by Box Set
I blink, trying to adjust my eyes to the daylight before I sit up, rub my cold and aching feet, and take in my surroundings. The metal fence sits ominously to my left, reminding me freedom is close, but I’ve not yet escaped this prison.
I force myself to get up. My legs are shaking, and a wave of dizziness overcomes me for a moment, causing me to sway where I stand. I take an unsteady step forward, breathing deeply and inhaling the scent of the greenery surrounding me. Edging slowly over to the fence, I ignore the pain in my feet, and the cold air biting deeply into my flesh. I use the fence for support and make my way down the boundary line, listening and watching for any signs someone might be there, waiting for me to appear. I see and hear no one but don’t let my guard down even for a moment. I know I need to get some clothes to wear although the thought of re-entering Maksim’s house terrifies me. Pain and death are the only things awaiting me inside the building where I was held captive for so long, but if I’m quick and careful enough, then I might just make it back out of there alive.
2
LUKA
The little suka kicked me straight in the balls before making a run for it. By the time I recovered enough to point my gun in her direction, she was gone. Fuck. Black spots form at the edge of my vision, and I groan at the pain radiating up into my body. That fucking hurt. I growl, anger flooding through me as I get unsteadily to my feet and take off after her. I’m going to make her pay for that before I finish her off. I want to punish her thoroughly for that little stunt, and remind her that just because Maksim isn’t here, she still needs to behave and do as she’s told. Even if that order is to stand up straight and perfectly still while I put a bullet through her damn skull.
The only time I feel alive is when I’ve a gun in my hand, and I’m watching the life drain out from the person on the receiving end of my bullet. However, killing all of those girls isn’t something I wanted to do. I loathe taking innocent lives, but I follow orders and do as I’m told. It’s either that or death, and I’ve no wish to die alongside them for disobeying a direct order. Especially when it comes from the top. Obey without question. That’s the one rule I’ve been taught to abide by, my entire life. She can’t get far in her current state: naked and probably weak, and the grounds are extensive. She can’t escape, and the moment she tries to get out of those gates, she’s fucking mine.
Outside, it’s cold and night has fallen. I can just about make out the flash of bare, white flesh under the moonlight as she darts into the woods. I take a shot and miss. She’s fucking fast, but she’ll have to stop sometime, and that’s when I’ll have her.
The woods are thicker than it looks with brambles, bushes, and lots of roots sticking up from the ground. I’m surprised she hasn’t stopped yet, the terrain must be unforgiving to her bare feet. I don’t care, I just need to finish the task I’ve been given: everything and everyone must be destroyed, even this fleet-footed little slave.
I crash through the undergrowth, branches tugging on my clothes, and I curse the lack of a flashlight. Stopping, I listen for any movement in the darkness, but there’s nothing except the faint sound of the breeze whispering lightly through the leaves and my heavy breathing. My heart is pounding in my chest, and I’m furious at how I fucked this up so badly.
I move slowly forward between the trees and see a break in the darkness where light peeks through, throwing a tiny glimmer on the ground. There’s no one there, so I keep going, deeper and deeper into the woodland bordering the estate. It’s thicker than it looks, but not as deep as it seems and is surrounded by a thick metal fence tipped with spikes. She can’t get out this way, and if she tried, then she would impale herself on the spikes and save me the trouble of shooting her.
“Foolish girl,” I mutter under my breath before turning and making my way slowly back to the house.
I’m not leaving, but I’ll retreat for now and keep watching closely. She won’t escape.
———
I spend the rest of the night eradicating every last morsel of evidence that ties us to Maksim and clearing up the mess he left behind. By the time morning comes, I'm exhausted and my hands are bloodier than they have ever been in such a short space of time. I could have brought someone in to help me, but I prefer to work alone. I don’t trust anyone else to keep their knife out of my back or their mouth shut. It’s one less mark on my stained and blackened soul if I take care of everything myself. I’d only end up killing my accomplice anyway. She knows how I do things, approving of the precision with which I handle my work. I'll have to arrange for a crew to clean the place from top to bottom, and then it’s up to the boss what she wants to do with it.
I’ve never failed to complete a job, and this isn’t going to become my first time. Before destroying all of the security footage and shutting down the system, I quickly scan through it for any previous signs of the little escapee. What I see both intrigues and sickens me. She’s been kept in a locked, dark room, and they’ve watched via a night vision camera while Maksim used her body as he wished, and then left her sprawled, naked and weak, on the floor when done. There was no sound on any of the recordings, but I could clearly see the agony on her beautiful face when he raped her.
Beautiful… Fuck. Honestly, I can’t deny she’s a beautiful girl, but it doesn’t change the fact she has to die. It certainly doesn’t lessen my anger toward her for humiliating me the way she did in that basement. No, I'll have fun punishing her before I watch the life drain slowly from her eyes.
I turn back to the live feed of the grounds, skimming my eyes over each of the cameras as I watch for any sign of human life. Alert to any movement, which will reveal her location, I fight back the weariness threatening to close my eyes. It’s been a long fucking night.
I jolt in surprise when an alarm blares through the house, startling at the sudden noise. I must have drifted off. Fuck! I frantically scan the cameras looking for the source, and I see the security system has been triggered. My gaze sweeps over the live feeds, and I notice the slim form of the young woman, now fully clothed, running through the front gates and out of sight, her long brown hair flaring out behind her. I’m so fucked.
3
EVELINA
I’m free. This is my only thought as I leave Maksim’s house of fear and pain behind me. I fly down the road as fast as my legs can carry me. I don’t know where I‘m going, but I don’t stop, and I don’t look back. I can feel myself tiring already, but I push on, refusing to let it overtake me until I’m far away from the horrors of that house and the cold darkness of the basement.
My body slowly gives out, and when I finally stop to catch my breath, I’m standing in an empty street with houses all around me. I don’t recognize where I am.
I’m overwhelmed by the feeling of being outside, able to see the sky, and experience freedom. I’m struggling to breathe. I sink to the hard concrete pavement and clutch my knees, gasping and sobbing as everything hits me all at once. I don’t know how long I’ve been sitting there, it could be seconds, minutes, or even hours, when footsteps approach and fear grips my heart. I close my eyes tightly, preparing for what might be my last breath.
“Are you okay?” a soft female voice asks, and I look up, blinking in surprise.
I don’t answer; I just stare at the young woman standing in front of me. I can’t find my voice or the strength to do anything more than shake my head, as tears slowly run down my cheeks and drip onto my hands.
“Here, let me help you up,” she says, reaching a hand down to me.
I hesitate before taking it, letting her pull me to my feet. I stand there, swaying slightly, and she wraps her arm around my shoulders.
“Let’s get off the street and somewhere warm. There’s a small cafe nearby, we can go and have a nice cuppa. Then, you can tell me what’s wrong. Maybe I can help you?” The warmth in her gentle voice is comforting.
I let her lead me away from the houses and onto a long street where she directs me toward a small café, tucked betwe
en a row of shops, and we go inside. I won’t tell her why I’m upset. I can’t. How could I tell anyone what’s happened to me?
“I want to go home,” I whisper.
“Is there someone I can call for you? Someone who can come and pick you up?” she asks, taking a seat at one of the tables and gesturing for me to follow.
I glance around, wondering if this whole thing is a trick, a ruse to lull me into a false sense of security. I slowly inch into the seat facing the door, so I can see everyone passing by. I don’t want to be caught unaware with my back to any threat. I don’t know how far I’ve managed to travel from Maksim’s house, but it probably isn’t as far as I’d like.
She looks at me. “I’m going to order us some tea. How do you take it?”
“…Black …no sugar,” I answer after a moment’s pause, trying to remember.
It’s been so long since I’ve had anything to drink other than water, or the cum Maksim would force down my throat with his cock. I shake off the memories and bite my lip to keep from crying again.
When she returns with the teas, I wrap my hands around the cup she places in front of me, letting the warmth seep into my skin, and inhaling the familiar scent.
“I’m Lucy, what’s your name?”
Slave, I think, but I don’t say that to her. “Evelina.”
“Evelina,” Lucy repeats, and a strange feeling takes over me at hearing my name on her lips.
It’s been a long time since anyone called me by my true name with genuine kindness. For years I’ve been called Slave, or some other degrading names when Maksim and his friends would use me for their pleasure. When he was feeling particularly cruel, Maksim would pretend to be gentle, calling me Evelina. He’d make me feel as though the nightmare was about to end only to leave me more broken than ever by his own hand.
I blink and refocus on Lucy, once again, forcing the memories aside, wishing I could rid my mind of them completely. I might be free from the prison that physically held me, but I'll never escape the fortress I’ve built inside my mind to protect myself from the nightmares. I don’t say another word while we drink, and I think Lucy must sense I’m struggling to speak because she doesn’t push me to talk until after our cups are empty.
“Is there someone I can call for you?” she asks again, and I realize I didn’t answer her earlier.
“I don’t know anyone’s phone number. I just need to get home,” I say.
Lucy bites her lip and nods. “I don’t drive, but I can call a cab for you. Do you have money?”
I shake my head, tears filling my eyes, “No, but my mum might.”
She frowns and pulls out her phone. “Where do you live?”
“Swanley,” I answer, thinking it’s unlikely Lucy will even know of the village.
“Oh, it’s not far from here. We’re only in Dartford,” she answers, chirpily.
So close to home, and I never even knew. Spotting a newspaper on the table next to us, I snatch it, hoping to find out the date. I’ve been locked away for so long I don’t have any measure of how much time has passed. When I see the date, I drop the newspaper onto the table and do my best to mask my shock.
Four years… I wonder if my mum will even remember or recognize me anymore. I was barely a teenager when I was stolen from her. Did she stop searching for me? Did she give up hope of ever seeing me again?
My heart twists in pain, and I fight back the sob that creeps up my throat at the thought of her giving up on me. Four years is a long time, and I’m no longer the innocent young girl I once was. I haven’t looked at a mirror in years, and I wonder if I’ll even recognize myself in the glass when I set eyes upon my face once again.
———
I’m going home. When Lucy phoned the cab company and asked them to pick me up, she tried to insist on coming with me, but I wouldn’t let her. I don’t want anyone to know exactly where I live, not even her. I’ve been held captive not even ten miles away from where I lived in Swanley with my mum. It’s been so long since I saw anywhere other than the inside of Maksim’s home I barely recognize anything anymore.
When the driver pulls up at the end of the road, I hand him the twenty pound note Lucy forced me to take. Her kindness surprised me; I had forgotten what it was like to be treated with care as if I was human instead of a fucking toy. I jump out of the car and run up the driveway, my heart pounding when I see the familiar green front door with the bronze knocker and number ‘sixty-two’ fixed just above the letterbox. I pound on the door not even bothering with the knocker.
Tears run down my face as I cry, sobbing out over and over, “Mum, it’s me. I’m home.”
The door opens and my mum stands there, looking older than when I last saw her.
“Evelina?” she chokes out, and I throw my arms around her.
When I let go, she takes an unsteady step back and slumps to the floor, unconscious.
4
LUKA
I bang my fist on the desk and storm out of the security surveillance room, slamming the door behind me. Everything has been wiped clean. The only loose end is the girl, and I have no idea where to start my search. Raking a hand through my hair, I growl in frustration at this colossal fucked up mess.
Sighing heavily, I pull my phone out and call one of the boss’ tech guys. I don’t want this getting out, but I have no choice. I can’t search the whole damn country for the girl. When I hear the connecting click, I immediately bark my orders into the phone before he has the chance to speak.
“I need to know everything about the girls Maksim kept in his home. Names, descriptions, anything you can send me. I’m sure there must be some photos...that ubludokliked to brag about his toys and show them off at his little parties. Send it all to me.”
“Man, why do you need this shit?” he questions.
“Fuck, Pavlo, one of the little bitches got away, and I need to find her,” I grit out.
Pavlo whistles … the noise sounds fucking awful down the line. “I wouldn’t want to be you when the boss finds out you fucked up. I’ll help you, but if they ask me why you want this info, I’m not going to lie. Every man for himself.”
I nod even though he can’t see me. “I know. As quick as you can, and while you’re at it, you can send cleanup.”
I hang up and walk through the desolate house while I wait. The place is silent and empty. There’s no evidence of life here except for my own beating heart, and the sound of my footsteps, bouncing off the high ceilings.
The phone buzzes in my hand, and I swipe open an email from Pavlo. A stream of photos and details fill the screen, and I smirk. He’s a pain in the ass, but he’s also a genius at what he does. I scroll through all of the information, scanning it for what I need. When I see the photo of the petite brunette from the basement my lip quirks. Gotcha.
I send the photo back to him with a simple message.
I need everything you can get me on this girl.
Name, age, last known location. EVERYTHING.
The phone buzzes again, and when I open the new email, my fucking day is made.
———
The information Pavlo sent me contains everything I need to know, including the missing person’s report from when she disappeared four years ago. Fucking Maksim… she was only fourteen. I’m almost surprised he kept her so long, but then she really is a pretty little thing, and from watching the recordings, I could see how beautifully she cried. With her porcelain skin, her agony-filled warm brown eyes, and her mahogany colored hair, cascading down her back, she’d be irresistible.
I have her name now, and it suits her perfectly: life and light…so they kept her in the dark.
Evelina.
I look down at my lap and groan at the feel of my cock, straining against my black pants. I ignore it, willing it away. Being attracted to her will only complicate things, and it won’t alter her fate. I again pull up the email Pavlo sent and click on the link to Evelina’s information. When it opens, I let out a surprised breath. Al
though he was a sick bastard, Maksim was also fucking clever at times. He’d chipped her with a GPS tracker, which I doubt she knows about, and has now provided me with the means to find her.
I shake my head when I see the flashing dot on the interactive map and realize just how close it is to my current location. This is too easy. The silly girl went home. I just hope she’d enough sense to keep her mouth shut. I scowl because if she has told anyone about Maksim and what happened to her, the shit will really hit the fan. As much as I can’t afford to waste any more time on her, I need to cover my ass and make sure she hasn’t divulged anything she shouldn’t have.
I contact Pavlo again and promise him a favor in exchange for him setting up a tap on her mother’s cell and landline, to trace and record all of their calls. If either of them even begins to dial the number for the police, the man I’ve sent to watch them will disconnect the line and ensure Evelina and her family are dead before they know what hit them.
I monitor the tracker closely while I wait for the cleanup crew to finish their work, but she doesn’t leave the house. The man I’ve posted near the property has checked in every two hours since arriving and reported there has been no activity to require his special attention. He did inform me security on the house was poor, and he has managed to install cameras on the first floor. The feed is being streamed directly to my phone, and while I wait impatiently to leave here and reclaim the little escapee, I watch her through the cameras, committing everything I see to memory.
I’ve no idea if the police were called in the short time it has taken me to locate her, but I intend to find out. She'll be fucking sorry if she has because in this business spilling secrets is not tolerated, and she isn't the only one who’ll be punished.