AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My gaze went to the woman, whose name, I realized, I still didn’t know.
Victor had untied her and was helping her stand up. My gaze slid down her body, her hair falling wildly down to the middle of her back, her nightgown sticking to her skin with sweat and blood. She was barefooted, and even the soles of her feet appeared to be bleeding.
As Victor helped her stand up, she swayed and almost fell. I reached out to steady her, but she pulled away from me with a look of fear in her eyes. Victor held her steady, anyway. I didn’t need to intervene. I didn't blame her. If I were in her position, I wouldn't trust me either. I wouldn’t trust any of us.
”Careful,” Victor said to her, his voice more gentle than I’d ever heard it. ”Don’t fall.”
She rolled her eyes. It was gutsy. Stupid. I liked her already. ”I’ll work on that,” she replied sharply.
Victor’s expression darkened. ”Don’t hurt her,” I said.
He looked up at me and nodded, his jaw tightening. ”Yes, boss,” he said. ”What are you going to do with her?”
I looked at her. She was leaning on Victor despite clearly not wanting to. She gritted her teeth as she did so.
”We’ll keep her with us for now,” I said. ”Take her back to HQ. Make sure she’s okay. She can answer our questions later.”
Victor didn’t nod that time. ”Okay,” he said.
”We need to get to work,” I said. ”The sooner the better.”
They all grumbled in agreement. Victor said something into her ear. She paled. ”You got this?” I asked him.
”Yes, boss,” Victor replied, anger creeping into his voice.
”Okay,” I said.
With that, I left the storage room, feeling more exhausted than ever before. Wednesdays, man. They were always a fucking nightmare.
Chapter Five: Sofia
Victorsmelledlikelavenderwine and gentle fabric softener. My face was crushed against his chest as the rest of the men left the room. I thought about moving away from him, but there was no chance I was going to be able to get away.
I knew dangerous men when I saw them and Victor, at first glance, ranked high amongst them.
He was tall, easily over six feet, with broad shoulders and a muscular build. His hair was jet black, a chiseled jawline accentuated by a five o’clock shadow that was obviously meticulously maintained. There were tattoos running down his arms, covering the webbing of his hands, circling his fingers like endless rings.
If I’d seen him on the street, I would’ve probably stared at him. I hadn’t seen him on the street, though, and I was surprised at how gentle his touch was when he took me in his arms.
”I’m going to carry you,” he said. ”You can’t really walk.”
”I can walk.”
”I wasn’t asking,” he said. He leaned down and grabbed me, cradling me as if he was about to carry me through the threshold after our wedding. ”Having you walk would slow us down too much.”
I didn't like being manhandled, but I also didn't have the strength to fight him off. Victor was right; my body was battered and weak. I let out a sigh and rested my head on his chest, trying to ignore the way my heart was pounding against my ribcage. I could hear his heartbeat, too. I noted how steady it felt, as if this was the kind of thing he ran into all the time. My body was shaking, my legs barely able to support my weight. I didn’t want to go somewhere else with him, but maybe he would listen to his…boss. His boss had said not to hurt me and this man had nodded and said he wouldn’t.
He carried me out of the room, which I now realized was a basement. The dimly lit hallway came into a view, a tall staircase at the end of it. Doors on either side flanked the corridor, no windows anywhere in sight. Fluorescent lights blinked in and out, casting a sickly glow over the carpeted horror-movie hallway.
As we made our way up the stairs, I caught a glimpse of myself in the metal railing. My face was bruised, eyes swollen, and my hair was a tangled mess. I looked like I'd gone through hell, and it wasn't too far from the truth. I didn't know what these men wanted from me, but I knew I needed to get away from them as soon as possible.
We finally reached a door at the top of the stairs, and Victor pushed it open with his shoulder. Bodies moved around us, the music so loud it made it impossible to hear anything. We were in a nightclub, but Victor was imposing enough that people seemed to get out of his way, the crowd parting itself by his mere presence.
God,whowas this man?
Victor continued through the club, making his way to a back door that led to an alley. The air outside was cold and damp, a stark contrast to the warm, pulsing atmosphere of the club. Victor set me down gently on the ground and I stumbled, my legs still unsteady.
”Can you walk now?” he asked.
