” I say, raising a brow.

  “Bullshit, I know what I heard. Some guy named Vladim wants to kill you and he knows you have me … so tell me why that name sounds so familiar to me, huh?”

  Jesus, when she’s mad, she’s fucking scary. “Listen, Grizzly, I’m not fucking leaving until you tell me what’s going on,” she growls.

  I roll my eyes. “Oh, here we go again.”

  She stomps her feet. “I know what I fucking heard. Don’t think you can deny it.”

  “Oh, I’m not trying,” I say, shrugging. It’s too late for that.

  “Something’s not right here …” She starts to pace back and forth in my workroom. “You won’t let me talk to my sister. You say we’re in danger. You talk about people I know … like this Vladim, I just know I recognize that name … And that cop. It’s all connected, isn’t it?”

  “Take it easy,” I say. “You’re rambling.”

  “No.” She puts her hands against her side. “Tell me. Now.”

  “What?”

  “Everything,” she snarls.

  “Or what?”

  She grabs a stool and sits down in front of me. “I’m not leaving until you do.”

  “Is that a threat?” I raise my brow.

  “Damn right it is.”

  My lips can’t help form a smile. “Oh … I’m so scared.”

  “You’d better be because I’m not gonna let this rest, and you really don’t want me on your bad side. Trust me.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “I could sit here all day, all night if you want. I’ll talk you crazy if I have to.”

  “Please don’t,” I groan.

  “Tell me the truth, Viktor. For once, tell me the goddamn truth!”

  In a spur, I stand up, tired of this. “Fine! Yes, it’s connected. Happy now?”

  “Tell me about the cop. Don’t lie.”

  I frown, my fists balling. “He was a snatcher, someone who finds girls and boys who have little to no family, so they can be stolen off the streets. They get trained to obey and do whatever we want … then sold.”

  Her eyes widen in shock. “Like … servants?”

  I nod. “The cop recognized you because you’re one of them.”

  Now, her jaw drops. “I’m … a servant? How?” But then the realization hits her as her fingers suddenly move to the back of her head, right to where the tattoo sits.

  “Yes. That’s it, Lexi. You’re one of them. And your sister too.”

  She jumps up from her seat and paces around the room. “No …Oh God, Alisha also has that tattoo.” She places her hand in front of her mouth and shakes her head. “You’re wrong. They can’t be bad. My mom is there, I just know she is. I still remember her.”

  “She’s a servant too.”

  Her face turns completely white.

  “You said they don’t take girls with families.”

  “That’s because they changed the rules …”

  “What rules? What are you talking about? And that Vladim guy, he’s part of the organization too, isn’t he?”

  “Yes,” I say. “He’s the one in charge.”

  She swallows, visibly shaken but still unmoving. “I knew I recognized that name. I remember his voice … he was so sweet to me when I was young.”

  Sudden fury sweeps through me, taking control of my voice. “No, Lexi! He’s the bad guy. He’s not fucking sweet.”

  “My memories are different.”

  “Your memories don’t matter. They’re not the truth.”

  “Oh, to you they don’t,” she scoffs. “It’s all I have left of my mom.”

  I growl, “You do not want to mess with him. Why do you think I’ve been trying to keep you and your sister off the streets?” I try to step closer, but she backs away from me.

  “Why would they be out there looking for us? What do they want?”

  “To bring you back where you belong. To sell you. Use you. Or worse … kill you.”

  She shakes her head, tears welling up in her eyes. “You knew all this … and you didn’t tell me? You worked with them!”

  “You wouldn’t have believed me. You still don’t,” I say. “You want to believe in the fantasy that your mom’s somewhere out there, enjoying her life without you, and that one day you’ll all be reunited again. It’s not gonna happen so forget it.”

  “You don’t understand. She’s my mom!” she yells. “I don’t care if she’s a servant or where the fuck she is, but I will see her again.”

  “Don’t. You can’t ever get close to her. She’s in the facility.”

  “So?”

  I sigh. “Anything that goes in never comes out.”

  She shakes her head again. “No … I don’t believe it.”

  I look away. “Believe what you will. I’m done pretending. This is the truth. Take it or leave it.”

  “My home was ripped away from me,” she says with a soft voice. “I was happy with my mom and sister. Together in our tiny room, not much bigger than where Alisha and I live now … it was home. And someone tore it away from me.”

  “You escaped,” I say as I look at her again. “You should be happy about that.”

  “Escaped why? So I could never see my mother again? So I could live on the streets for years and sell my body so we could live?” Her words hurt. Physically. Mentally. They hurt so fucking much, but I can’t do anything about it.

  She scowls. “You can’t expect me to believe that story about servants when you’ve done nothing to prove you’re not lying to my face again.” She points at herself as if it adds validation.

  “It’s not a lie.”

  “How can I trust you, when you’re one of them? When you work with them? For all I know, you could be trying to get me back into that system, if it’s even real.”

  “I’m not trying to get you back there. If I wanted to do that, I would’ve done it a long time ago,” I spit. “I’m trying to stop you from doing it yourself … They’re the bad guys. Your mother can’t be saved. Be glad you and your sister got out.”

  “No,” she hisses. “That’s not enough.”

  I stomp toward her. “Do you want to die?”

  She doesn’t even flinch when I’m all up in her face. “Wanna kill me? Go ahead. I don’t care anymore.”

  What she says strikes a chord in me. She’s just like me … and it pisses me off.

  “I’m not the one trying to kill you, Lexi. You are when you try to escape. You. Can’t. Leave.”

  “Why? Give me one good reason w
hy I shouldn’t just go to my sister right now.”

  I grab her arms. “Because they know I have you now, and they’re out there looking for both you and your sister. If you go out there, you won’t come back.”

  “To you, you mean. Because, let’s face it, that’s what this is all about.” She cocks her head and places her hands on her side. “You just want to keep me here like a pretty fuck doll, but guess what? Love doesn’t come for free. You of all fucking people should know that.”

  “You made a deal. You’re mine,” I growl.

  Out of nowhere, she slaps me. Right across the face.

  Fuck.

  She turns around and stampedes off.

  “Don’t you fucking run away from me,” I yell.

  “Watch me.”

  That’s it. Now, she’s gone and done it. “Think you can still leave after hearing all this? Wrong. You aren’t getting away from me, Alexis Kidd. Not this time.”

  Chapter 17

  Viktor

  She runs up the stairs, and I rush after her, skipping steps along the way. Through the hallway and up into the guest corridor. I’m like a fucking bulldozer, ramming everything in my path so I can get to her quicker. Breaking shit is the least of my worries right now. She’s trying to escape, but I won’t let her.

  As she runs, she glances over her shoulder, a hint of fear collecting in her eyes. It hurts just to see it, but it hurts, even more, to see her running away from me.

  “Stop!” I yell.

  But she keeps going until she reaches her guestroom. I catch up just in time. Before she can shut the door, my foot’s already stuck between.

  “Move!” she says.

  “No,” I say, grabbing the door. “Are you that eager to shut me out again?”

  “Just go away,” she says, trying to push me out, but I’m not having any of it.

  I shove open the door, which pushes her back into the room, and walk in, shutting it behind me.

  “You think it’s that easy to run away from me?”

  “You never told me the truth …” she hisses, walking backward. “You worked with them. Your ‘boss’ was Vladim; the same man you say turns girls into servants. And you fucking worked with him. How could I trust you?”