Chapter 38 Zoe
ZOE
When I wake up, I’m alone and naked in bed. My cheeks feel swollen, and my throat is dry.
“Get the fuck up, whore.” Dmitri rushes into the room and grabs me hard by the arm.
“I honestly don’t understand why Nikolai is so fucking hung up on you.
Your pussy isn’t made of gold. But you are great at head, so maybe that’s it.
If you were mine, you would have been dead by now,” he says coldly.
“Time to get ready and look pretty for your new master.” He pulls me from the bedroom and down the corridor till he reaches my room.
Opening the door, he shoves me hard into it.
“Better cover up those bruises—no one likes damaged merchandise.”
And with that, he slams the door shut.
I crumple into a sobbing, messy heap. Why am I still alive, living this nightmare? I hear a door open, and someone quietly walks along the floor, but I’m too tired to even care. I flinch when they touch me.
“Oh shit, Sapphire.” It’s Citrine. “What have they done to you?”
I can’t lift my head to look at her, I just sob.
“Shh, it’s going to be okay. Let it all out, all of it. You’ll have to dig deep to find whatever inner strength you have left to get through tonight.”
“I’m just so tired, so, so tired.”
Her soft hand rubs my back, and her gentle fingers brush my hair. “Looks like he had to get in one last lesson before he lets you go.” She touches my aching cheeks, which makes me burst out crying again, remembering what happened last night. “I hate to ask this, but are you okay down there?”
It takes me a while to work out exactly what she is talking about. I shake my head. “I’m too scared to look.” Because it does hurt.
“Look, I know we aren’t close, but do you want me to have a look?”
“What happens if there is damage? What happens if they didn’t use protection? I hope my contraceptive implant is still current.”
“Calm down, Sapphire, it’s going to be okay. Come, move up onto the bed where it is more comfortable.” She helps me up onto my shaking legs and across to the bed.
I shuffle back till my back hits the bedhead.
“Do you know what happened?” I can see the concern on her face.
“I got in a fight with Nikolai. You were right—he saw through my pathetic attempt at manipulation. Why did I think I could take on a man like him?” I feel utterly helpless and pathetic.
“Don’t you fucking dare feel sorry for yourself.
You stood up for yourself for months even when death was staring you in the face.
You sacrificed yourself for your sister.
You have tried everything to get out of this shithole while the rest of us rock in the fucking corner every day wishing we could be as strong as you.
I kept to myself because that was the only way I could cope.
I shut down, but seeing you come back and fight your way through this hell has given me strength.
I’m with you—fuck these fuckers and fuck being submissive.
I’m going to hope and pray that I get someone either stupid or kind to buy me so I have a chance. ”
This makes me smile. “We are not going to be stuck in this life forever. There will be a time when we can escape, and we must take it, no matter how long we are away or wherever we are. We never give up,” I say through tears.
“I promise, Saffy, I promise.” She gives me a blinding smile, the first one I have seen in the months I’ve been around her. “Now that we are friends, I need to check your pussy.”
I know I shouldn’t laugh because the situation is all kinds of fucked up, but I do, we do, and neither of us can stop.
I’m thankful for Citrine saving me today.
I don’t think I would be here otherwise, there was a point where I considered ending it all.
What is the point of going on? But she gave me the strength and the courage to fight, and that is what I’m going to do.
Nikolai is expecting me to be a shell of myself, he is counting on it, but I will not give him the satisfaction.
Fuck him, I can’t wait to get far, far, far away.
I’m dressed in a red minidress, my boobs are almost falling out of the top, and my ass is barely covered. My blonde hair is pulled up into a ponytail, and my makeup has been made to look au natural.
We are all huddled in a small room together. All of us—the famous Bratva Jewels. Fear radiates off the girls as we all wait for whatever fate has in store for us.
One by one the girls are called, and we say our tearful goodbyes knowing we will never see each other again.
Saying goodbye to Citrine was hard after everything we have been through especially in the last twenty-four hours.
I felt a special bond and kinship with her.
We are both a mess and Dmitri must pry us apart.
We vow to find each other again and to stick to the plan.
It is now just Ruby and me, the last two jewels left.
“I’m so scared,” she whispers to me.
“Me too.”
“I’m so thankful I got to know you, Saffy.”
I pull her in for a big hug as we cry. “It’s going to be okay. Just know I’m going to find you, okay? No matter what happens tonight, I’m going to hunt each and every one of you down and get you home.”
“Even when the story is coming to an end, you’re still fighting.” Ruby gives me a weak smile.
“I’m going to get out of this, and I swear, Rubes. I’m going to find you, and we are going to seek justice for your sister.”
“And you know what? I believe you, Zoe.”
My breath hitches when she uses my real name.
“You have two men looking for you and I don’t think they are going to stop.”
“No, I don’t think they are either.”
“Ruby, your turn,” Dmitri snarls from the door.
No, it’s too soon, she’s the last link. We both hold each other tightly till Dmitri pulls us apart.
“I’ll find you,” I scream at her as Dmitri hauls her off, toward her new life—or nightmare, depending on her buyer.
A while later, Dmitri comes in and closes the door behind him.
He stalks toward me. “The men are hungry tonight, Sapphire.” As he advances on me, I try to get away from him, but he has me cornered.
“There are some big dealers here.” He looks down my cleavage then back up to my face.
“And they are going to make Nikolai and I look like pussycats.” He laughs.
I bring my knee up and get him right in the family jewels, and he stumbles back, screaming in pain. He looks like he is about to murder me as he lunges, but Nikolai stops him from the doorway.
“Dmitri, go,” he orders as his friend hobbles away.
My eyes fall on Nikolai. I straighten my back.
“Have you come to say goodbye?” I mock him. “Feeling sentimental over your toy?” I flutter my eyelashes at him. I can see his jaw tense as I goad him.
“No matter what, I will miss you.”
I wasn’t expecting that.
“And no matter what, I’m going to hunt you down and make sure I destroy you. All of you, all of this.” I wave my arms around the room. “You can send me to the ends of the earth, but I will always crawl back again. And when I do, I’m going to be your worst motherfucking nightmare.”
Nikolai pauses for a moment and smiles. “I look forward to it.”
And with that, I open the door and walk out into the unknown, head held high and my back straight. I pray that by some miracle or karma or divine intervention I have been bought by someone who will not hurt me but will help me in my quest for vengeance.
I walk the empty corridors hoping the rest of the jewels are going to be okay.
Nikolai opens the door, and the noise hits me first, then the smell of desperate men.
I see a long catwalk up to a stage where spotlights are focused.
“Good luck, Zoe, you’re going to fucking need it where you’re going.”
I flip Nikolai the bird and start my walk toward the stage.
I hear men screaming and jostling along the catwalk, thankfully they are far enough away that they cannot touch me.
I would hate to stumble in these heels. I’d be ripped apart with the amount of testosterone swirling around the room.
I walk up the three steps to the stage and see an X right in the middle.
I stand there and once I’m in place, a loud voice echoes through the hall, silencing the men.
They are speaking Arabic, and thankfully, I can understand what the announcer is saying.
He tells the crowd my statistics, my age, height, weight, etc.
Then he goes on about my skills in the bedroom.
I want to be sick listening to what he tells the men.
Then he starts the bidding. Those poor girls before me probably didn’t understand a thing that was going on.
I’m scared shitless, and I understand what they are saying.
The numbers rise and rise until they hit one million dollars.
Fuck!
Who would the hell pay that much for me? What the hell do they want me to do for that amount of money? Now I’m genuinely becoming scared. Maybe Nikolai knows exactly where I am going, and that’s why he looks so damned pleased with himself.
Then I hear, “SOLD!” That’s it.
The announcer steps from the shadows and tells me to head back the same way I came.
Step by step I follow the path. My mind is spinning.
“I always knew you were special.” Nikolai rubs his hands together over the amount of money he has just made off me. I spit in his face, and he goes to attack me, but Dmitri holds him back.
“She’s someone else’s problem now. Let’s go find us some new bitches.”
And with that, they disappear into the night.
A guard ushers me into a small room, and I notice a very large man in it—he looks like a fucking mountain.
He’s maybe 6ft 5 or taller, as wide as a Mack truck, and is dressed in a tailored suit.
His face is stony. He has sunglasses on, and we are inside.
Weird. Who the hell is he? Then it clicks—he must be the man who bought me.
“Would you like to inspect her?” the guard asks.
He nods, and the guard goes to unzip my dress, but I slap his hands away.
“Don’t fucking touch me.”
The guard tries again.
“Stop,” the large man says. “It is okay; I will inspect later when I teach her a lesson for disobedience.”
The guard smiles and nods. “You will be free to go as soon as the money has cleared.”
We wait there in silence, no one talking to each other.
“You are free to take her,” the guard finally tells the man, getting off the phone.
“No!” I scream as his large hand comes out and grabs my arm. “No!”
“You’re mine now,” he growls.
I shake my head; I don’t want to go with this man.
The guard goes to touch me, and the man growls at him, “Leave us, I will deal with her in private.”
The guard nods and gives me a smirk as he shuts the door.
“No, please, you don’t have to do these things. Please, no.”
But the man is too strong as he pulls me against him. “Shh, Zoe. I’m here to save you,” he whispers in my ear.
I freeze.
No, this can’t be happening. I can’t dare to think this is real.
“Don’t react, but know it’s going to be okay.”
I can hardly breathe, then I kick him in the shin, and he stumbles back, rubbing his leg.
“Don’t fucking touch me,” I scream at him.
He gives me a smirk. “It’s going to be so great to teach you a fucking lesson.”
Even though I know his words are fake they still scare me.
Another door opens, and a large man stands in the doorway. “Ready to go, boss?”
The man grabs my arm and pulls me through the door. We are outside, and there is a big black SUV waiting for us. I climb in and sit as far away as I can from the man who has bought me. He jumps in and doesn’t say a word. The driver starts the car, and we hurtle down the long driveway.
“Where are we going?”
“Home,” he answers, his eyes looking around everywhere.
“Which one?” I ask. I need to be sure.
“Ours,” two male voices say behind me.