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27
Delilah
It’s freezing on this airstrip. Most mornings recently have been warmer, but right now, I’m shivering uncontrollably.
Or maybe I’m just scared.
When Luka realized that his plan was at risk of being thwarted by Akim, he forcefully dragged me and all the other women into an unmarked van that pulled up on the property minutes after he called them. It seemed like he’d been planning an escape for a long time, like he knew his empire wasn’t sustainable the way he ran it.
In a way, that gives me some hope that he’ll mess this up.
Something I’ve observed about Luka is that all he does is talk. He tricked me into coming to the compound with him by talking. He talks about how powerful his family is, how rich and successful he is for someone his age. He’s extremely pompous and irritating, even aside from the fact that he kidnapped me.
I can’t imagine the kind of environment he grew up in, being so rich beyond my comprehension with nobody in his life to ever say no to him. It’s clear that he’s never been told that his ideas are stupid, that he can’t pull it off, that he needs to try something else that works better for him. He’s been indulged by everybody for his whole life, and now he has to face the consequences.
If Akim is coming to save me, Luka is going to suffer tremendously.
That, I know for a fact.
The other women in the group are huddled together, just like they had been in the basement. When I think about it, it must feel foreign for them not to be close to each other. They’re the only comfort any of them have had in months, maybe years.
The only woman who would have chosen to be close to me is dead.
And it’s my fault.
“Goddamn it, where is this asshole?” Luka mutters as he pulls out his cell phone to make a call.
“If they’re still in the air, they aren’t going to answer you. If they do pick up, it means they haven’t left yet, and you’re fucked,” replies one of Luka’s assistants, who has grown agitated by Luka’s incessant demands.
“There’s really no way to communicate with them from the air? How is that possible in this century?” he barks, his behavior growing more erratic the longer he waits. It would appear from the outside that Luka is unraveling, and his ego is about to go up in flames.
Through the ranting and raving, all I can think about is Akim coming to save me. The last time I saw him, he believed that I had betrayed him, that I was a part of Luka’s conspiracy to take over Akim’s territory. Why would he come back for me after that?
Does he really love me even if he still thinks I’m Luka’s sister?
Will I even be able to forgive him for getting me into this mess?
Has this experience broken me?
What about our baby?
When I think about the baby, my brain starts to run at a million miles an hour at the thought of being hurt. I have no idea how far along I am, no idea how difficult the strain of my stress would be on the delicate baby growing inside of me.
Knowing that Akim is trying to save me simultaneously fills me with hope and the dread of an impending confrontation that I’m not prepared for.
“Oh, shit, do you think that’s them?” asks one of Luka’s other associates, pointing to a distant, faint light in the sky.
“Yeah, probably. It’s too early for a commercial plane to be flying, especially out here,” replies Luka’s other associate, the only one here who seems to have a proper grasp of what’s going on at all.
My heart sinks, and I clutch my belly at the sight of the plane that will likely, take me away from my home and from Akim forever.
Why isn’t he here yet? Why the hell won’t he rescue me?
Just as I’m struggling to hold back tears, I hear a gunshot fired in the distance, and suddenly Luka’s associate Ben crumples to the ground.
“Everyone down!” Luka shouts, subsequently taking off in the opposite direction and running for his life.
My heart leaps into my throat. Could it be Akim?
