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It took several minutes for Annika to get to her feet. She wobbled over to the window and pushed the edge of the shutter, lifting it just an inch or so to peer outside. To her surprise, it was no longer dark. She squinted in the brilliant desert sunshine and gasped when she saw a large group of rough-looking men congregated just outside. Most of them were drinking beers and laughing, joking with one another, while a pair of shirtless men grappled in the center. They were fighting with no weapons, just punching each other while the others watched. Beyond the circle of men, Annika saw that there was a ring of trailers, probably just like the one she was being held in. She saw several white vans and the black van, too, parked farther out. From here, she couldn’t see the road… or any road, for that matter. The desert stretched on in every direction. These men—the Armenians, she recalled Mikhail saying, had kidnapped her and brought her to the middle of nowhere.
“Mikhail,” she murmured, remembering the way his body slumped across the windshield. Suddenly, she was overcome with heartache. Her legs buckled beneath her and she crumpled to the floor in shock. If she was out here alone with these horrible men, what did that mean about Mikhail? Surely, he would never have let this happen if he had any say so. But if he was dead…
“No, no, no,” she whispered.
She closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to dismiss the idea. But it was impossible to imagine him getting back up after that. She hadn’t seen the bullet wounds herself, but she was sure these Armenians had killed her fiancé. Annika was about to dissolve into a puddle of tears when she heard the voices outside get louder. They were moving closer. Most of their words were in the same language as the music playing, with just enough English thrown in to truly and completely terrify Annika.
“I saw something move in the window.”
“The Baranov bitch must be awake.”
“Sleeping beauty! Sleeping beauty!” one of them chanted.
Annika shrieked and ducked down when she felt the men start slamming into the trailer, rocking it back and forth with her inside. They were torturing her, toying with her like cats with a mouse while they laughed hysterically at her fear.
“Ah, I love to hear her squeal.”
“I bet I could make her squeal in other ways, too.”
“I’d love to show her how we do it back in the old country. Teach her some new words.”
“What doyouthink of our new doll?”
“A little skinny for my taste, but she’ll do just fine.”
“She’s not for us, she’s for the boss. She’s a hostage, not a toy.”
“He won’t notice if she’s a little dinged up.”
“I say we make use of her before we give her up. I want a piece of Sokolov’s property.”
“He’s got good taste, I have to admit. But the boss wants a ransom for this one.”
“You think old Egor will pay it? The cheapskate…”
“If he wants to see his precious daughter ever again, he’ll cough up the cash.”
Annika’s heart sank. So that was why she was here. These Armenians were holding her hostage in hopes of extorting her father for money. The part that hurt most was the realization that she couldn’t be certain he would pay it. How much was she really worth to him? Especially now that he had gifted her to Mikhail. Would he even care enough to get her back?
Her thoughts spiraled into dark places. She imagined her father receiving news of her capture. She couldn’t even picture him giving a damn. If anything, he would probably just be annoyed. She wasn’t worth rescuing. He would likely leave her out here to die in the middle of this Armenian trailer camp. After all, if he was the kind of man who had enemies like this, what did that say about him?
No, she couldn’t count on him to protect her. Only Mikhail was willing to do that, and he was long gone by now. Annika’s shoulders shook with sobs. She pictured him alone in the hot sun, still sprawled over the hood of his car while the vultures circled overhead. Outside the trailer, the Armenians kept talking.
“What about the Sokolov Pakhan?”
“Yeah, he was a real motherfucker to deal with.”
“How long before he shows up?”
Annika perked up instantly.
Were they talking about Mikhail? As though he was alive?
“You really think he’s dumb enough to come after us?”
“Yeah, don’t be stupid. The man must have three or more bullets in his flesh.”
“He’ll be in the hospital for weeks, I bet.”
