by Box Set
“Khuy! Get your damn hands off me, or when I get out of here, I'll remove them both from your wrists and send them to your sister, ” I snarl when he puts his hand back on my shoulder.
“What the fuck, Luka?!” Pavlo exclaims, and my head jerks to the side when his fist hits my face.
“You backstabbing pidza. How long did you even wait before you went running to the boss about my fuck-up?” I spit out with a mouthful of blood from where my teeth scraped against my cheek when he hit me.
Pavlo forces my head up in time for me to see Wesley stand up and slowly lick the fingers that had been inside Evelina.
“I bet she tastes fucking divine. Maybe when they're done, I should go and see what the fuss is all about,” he whispers in my ear.
I slam my head into his, and his howl of pain from my skull connecting with his face, brings a fucking smile to mine.
“If you ever touch her, then your sister will receive your body in fucking pieces,” I threaten, and my voice is low and full of the hate I feel toward him in this moment.
“Now unless you're here for an actual reason, get the fuck out!”
Glaring at him, I don't bother to hide how much I want to hurt him, and I fight against the ropes, wanting nothing more than to rip them off and wrap them around his neck. But he doesn't move to leave, he just walks slowly around the chair until he's standing directly in front of me, obscuring my view of Evelina.
“Don’t you fucking dare mention my sister,” he hisses, slugging me once in the stomach before walking out.
Whatever happens to me from here on out, I don't fucking care. I just hope I live long enough to get us both out of here. I will Evelina to not give up, but these guys have brutality written into their DNA and unlike Maksim, they won't hold back. They’ll keep going until there is nothing left of her to salvage.
17
LUKA
Three days, it’s been three fucking days that I’ve been locked in this room, unable to do anything more than yell at the screen in front of me as Wesley and Bernardo perform their twisted, sordid version of interrogation on Evelina. The ropes binding me have started to cut deeply and are stained and stiff with blood and sweat from my exertions. Pavlo has been back twice, and last time he left in a fury with the makings of a black eye because I head-butted him when he got too close.
The door opens just as Wesley and Bernardo come into view on the camera feed. Evelina has told them a lot over the past few days, and I’m not sure what else they think they’ll get out of her, or maybe they’re here to finally finish it.
I turn and see Pavlo walking up to me, a strange look on his face.
“What the fuck do you want? Unless you’re about to get me out of here, you can fuck off back out that door,” I snap at him, hissing when the ropes dig in as I move.
I glance back at the screen, but Evelina is obscured by the two men leaning over her, and I can’t make out what they’re doing. Pavlo doesn’t say anything, he draws a knife from its sheath, and I shake my head when I recognize the blade. It’s mine.
“Fucking typical, going to kill me with my own fucking knife now? Stabbing me in the back and dropping me in this shit wasn’t enough for you was it?” I laugh bitterly.
“Shut the fuck up,” Pavlo growls, approaching me with it.
Surprising me with a move I’m unprepared for, Pavlo starts cutting through the ropes binding me to the chair, and I groan in relief as the pressure instantly eases up.
“You’re being moved. They’re done with her now. You, however, they’ve decided you’ve not suffered enough for your mistakes,” he informs me, not looking at my face while he works.
When he’s done, I don’t hesitate; I sucker punch the fucker in the side of the head for double-crossing me, and he goes down, unconscious. He was a fucking fool for thinking that I wouldn’t attempt to escape once the ropes were cut, because after all of this, I’m done following orders and playing along. Pavlo deserves more than that for what he did, and no doubt when they find out he’s let me escape, that’s fucking guaranteed. I’m not sure why he decided to come down here alone to escort me to a new location, but he should’ve known better than to underestimate me when I’m pissed.
Evelina lets out a shriek, causing all of the hairs on my body to stand on end. The sound of her scream is different from before, and when my gaze snaps up to see what’s happening, my vision turns red at the images on the screen. Wesley is between her legs, and I can tell from the way his body is moving he’s raping her. Bending down, I quickly frisk Pavlo’s body for a weapon, and strike gold when I find my holstered gun on his belt. Stripping the weapon from Pavlo's body, I put the holster on my belt, snatch up my knife, and storm from the room with murder singing in my fucking soul.
I’m in the basement where all the holding rooms are, and the doors are all closed. Fuck, this is going to take too much time. Kicking each open, I hurriedly search for the right room when the door at the end of the corridor suddenly flies open.
Bernardo walks out, and I draw my gun I retrieved from Pavlo, flicking off the safety. When he spots me, he pauses, and a filthy, smug look crosses his face.
“Well, look who it is. Fucking, Luka, come to rescue the little blyad,” he spits with a sneer, “Her screams when we made her bleed were like fucking music, and she tastes even better.”
“Nu vse, tebepizda!” I snarl, because he’s a fucking dead man walking, and before he can react, I’m in front of him with his shirt in my grip.
I slam the butt of the gun against his nose, smirking when I hear the crack, and his grunt of pain, right before I put a bullet between his eyes.
The silencer muffles the shot to a dull thud as the bullet hits him. I watch as he jerks back, and I see the spray of blood from the bullet exit wound splatter over Wesley’s face as he comes to investigate the commotion. I release Bernardo who falls to the floor, blood seeping from the hole I just put in his skull. Anger blinds me when I see Wesley’s open zipper, and I raise the gun, firing a single shot into his groin before I lodge another in his brain.
It’s not all I wanted to do to them, I wanted to make them suffer for fucking touching Evelina, but time is against me. If I’m to get her out of here, it needs to be now before the rest of Tatiana’s security get down here. Should we get caught, they’ll makes sure what’s left of our lives is a torturous hell before ending them for good.
“Evelina?” I call out, stepping on the bodies of my enemies as I enter the room where they’ve been keeping her.
She’s huddled in a corner, her thin arms over her head, and I grind my teeth to bite back the fury, threatening to overtake me when I see the state they’ve left her in. Evelina’s weak sobbing reaches my ears, and I rush over to her, pulling out my knife to cut the ropes still secured around her wrists. She shrinks away from me, her whimpers of fear twist my heart. I’ve done this to her, and I could’ve stopped it from happening if I’d disobeyed orders sooner.
“I’m so fucking sorry, but you need to come with me. I’m going to get you out of here,” I say quietly, and slide my arms underneath her trembling body before lifting her and holding her to my chest.
“Luka?” she asks. Her voice is hoarse, and so faint I can barely hear her.
Her clothes are completely ruined, hanging from her slim body in ragged shreds, and she’s shivering, clutching me tightly as she presses closer to me for warmth. I set her down gently on her feet, and she leans against the doorframe for support. I quickly shed my jacket, and wrapping it around her shoulders, I help her to push her arms through the sleeves. It’s too big, but it’ll give her some of the modesty and warmth that has been robbed from her by those bastards. I almost wish I could kill them again for fucking touching her. I move to pick Evelina up once more, but she shakes her head at me, so I grab her hand to help keep her steady as we leave the room.
Disgust and pain flash across her face when she recognizes the two men, lying prone on the ground in a pool of blood. When she stomps on the gr
oin of the one closest to her, the small grunt of effort leaving her lips, makes me smile. They’ve dulled her light until it’s barely a flicker, but the fire is still there smoldering inside her, and I want to be the one to fan it back to life. I just need to get us out of here safely.
18
EVELINA
Monsters shouldn’t have names, they shouldn’t look and act like real people, and most of all they shouldn’t be allowed to live. Wes and Bernardo are dead, and all I can feel is relief at the fact Luka killed them. They’re not coming back. I never thought I’d reach the point where I’d talk about Maksim, and everything that happened to me including all I learned while I was there. I always imagined I’d be stronger than that. But I was wrong.
I don’t know where Luka is taking me, and I’m not sure I even care, because all I want is to be away from that room and away from them. The feel of their touch is all over me, and I need to get it off. I want to stand in a hot shower and let the water wash the last remnants of them from my skin. I’m so sick of it… I’m sick of being the toy monsters want to play with, using me, and then leaving me to cry away the pain, alone in the darkness.
There’s nothing left for me to fight for anymore, they have taken every last morsel of strength from me until my soul is bruised and bleeding. Clinging on to Luka, I let him lead me away to whatever fate awaits me, hoping with all I have left that my suffering is finally over. Ignoring the aches spreading through my body and the stinging between my thighs, I let my mind drift, trying to think of happier things. But it’s impossible, and I can feel myself getting sucked further and further into the darkness and the memories I wish I could bury.
He came for me, the man who has been keeping me locked in this dark prison, taunting me with the promise of light and freedom every time the door opens. Hope is a lie, there is none of it here. I’ve been used more times than I can count, and every inch of my body is on permanent display. Modesty is a long forgotten luxury, and one I’ve been repeatedly stripped of, with no clothing to wear and no way to cover my bruised, pale skin.
Nakedness is a constant, save for the blanket I’ve been granted, which keeps me from freezing to death, but it doesn’t stop them from ripping it away from me when they please. The man… the monster who has me trapped in this lonely, dark cell visits frequently, but sometimes he isn’t alone. Sometimes he drags me upstairs to be the entertainment at parties where I’m free game for anyone who wishes to play.
When the door opens, I look up, drinking in the faint light that surrounds him like a false halo. The weak plea catches in my throat, and I cough out a faint whimper, unable to find the strength to fight him. Grabbing my arm, he hauls me upright, dragging me from my prison. My feet pad silently on the concrete floor, the cold stabbing my soles as if pinpricks of ice are beneath them. There’s no point in struggling… no point in trying to fight him off. He prefers it when I’m not compliant, when I fail to simply let myself be taken willingly. I’ve never been willing, and I’ll never want what they force me to take.
“Upstairs, Slave. Some friends of mine want to meet you,” he leers as the words sink in, filling me with fear.
“Please, no,” I whisper, and he laughs coldly, humorlessly.
Before I can even take a breath, I’m slammed up against a wall, his hand at my throat while the other trails downwards as my tears mimic his movement.
“This is mine… to do with what I will, and you will behave yourself or be very fucking sorry,” he says, sharply pushing his fingers inside of me and making me gasp in pain.
Withdrawing them, he releases his hold on my throat and continues to drag me through the house to the drawing room where his guests are waiting for a meeting, drinks, and ‘entertainment’.
Over the last few days not a single memory has been left unanalyzed. All my painful secrets, and every sordid, disgusting thing that ever happened to me has been drawn out against my will to satisfy their twisted curiosity and pleasure. But telling them everything didn’t stop them taking everything else from me. Wes and Bernardo were just like Maksim, monsters who wouldn’t stop until they had wrung out every ounce of pain they could. The only difference being that, unlike Maksim, they didn’t force pleasure on my body, but they did maximize the agony I was feeling until I couldn’t bear it.
In many ways what Maksim did was worse because it was those small acts when he would make me feel pleasure, which shattered and left me ruined in a way I’ll never recover from. However, Wes and Bernardo gave me no reprieve, and no time to recover or protect myself. I’m more vulnerable now than I’ve ever been and every nerve in my body is protesting. They ripped open the wounds that had barely begun to heal, and poured acid on them, burning and branding me with the present until it blended with the past.
The only thing keeping me from screaming right now is the promise of freedom Luka has made me. Although he’s given me no reason to believe him, everyone else here has shown me nothing but an inclination to dish out pain, leaving me no other choice than to trust him. When he pulls me close, and his solid arm wraps around me, it rekindles the small hope that there will be an end to the nightmare, which continues to hold me in an ever tighter grasp.
“Keep going, we’re almost there,” he murmurs.
19
LUKA
Coming out of the basement where the holding rooms are, I’m on high alert, listening and watching for any sign that someone is aware we are no longer imprisoned. Once I’m sure no one is around, I tighten my hold on Evelina and move as stealthily as I can toward the rear of the house, knowing that caution and subtlety is what will save our lives.
Tension flows through my body as I hurry Evelina across the kitchen and over to the door that leads to our freedom. It’s too quiet, and my skin is prickling with a sense of foreboding.
I’m almost unsurprised when I hear a familiar voice behind me… followed by the click of a gun. “Did you think you would just be allowed to walk out of here?”
I turn on the spot, keeping Evelina behind me and out of view, as best I can, with my body. Meeting the eyes of the man who I once thought of as a friend, I lament not killing him when I had the chance, even if he was unintentionally instrumental in getting us this far. Conflicting emotions war through my brain. I raise my gun, watching as the cocky look on Pavlo’s face, warps into one of surprise.
“Either let us leave, or you’ll force my hand. Even though you’ve been a friend for a long time, I won’t fucking hesitate to kill you. Not after everything you’ve done, especially your betrayal. I should’ve known better than to trust you.” My voice doesn’t waver; the conviction in my tone is clear in every word, and I know he hears it.
I can hear the thumping of heavy footsteps on the floor above as many sets of feet hit the stairs, making their way toward us.
“What the fuck have you done, Pavlo?!” I shout.
“I can’t let you leave here with her,” he retorts.
“Why? What possible reason could you have for this?” I demand, still aiming the gun at him, not letting it drop for even a second.
“Sasha,” Pavlo says, resignation filling his tone.
His fucking sister. “I’d never touch her.”
“Not you, them,” he spits, and I straighten.
“Stop this, Pavlo,” I order, biting out the words..
He shakes his head, and I growl in anger, “Fuck this!”
I pull the trigger and turn away, not stopping to watch the bullet hit, but the sound of his body crashing to the floor reaches my ears, telling me I was right on target. Cover blown by the dead fucker lying on the kitchen floor, I shoot out the lock on the door. Grabbing Evelina’s hand, I pull her behind me, but when she stumbles, I stop and sweep her up into my arms. I kick the door open, the broken lock a useless mess of wood and metal, and rush out into the darkness.
Evelina shivers in my grip, the chilly wind whipping at her exposed skin, but there’s no time to stop. If we don’t get out of here, then we’re as good as dead.
Gunshots ring out in the night surrounding us, magnified by the silence of the late hour. Evelina yelps in terror, but I don’t bother to console her. Although the grounds are expansive, we can’t hide here because these men will not stop until they find us, and if they catch up to us, we’re fucked. I keep running, ignoring the strain on my screaming muscles, and I’m thankful Evelina is so petite and delicately built.
Lights sweep across the grounds, searching for us, and I curse, knowing that it’s only a matter of time before they spot us.
“Over here!” a male voice shouts.
I point my gun in the direction it came from and fire blindly, smirking when I hear the yell of pain. It’s unlikely I’ve killed him, but even just slowing them down at this point is a miracle, and I’ll accept even the smallest of those if it gets us out of here alive, not in a fucking body bag.
“We’re close now, Evelina,” I rasp out.
My breath escapes me in pants as my energy depletes from the exertion. Adrenaline is the only thing keeping me moving right now, and I know when that’s gone, I’ll crash. The small side gate to the grounds, which only the heads of security use, comes into view, and I’m fucking praying they haven’t changed the code since I was last here. Only a select few people know it, including me. Quickly tapping in the code, I groan in frustration when it doesn’t open, and I try once more, making sure to keep my hand steady. This time it beeps, and the clunk as it unlocks, sends a wave of relief through my heart.
Another shot rings out, and it’s closer this time. The bullet hits the metal fencing that wraps around the boundary of the grounds with a sharp ping. Evelina lets out a whimper of fear, and in the faint light, I can see how wide her eyes are. The pupils dilated with fear look nearly black, sharply contrasting against her pale skin and making her look almost ethereal. If our current situation wasn’t so dire, I would spend a moment to take in her beauty.