I feel physically sick.
These girls are so much worse in better light. I looked over twelve half-starved, no doubt drugged, terrified women that I’m not convinced aren’t an age that starts withone. Most of them refused to even make eye contact with me. I turned towards the guy standing guard at the door to my room.
“This isn’t gonna work if you’re in here. You ain’t gotta leave, but get out and shut the door at least.”
“You don’t give orders,whore.”
I smiled sweetly. “I don’t answer to you, peaches. Get. The. Fuck…outta my room.” His jaw tightened, and he hesitantly slammed the door in my face. I turned around to see every one of the girls staring at me now. At least two of them look very familiar. I’m almost positive they’re in that stack of files from the safety deposit box. I parked my hands on my hips and sighed hard.
“I’m about to tell you something very important…and if any of you want to live…you’ll do exactly as I say…and do itquietly.” They look like the walking dead. This is infuriating. “Every single one of you have been bought and paid for. As far as Mikhail Romanov is concerned, you belong to me now. I’ve got hot food coming for all of you. Fresh clothes. A hard-earned bath that nobody will rush you out of…and as long as you do exactly as you’re told…no more chains on your fucking bed. Do I have your full attention?”
Tears slid down faces. A few looked at me like they wanted me dead.
“That’s not the important part.” Aaaaand…cue the confusion. “They boughtme. I have no fucking intention of being a good girl. I’m to train you to please the men that come in and out of this hellhole. I’ll teach you everything I know. When business is good…the boss will get distracted and comfortable. Understand? We wait to strike.”
“Strike?” One girl croaked out, hoarsely. “What do you mean?”
“What’s your name, love?”
She tightened her arms around herself and rocked back and forth. “Adrienne.”
“Well, Adrienne…as I said…you’reminenow. I didn’t buy you to pretty up your rape. No woman should fuck any man if she doesn’t want to. We’re gonna make them pay. Not in money. But inblood.” Every eye widened and my smile grew wider. “I’mgonna kill them all. Every last one. And when I’m done, this place will be a pile of blood and ash. I’m taking everything that’s mine. That now includes all twelve of you.”
They started whispering amongst each other and I saw it then. That spark of hope that they’ll get to pick up the pieces of their lives after this dark chapter.
“This doesn’t work unless you all do as I say. I’m not alone. But if you fuck this up, you don’t just fuck it up for you. You fuck it up for all of us. If anybody feels like they can’t handle this, I need to know now. One weak link will cost us all our freedom.” Silence. Eagerness. Drive.Good. “Alright then. I sat in this shower for a good half hour last night. If there’s anything good that can be said about this place, it seems like it’s that the hot water doesn’t run out. Who’s going first?”
They all took tearful turns in the shower, and I sat with each one, tenderly brushing out their hair and getting to know a little bit about them, honestly trying to make them feel more like human beings, but also to earn their trust. Several boxes of necessities had been brought in, per my long list I gave to Mikhail, and by the end of the day…my girls were feeling a lot more like the people they were before all this. It shattered my heart to see some of that progress shrink back into the corner when they all got led back to their rooms. At least tonight…they have clean sheets, warm blankets and fresh fucking underwear. I was changing myownsheets as Mikhail let himself into my room.
“You never do this before?”
I fought with the corner of the fitted sheet, not even bothering to look at him. “What? Be sold off to a brothel to tend to a bunch of starving teenagers and micro-dickmen?No, can’t say I have.”
“The sheet is turned the wrong way.”
The door snicked shut and my eyes trailed towards it, lead weighing down my gut while he started to unbuckle his belt. “What…are you doing?”
“Testing out what I paid for. Come here. Get on your knees.”
I swallowed and it felt like forcing a cotton ball down my throat…which is a lot better than what I think is about to be forced instead. My face started tingling and the fight in my fucking veins wanted to rage. The demon is awake. This isn’t good for so many fucking reasons.
“I don’t start until week’s end.”
Mikhail smiled, flicking his greasy hair out of his face. “You don’t start with payingcustomers. I said…come…here.”
“And if I don’t?”
He pulled his cock out, proud with himself as if he put me in my place, and pointed a pistol at me. “I know your weakness now,moya zaika. Swallow me…or I send your lover a piece of you in a cheap box every week.” My breaths shuddered, and my legs felt weak, adrenaline and boiling hate thrumming through every part of me as I clenched my fists at my sides and forced one foot in front of the other. If I wanna make it outta this, then I have no choice but to follow my own advice. Sev’s life is worth that. Her family’s life is worth that. Thesegirls’lives are worth that.
Declanis worth that.
I fought back tears, pushing myself to look him in the eye as I stood in front of him. He knows he’s won this round with me, and it fuckingshows.
I’m going to enjoy every second of killing you, Mikhail Romanov.
“Let us see if O’Dell is gambling man.”
The barrel of his gun touched my forehead and I swallowed, clenching my teeth until my jaw was sore…and lowered myself to my knees.
