have started to go numb, but I manage it without dropping my prize.
I allow myself a few seconds of victory and a smile, before turning the glass so the blunt edge is against my palm. Then, I start sawing at the rope, holding my breath and listening for any sign that Viktor is coming back to pick up where he left off.
32
Elena
It takes Viktor hours to return, and every second feels like an eternity. My body is breaking down, my strength fading as hunger and fatigue set in, exacerbating the pain. I ended up having to use the bucket he splashed me with to pee, which only adds to the humiliation of being stripped down and tied up like an animal.
But when footsteps pound the floorboards above, I take up what’s left of the rope that bound my wrists and choose a dark corner to hide in. I pinch my lips together to quiet my harsh breaths and squeeze myself into the cramped space beneath the stairs. A beam of light breaks through the dark above me, and Viktor’s shoes click on the rough steps as he descends. I peer through the gaps and watch him walk right over me, tightening my fingers around the rope and waiting for the right time to strike.
“What the fuck?” he exclaims when he notices I’m not where he left me. He spins in a circle, searching the shadows. “Where are you, dorogoy? Don’t be stupid … there’s no way out of this. Come out like a good girl and I’ll go easy on you.”
Like hell I will. I grit my teeth and wait for him to walk farther into the basement, his back turned to me. Bare feet make my steps silent as I slink from my hiding place. My mind goes blank and fear melts away as the instinct for survival sets in. It’s him or me, and I damn sure intend to fight like hell to make sure I’m the last one standing.
“I’m not fucking around, Elena. The longer you make me wait for you, the more pissed off I’ll be when I find you.”
He crouches to examine where he left me, surrounded by bits of glass and spots of my blood … putting him in the perfect position for me to whip the rope around his throat and press a knee into his back.
Viktor’s powerful body jerks and convulses as I yank with all my might, the rope biting into his windpipe. His arms flail helplessly, and he falls onto his ass. I press my knee harder into his spine with a snarl, leaning back with all my weight to speed things along.
Rough, guttural curses spill from his lips, and his fingers claw at the rope. When that doesn’t work, he swings his arms to grab at me over his shoulders. I arch my back to stay out of reach, a primal scream emitting from me as I yank harder on the rope.
He finally goes limp, arms dropping and head slumping forward. I can’t hear the sounds of his breath anymore, so I loosen my grip, leaning in to inspect his face. He’s gone white as a sheet, broken blood vessels showing red and furious beneath his skin.
With a sigh of relief, I let the rope fall from my hands. I used the last of my strength to subdue Viktor, so I’m unprepared to defend myself when his head jerks up, and a blazing blue eye glares at me from over a beefy shoulder.
“I warned you,” he growls, his voice rough and tortured. “I fucking warned you, you stupid slut!”
I backpedal as he turns and crawls toward me, but I’m not fast enough to avoid his reaching hand. His fingers close around my ankle, and my back hits the floor, tiny slivers of glass leaving burning pinpricks along my shoulder blades. Viktor straddles me, both hands wrapping around my throat. The rope burn around his throat is nearly purple, and his breaths are labored, but he’s strong in his fury, squeezing until dark spots crowd my vision.
He seems to have forgotten his plan not to kill me. Viktor has murder in his eyes, the pupils dilating so that his irises look dead and black. I claw at his hands until I draw blood, my feet slipping over the concrete as I scramble for purchase. Managing to work my knee between his legs, I sharply thrust upward, finding his soft, vulnerable parts.
Viktor gurgles and lets out a pitiful whimper, rolling from