I'm left trembling in my seat, wrapped in luxury as we hurtle through the darkness toward an unknown destination.
Toward a fate I can't even imagine.
4
HOLLY
I wake to the sensation of movement. To strong arms cradling me against a solid chest. My eyes flutter open, and feeling disoriented, I take in the star-scattered sky above us.
"Easy," Nikolai's voice rumbles against my ear. "We're here."
Dazed, I realize I must have fallen asleep on the jet despite being kidnapped.
But when I look around, I can see we’re not at the airport. We’re in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by snow, darkness, and a snow-capped alpine forest. The only light out here comes from a mountain lodge up ahead.
Not only did I fall asleep on the plane, but apparently I slept through a car ride also.
But how did I sleep through?—
“Oh my god. You drugged me.” The realization hits hard, and I twist in Nikolai’s arms, trying to break free.
“Relax. It was just a mild sedative to calm your nerves. You were petrified of flying.”
“I was petrified because I was being kidnapped.”
“You were as white as a ghost.”
“What did you give me?”
He must’ve had the flight attendant put something in my vodka.
“Something for uneasy flyers.”
I struggle in his arms again. But he holds me in an impossibly strong embrace.
"Put me down," I demand, but my voice comes out hoarse and uncertain.
Nikolai ignores me and carries me up wooden steps to a massive lodge that looms before us.
I catch glimpses in the exterior lighting. Raw timber beams. River rock. Expansive glass. The door swings open, and suddenly we're inside.
The warmth hits me first. Then light. Then the sheer, overwhelming luxury of the mountain lodge I’m standing in.
"Welcome to my home,malyshka," Nikolai says, setting me on my feet.
I stumble back from him immediately, putting distance between us, and wrap my arms around myself as I take it all in.
Cathedral ceilings. A stone fireplace, already crackling with fire. Floor-to-ceiling windows framing an endless darkness outside.
I turn to face Nikolai. "Where are we?"
"Welcome to Ransom, Alaska," he says, moving toward a bar near the fireplace. "Remote enough that screaming won't help you." He pours a clear liquid into a crystal glass. Vodka. The expensive kind. "Would you like one?"
"No." I hug myself tighter. I have to be smarter. He’s already managed to drug me once. "I want to go home."
"Not possible." He takes a slow sip, those piercing eyes never leaving mine. "And it’s going to be a long and uncomfortable stay if you keep asking."
I gnaw at my lower lip. Frantically trying to figure out a way to convince him to let me go. “Why are you doing this?”
