“What about the others?” I slant a glance back over my shoulder. “We can’t just leave them!”
God, what kind of animal is he?
“Shut up and walk, goddammit!” he’s talking through gritted teeth. But if he thinks I’m just going to waltz out of here with him, he’s got another thing coming.
“No! If I go, they go!” I yank harder, but fuck, his grip is like a vice. I twist to pull free, but suddenly he’s hauled me off my feet, and I’m being swung over his shoulder like a sack offresh produce. Okay, the shirt is definitely hiding some big-assed muscles. So what? He’s got a gym membership. Big fucking deal.
Behind us, the motherfucking Russki starts to laugh.
“Thank you for your business. Have nice day,” he calls after us as the guy carrying me kicks the door open and steps over the threshold.
“I’ll fucking kill you!” I scream. Though I’m not sure who I’m threatening now. We’re outside, and I’m blinded. It’s been days since I saw the light. The guy with me seems disoriented, too, because he pauses as if trying to get his bearings as we emerge. He sets me on my feet, still looking around.
“You good?” he asks.
“You monster!” I yell, shoving hard against his chest. “You complete fucking animal! How? How could you just leave them?” I spin around. The door’s not far off. I can still get back—
“Hey!” That iron grip is back on my arm, spinning me off balance. “Hey!” A sharp slap snaps my head to the side. The shock stops me in my tracks. I raise a hand to my cheek, staring at him. Eyes like ice chips pin me in place. “The next one lands on your ass. And I can promise you there’ll be more.”
Is he threatening to spank me?
I’m pretty sure my mouth is hanging open.
“Fuck you! Who do you think you are? My fucking dad?”
“Doesn’t matter who I am. You’re not going back there, all right?”
Not all right. So not all right!
“But they—”
“They will kill you, Buttercup!”
Buttercup? The fuck?
“I don’t care! At least I won’t die a fucking coward!”
“No, of course you won’t. You’ll die hard. Those guys will literally fuck you to death, little girl. If that’s what you want, be my goddamn guest.” He scowls at me, his jaw working, then he spins on his heel and turns away. I can hear him muttering under his breath as he stalks off. “Fucking done playing fucking knight in shining armor,” I hear him say.
Knight in shining armor? Who’s he trying to kid?
We’re in some kind of trucking compound, and the door we’ve walked out of seems to lead into a warehouse of sorts. It’s huge. I don’t want to think about how many others are in there. The words “fuck you to death” ring in my ears. I swallow hard. Goddammit, he’s right; I can’t go back in there.
Another glance around the compound tells me we’re not alone. There must be half a dozen more guys patrolling the area. Across the asphalt, I see a broad tank of a guy eyeing me coolly. His fingers stroke along the butt of the Kalashnikov slung over his shoulder. I sneak another look at the tall retreating form of the man who dragged me out of there.
I turn and spit blood on the floor. My lip is split from the Russki’s sneak jab earlier. I have no doubt there’s a lot more where that came from. I break into a jog after my self-proclaimed knight.
“Oy!” I yell. “Oy, wait up!”
Fuck. I’m going to regret this!
∞∞∞
It’s a relief to get away from the stink of diesel fumes as we clamber from the cab of the hauler we hitched a ride in. I standon the pavement and peer around.
Where the hell are we?
My “hero” is looking around too.
