“You have no idea what you just consented to, Lana.”
“Are you still going to give me those fifteen seconds?” she asks. As much as it pains me to do this, I let go of her and make my way toward the stairs. When I stand at the bottom of the stairs, I nod toward the door of the terrace.
“Go outside, Lana. Or I’ll make it ten seconds.” She mutters something about going outside, and before she heads out, I hear her sayassholeunderneath her breath.
I love her fucking feisty spirit.
I go upstairs to my closet, where my rifles are, and take one I haven’t used in a while.
I have a sniper rifle with a tranquilizer in it, and I take it with me to the balcony. I place it next to me, then put my hands in my pockets.
“Little hummingbird, it’s time for you to fly away,” I call out to her, and she follows my instructions very clearly.
She is running away.
I may be a killer with no qualms about destroying any decency that’s left in me, but what I’ll never be is not fair. I am going to give Lana her fifteen seconds to run away from me.
She is running straight ahead into my maze, and before she reaches it, the fifteen seconds are up. I smile and set up my sniper rifle. I look through the scope and lick my lips before I take my shot.
I shoot the little dart in the back of her upper left thigh, and I know it stings initially because she drops down to the ground. Through the scope, I see her grabbing the back of her thigh and feeling for the little dart.
Then she collapses onto the snowy ground, and I know I should get to her immediately. She could freeze.
I place the rifle onto my bed and run downstairs, so I can get to her.
When I reach her, I scoop her up immediately and bring her back to my living room.
Even though she is unconscious, she is still shivering because it’s fucking cold outside. I cover her up with a blanket on my couch and crank up the heat with my remote. Once I place that shit back, I go over to her and kneel beside her.
“You are so fucking beautiful,” I say to her as I’m stroking her forehead. Besides being fair, I’m also truthful. And it’s not a lie when I tell her she’s beautiful, because she is.
Lana has black hair that reaches the top of her chest, light olive skin, high cheekbones, and a slim figure. But all of that is secondary to what I love most about her: her endurance and work ethic.
I have watched her slave away at a job all these months, but she still shows up and works her fucking ass off. Even though her boss is an abuser.
I need to get her out of that job. Or I need to take out her boss.
Those are all worries for later, because what’s important right now is getting her home.
***
It’s almost 2 a.m., and when I arrive at her apartment in another car, there is nobody on the street.
Sarajevo presents itself as a beautiful and vibrant city during the day, which it is, but at night, you need to watch out.
When we left my house, I made sure to grab her purse because that’s where her keys to her shitty apartment are. I carry her upstairs and open the door with one hand. I open the door, and I want to commit murder right now.
This apartment—no, this whole fucking building—should be torn down. It’s old as hell, and I think I can hear two people fucking three doors down.
“Gross.” Once we reach her bedroom, I lay her down as gently as I did before. Her sheets are on the floor, so I pick them up and cover her with them. She is sleeping so peacefully that I don’t have the heart to wake her.
My reasoning for shooting her is to see if she would listen to me.
And Lana did.
I go through her apartment and make a mental note of what she needs.
“Fucking hell, she needs a whole new apartment,” I stammer to myself. Her apartment is small and in disarray. Her kitchen is awful, her bathroom has a dingy mirror, and her living room is on the verge of collapse.
