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Goosebumps erupted all over my flesh. I jumped to my feet, but decided to make my stand here. It was a modest, quiet neighborhood and it was my best bet to get anywhere with these men. A boy cycled past. “You have me now. Just let my friend go. I’m not going anywhere with you if you don’t let her go first.”
One of the men laughed.
“We’ll let her go when we please but first, you have a lot of apologies to make to the boss.”
“You’ll be doing most of that on your hands and knees,” the man who laughed said.
Glancing around, I saw a neighbor’s curtains twitch. It gave me courage. “I’m not going anywhere until I know she has been set free,” I insisted stubbornly.
One of them grabbed my hair then, my neck tilted in an excruciating angle. “You ever been fucked upside down, cupcake?”
The curtain on the neighbor’s window fell back down. Whoever it was either didn’t want to get involved, or had gone to call the police. Either way, it wouldn’t help me any.
I tried to break away from the painful hold on my scalp, but he wouldn’t budge. Then just as suddenly, he let go and I fell to the ground, my elbows landing painfully on the asphalt. Tears threatened, but I steeled my stomach and found my way once again to my feet. The me grabbed me again.
A car pulled up then, and the driver rushed down from the driver’s seat to pull the door open for me to enter. Inside, Bogdan was waiting for me. He barked something at the men holding me in Russian and they let go of me. I looked at the men and wished with all my heart that I could just do something that would magically set Aldie and myself free. But it was all wishful thinking. What was I, a young woman, untrained in this brutal world going to do against these cruel men? In a panic, I had left the security of Levan’s home and ended up here, still no closer to saving Aldie.
I swallowed hard the turmoil that was making waves in my stomach and looked into the car at the smug, ugly face of Bogdan and I knew it was going to be him or me. I would rather die than prostitute myself to him. The first chance I got, after I knew Aldie was safe, I was going to end his life. One way or another. And this time, I wouldn’t be trying to use a butter knife.
I took a step towards the car … and the sound of a gunshot almost blasted my ear off. I screamed and found myself crashing to the ground. I was sure I had been hit. Then after a few seconds amidst the roars and commotion around me, I opened my eyes and met the open, now soulless eyes of the man who had been standing behind me. He had been shot through the side of his head, and dark red blood was pooling around him on the sidewalk.
I scrambled away in terror, too shocked to run. There was another gunshot seemingly right by my side and I screamed in pure fear. I turned to see that it had been aimed at the tire beside me. Answering gunshots were fired from Bogdan’s men. All I wanted to do was to crawl under the car where there might be some safety.
Suddenly, the car started and I heard orders being roared in Russian. Before I could comprehend much, I was pulled up to my feet so roughly it felt as if my arm had been torn out of its socket.
I cried out in pain, then I was thrown into the vehicle like a rag doll. The door had barely been shut closed when the vehicle with three tires screeched away from the pavement. We drove madly through the street as I tried to catch my breath.
I didn’t want to look to see what was going on as the car careened down the road at as much speed as it could with one shot-out tire. Burying my head in my arms, I couldn’t help the scream that tore out of my mouth when another gunshot pierced through the window and glass shattered all over me. The car swerved so hard I was flung across the seat. Terrified, I tried to find something to hold onto. My hand found the seatbelt and I managed to fasten it just as the car left the ground.
Oh God, we were flying. Straight towards a lamppost.
The sound of the car crashing into the post was horrible. Metal crunched and moved inwards crushing the driver.
I screamed with terror.
Then everything went quiet. I didn’t even dare look to my left, where Bogdan had been sitting.
31
Levan Blood was running down my head into one eye.
