to Iosif who hands gun to me.
Before I can say another word, Iosif rushes out and slams the door shut behind him. I turn to this fucker as I place gun down and lean onto his desk. I will not be ignored.
“Please, Misha, don’t overreact. This is nothing, my friend. Let’s have drink.”
I stand up straight and fold my arms over my chest. “Show me your operation. I want to see guns and factory. Show me top to bottom. Thirty million is on the line, da. Show me where my money goes.”
He turns white as a sheet. Wheels turn as he tries to give me answer. Answer that he does not have. To show me factory is to reveal lies.
His face cannot mask his anger. Reaching for the walkie talkie on his desk he walks toward window away from where I am, out of range to hear. Murmuring orders into device, he keeps his back to me.
“My second in command will walk you through. I have business to tend to. I will meet up with you,” he says when he turns back to me.
I go to protest, but phone in pocket buzzes. I retrieve from jacket. It is signal; they are loading truck. Truck that we’ve come for.
I clench my teeth. If they are loading up, what have they done with girls I just saw. I want to make sure they’re on truck.
“Why not tell Kodiak and friends to join me?”
“I’m sure they are gone. Come, you want a tour. We will get you tour.”
Roni
I can’t believe how close I came to my own death. And still, I’ve failed. I failed to get us all out of here. Panic raises as Iosif grabs me. He snarls in my face, looking as if he’s about to strike me too.
“I’ll take her. Get that one and others to cars for transport.”
“We are waiting for last of them to get to room,” Kodiak replies.
“No time, any that have not gotten to room go to truck. If they don’t make truck, they die.”
I gasp. Immediately, I think of Torque. If he doesn’t get away, if they catch him, they will kill him.
Kodiak looks pissed as he slides his gaze to me, but he nods, grabs Natasha, and turns away from us. Iosif starts in the opposite direction of Natasha and Kodiak.
“No,” I cry out.
Iosif tightens his grip. “Don’t test me,” he seethes while listening to someone speaking low over his walkie talkie. Once again, we’re going away from the escape exit.
“Where are you taking me?” I demand.
“Shut your mouth. You have cost us ten million dollars. If you have cost boss deal in there, I will kill you myself,” he replies.
“What?”
“You go to auction now. You caused Kodiak to damage your face and now we can’t chance taking you to holding room for virgins and exotics. They need to leave.” He glares at me and licks his lips. “Maybe I break you in. No need not to touch anymore, deal is over.”
That Kodiak guy already threatened to put a bullet in my head. I don’t think he had plans to take me to that holding room once I ran from him. I’m not ready to give up.
I ball my fist, ready to swing. It’s an instinct. Something in me comes to life and I’m ready to defend myself. I get this feeling that I’m more than capable of holding my own.
“We have to go back,” I demand.
“Only place you go is truck. Boss needs you to disappear before you are seen again.”
I open my mouth to scream, but he covers it. Pulling me against his chest, he leans into my ear. “You scream, I kill you now,” he hisses. “Understand?”
I nod. Tears well as the truck backed up to a door comes into view. I need to go back for Natasha and Torque. This is not the plan.
Those thoughts are halted as we make a sharp turn and I’m shoved into a corridor. A few more steps and we enter a room. It’s like we’ve taken a back route to the holding cells, it’s exactly like the one we’ve been sleeping in. Cots lining the space.
It only takes a second for it to register what he plans to do. Before I can fight back, he hits me in my side. My ribs go from the dull flame that I’ve been surviving through to a roaring fire. I can’t breathe.
He tears the front of my shirt open. “Not as nice as when arrived, but good