by Jaden Wilkes
“He deserved to die,” she said, as if reading his mind.
“Yes,” Dimitri replied and set the body down, left him crumpled against a wall. If anyone casually passing by glanced down to see him, they would assume it was a drunk sleeping it off. That would give them plenty of time to get back to their plane and be home before the body was discovered.
Being wealthy certainly did have its advantages.
Columbia kneeled next to the body; she took her gloves off and drew her finger through the blood still oozing from the man’s wounds. His clothing was soaked in it, his tank top now red instead of white and almost transparent from the wetness.
“It’s so weird, isn’t it?” she said and examined her bloody hand.
“What’s that?” he asked and watched her, fascinated by her reaction to the Serb’s death.
“This little amount of blood represents a person’s entire lifetime. A whole collection of memories and events, all pouring out in what, about a cup of blood? Do you think he’s been bad for a long time? When did it happen? Was he a cute little boy who grew up to become a monster?”
Nico whistled, a sharp sound in the silence of the alleyway.
“We have to go,” he told her and pulled her up. He helped her slide the gloves over her bloodied hands and said, “We can discuss the philosophy of murder on the plane, but for now we have to make sure we get out of here.”
She reached for him, pulled his head down for a savage kiss. She surprised him with the strength she had at the moment, clinging to him and inserting herself into his mouth, trying to take claim of it.
He resisted, pulled her arms down and pinned them behind her back in a grim similarity to how he’d bound the dead man. He twisted them until she whimpered and gave in, allowing him to control the kiss, and her body.
“I want to fuck you,” he said against her lips, “I want to plunge into you and drive my cock so far in your cunt you can’t remember your own name.”
She moaned and started to pant, her breath coming in short, shallow gasps. She angled herself against his cock, letting him know she was ready to fuck, she wanted it.
Logic took over and he said, “I want to, but we can’t. We have to go.”
He pushed her away and released her hands, turned and walked away. He heard her scramble to follow him and smiled to himself. He couldn’t wait to get her on the plane and fuck her after everything they’d done tonight.
And he couldn’t wait to feel her struggle against him after leaving her like that. She was a wildcat, and just crazy enough to be the best fuck he’d ever had.
He wouldn’t change a thing in the world, and once again thanked fate or the gods that had brought them together.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
IOANA
“We’re being moved in the morning,” Iryna whispered as they sat at the dining table eating their breakfast. “I wasn’t supposed to come with you, but I told him I wanted to pick up some things in Berlin. Things for him and I to enjoy together.”
“Oh, clever girl,” Ioana said. Their heads were bent together deep in conversation. Iryna’s fiancé had been called away from the table for a business call, but his two silent, deadly bodyguards were left behind to watch over them.
Iryna’s fiancé had become increasingly unhappy with their friendship. Ioana knew it was just a matter of time before she was sent to the basement, to live with the other captives. She knew it would be any day that she was sent out to another party, to please the wealthy men who were so bored with their own existences that the only pleasure they gained was from humiliating others. From their tears, pain, and death.
The final taboo.
She was elated to find out they were going to Berlin together. She’d heard through the constant stream of information flowing from prisoner to prisoner, that Berlin was the least guarded and the easiest to break out of.
“I don’t think we’ll see each other before tomorrow,” Iryna said and glanced at the doorway her fiancé had exited through. “He says he has plans for me tonight.” Her eyes looked bright with unshed tears. Ioana admired her strength.
“We’ll find each other,” Ioana assured her, “I’ll look for you near the kitchen of the new house, okay? We can always find reasons to meet each other there.” She offered a small smile and noticed the bodyguards paying a little too much attention, so she concentrated on what might be her last indulgent breakfast for a while. Ham and eggs and artisan bread. Heaven for her and her growing baby.
*****
She didn’t pass a single person in the hall. She gave thanks for small blessings. They’d arrived at the Berlin townhouse early in the morning. Most of the captives were transported via train, but she’d been part of the advance group who were flown by helicopter.
Once again, being Iryna’s friend had its privileges. She hated to think what Iryna had to endure the night before to be afforded this small gift.
She looked well enough, decked out in vintage Chanel, her fiancé’s favourite. She thought it was a little tacky, to have matching everything, but her fiancé was American, from California, so what did he know about taste.
He had flown ahead of them, so they were once again left alone with the bodyguards.
Ioana’s baby hadn’t responded well to the flight, she’d thrown up a couple times, so she was able to claim illness and needed to lie down when they’d gotten to the house.
She’d given Iryna a pointed glance as she’d left. She would try to make it back out to the kitchen within the hour, as planned.
And now, here she was, sneaking through the hallways trying desperately to not look like she was sneaking.
She hadn’t realized she was holding her breath until she saw Iryna waiting for her, leaning against the fridge like she belonged there, like she wasn’t leaving the house and escaping her fiancé’s clutches.
“You made it,” she said as Ioana approached. They hugged, a brief, desperate touch, and pulled apart.
“Yes,” Ioana replied, “now let’s see if we can get through the caterer’s doors and out of this fucking place.”
They crept through the kitchen and through the hallway to the delivery entrance. Ioana was pleased by their good luck, nobody had seen them yet and they hadn’t needed to explain themselves to anyone.
She noticed Iryna had a black eye, a terrible meaty looking bruise, and was walking gingerly, favoring her left side.
That bastard must have beaten her last night. She realized now that she needed to help her friend escape almost as much as she had to help herself.
They opened the doors and peeked out. The service entrance was located just off a narrow street, it was late morning and bustling with people.
“Here we go,” Iryna said and grabbed her hand. They stepped out into what she prayed would be their freedom.
CHAPTER TWELVE
COLUMBIA
Ten men. Columbia had killed ten men now.
Her stepfather.
The men in Hong Kong.
Sergei.
Marco.
And now five sick bastards who’d deserved to die.
Nothing had been as incredible as that first time six months ago in Prague, for some reason that had stood out for her. Her first cold, calculated kill. Even though Sergei had been planned, it was still very emotional for her. She had done it to avenge Dimitri, to set him free.
She’d worried about him since then, he hadn’t spoken of Sergei’s death and she knew he must have had some reaction. Whatever it was, he wasn’t sharing. She’d learned early on that pestering him for his thoughts led to nowhere, so she kept herself open to him coming to her. And prepared herself if he never did.
They were close to finding the source of the trafficking ring, the English crime lord who had taken over Sergei’s operations in Eastern Europe. There had been no intel gained beyond the mish mash of information they’d dragged out of the men they had killed, but it was slowly leading them in the right direction. She could feel it.
They were working in Vienna tonight, where East met West, hoping to find something about the mysterious crime boss. She could see Dimi and Nico at the bar; they weren’t very subtle in their constant glancing in her direction. Luckily most of the men they were after seemed to be rather thick headed.
The pub was similar to every one they’d been in so far. It was down a flight of stairs, underground, small and dark. These kinds of places seemed to cater to a certain clientele. Mostly wealthy travelers looking for an anonymous hook-up, they didn’t care about cost, they were after fast and dirty. As she’d heard it said, you don’t pay a whore for sex; you pay her to leave afterwards.
These types of men, she’d come to understand, were mostly harmless. They liked the taboo thrill of fucking a girl who might be considered illegal back home, depending on where they were from…but they didn’t want children. They were disgusting and perpetuated the sex trade, but if they killed a wealthy tourist off, ten more would take their place.
The others were different. These were the men with particular tastes, perhaps procuring more flesh for their boss’s private collection, or looking for somebody who could disappear without a fuss. These were the ones they were after, the dangerous ones with no souls. The ones who ruled the underworld and obeyed the command of the English boss who’d taken over.
She sat by herself in the corner, playing vulnerable like it was her final performance. She was wearing a grey hoodie, skinny jeans and very little makeup. She wanted to look like she was looking for money, but she had never done this kind of thing before.
She was tired and wondered if anyone would take the bait tonight. She wanted nothing more than to curl up with Dimitri in their bed back home and sleep in his arms. She ached for it, and had decided this would be their last hunt for a little while. She had to take care of herself, and this sort of adrenaline rush, although addictive at first, was now draining her.
“Can I buy you a drink?” a tall, well dressed man asked Columbia. She cowered before him and pretended to look around the room for some way out. In reality she wanted to make sure Dimi and Nico were paying attention, but of course they were. Matching watchdogs with furrowed brows and pursed lips. They each hated this part of the hunt, when she was opening up to a new man. “You don’t have to reply, honey,” he continued, “I don’t need to talk.”
He sat down at her table, dragged his chair closer to hers and leaned on the table. “You’re a pretty little thing, aren’t you? Do you speak English?”
His English was perfect, he sounded American, Columbia thought. Maybe from Texas.
“Yeah,” she said, “I do.”
“Oh, you’re from America. Me too, pleased to meet you,” he said and extended his hand. She shook it and he added, “Mike’s the name, what’s yours?”
“Polly,” she said and looked down at her thumbnail.
“Polly, what a pretty name. What brings you so far from home?”
“I got dumped,” she said. “I met a guy online, he paid my way here but kicked me out this morning. I’ve been wandering around since.”
“Oh you poor dear. Can I buy you a drink?” Mike asked. His voice was dripping with insincerity.
“That’s okay,” she said, “I have water.”
“Do you have family here in Vienna?” he asked. They were always making sure the girls they took had nobody who would miss them. What a fucking wolf, Columbia thought.
“No, I ran away from foster care in Toronto. I have nobody,” she said.
“Do you have enough to get back to Canada?”
“No, I don’t. I came here because somebody told me I could…um…earn some.”
“I think you could, but you don’t mean becoming a whore, do you?”
“Um. I…I guess so,” she replied and looked down again. She was really playing up her part tonight, the fatigue adding to her performance.
“You’re too pretty to sell yourself,” he said and leaned closer. He spoke in a conspiratorial tone and continued, “I know where you could earn some money, but do real work. It’s not great, it’s housekeeping for a wealthy man here in the city, but it will pay you enough to buy a ticket home in a couple months.”
“I don’t have a work visa,” she said, sounding anguished.
“Don’t you worry about that,” he told her. “We have means of working around the system.”
“I don’t know. I really should stay here. I mean, I don’t know you. What if you’re a murderer?”
“If I wanted to kill you, I would pay you for a blowjob and cut your throat in an alley somewhere.”
She pulled back, alarmed. He bought it and smiled, a cold smile that sent a shiver up her spine.
“It’s okay,” he said, “trust me. You’ve got no better offer on the table, do you? Come meet the boss, spend the night and have a nice hot bath and a good dinner. Think about it when you’re feeling better in the morning. Sound good?”
“I guess so,” she replied and picked her tattered backpack off the floor. “Can I wash some laundry while I’m there too?”
“Anything you want, sweetheart,” he said and stood with her.
She couldn’t imagine being in this situation for real. The bad energy radiated off this man, but if she were desperate for money and had no other choice, she could see how tempting his offer would be. Her heart felt heavy for all the girls and boys, men and women who were driven into such a deal with the devil. Gambling their lives and futures for a chance at a better life.
She walked alongside him and said, “I need to go back to my hostel,” before angling for their chosen street.
He stopped, looked her up and down and said, “I thought you just got kicked out of your boyfriend’s place.”
Alarms went off in her head, she was so tired and really just wanted to go home. But Mike spoke English, and he might lead her to Sergei’s replacement. She looked down the street and turned to him. “Which way are you taking me?”
He indicated a street that ran alongside the one they had originally planned. Vienna was set up like many of the European cities they’d been hunting in. The streets were twisted and in many times, circled back on themselves. It was easy to get turned around, and the pub they’d left was in the centre of Leopoldstadt, a busy and confusing district. If they left, she would be lost completely.
Columbia just hoped Dimitri and Nico would take note and adjust their route accordingly. There was no way she could convince Mike to go down the planned path, he was too wealthy and too used to being in control to be swayed. She decided to go along with what he’d suggested just to maintain the status quo.
Besides, the street was crowded with late night traffic and pedestrians. This was a heavily populated district, there was no way he’d try anything in the open.
He started to walk, giving off the impression that he didn’t care if she followed or not. She decided to follow, make no fuss and be compliant. They were getting so close to the English boss and she didn’t want to fuck it up now. It was going to be their last mission for a while, so she thought they’d better go out with a bang.
She glanced behind her and saw Nico shadowing them; he and Dimi had noticed their route. She relaxed and concentrated on making small talk with Mike and trailing behind him through the increasingly deserted streets.
For being from another country, he was certainly finding the places with the fewest people. It was unnerving and she had the distinct feeling that she was being herded. She shook it off and told herself this was beneficial, deserted streets would work very well to their advantage.
A brisk fifteen minutes from the pub, he stopped and turned to her. “I suppose this is taking you way off your planned course,” he said. “I’m sorry, it was the only way to get you alone.”
“What do you mean?” she replied softly, “I have no plans.”
“Drop the act, sweetheart. We’ve been looking for you and your partners.” He laughed when she opened her mouth to protest, but had nothing to say. “Yeah, we’ve been looking
for you just as you’ve been looking for us. So now you’ve found us, what are you going to do?”
“You took over for Sergei?” she asked, trying not to be too obvious while she searched the shadows for Nico or Dimitri.
“Oh, they’re not coming,” he said, “I hope you can take care of yourself.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking–” she was cut short by a blow to the back of her head. She was stunned but didn’t fall down. She swayed and turned around to see a black bag coming for her and five other men.
“Careful with this one,” Mike told them, “she’s very valuable, worth more than the average whore we drag off the street.” She kicked out and reached for her knife, but they had captured her too fast. She couldn’t move, her arms and legs were pinned and she struggled like a fish in a net. The black bag went over her head and she smelled something strong. A chemical scent filled her nose and darkness crept into the edges of her awareness.
As the darkness took her, she heard Mikes’ cruel, cold voice tell them, “Load her up, and don’t leave her companions alive. If they aren’t dead, don’t bother coming back.”
*****
Stabbing pain.
That was all she was. Her entire existence was the black edge of pain that was cutting through her consciousness. She couldn’t move and she wanted to vomit, but the pain kept her completely immobilized.
She tried to call for Dimi, to beg him to help her, but her lips wouldn’t work, her tongue didn’t know how to form the words.
It felt as though somebody had poured sand into her mouth as she slept. Who would do that?
She managed a small, dry cough and was confused when it echoed off empty walls in what sounded like a cold, damp room.
Her room was expansive and warm, and she shared it with Dimi who was never far from her side.
Where was he?