Chapter 35
Chapter Thirty-Five
The touch of his hand was gentle. Warmth from his fingers permeated her skin, as if she were outside with her face tilted toward the sun.
Happiness surrounded her with a blanket of love, and she smiled.
Kiss me. She waited, not understanding why he didn’t press his lips to hers.
He spoke, saying something familiar, something he’d said to her once before.
Another place, another time.
The words Kyle had uttered the night he’d left her at the hospital so many years ago. Then vanished without a trace.
“No. Please. Don’t leave me. Not again.”
Victoria blinked, slowly at first, as the fog began to clear. She swallowed. Her tongue felt thick, dry, and tasted like cardboard. The last vestiges of the dream dissipated like mist from a hot sidewalk after a summer rain. Leaving her with a grim reality.
Kyle wasn’t here, and he never would be. Yuri, however, was.
Being careful not to move, she narrowed her eyes to slits, keeping them open only enough to ascertain whether he was in the room with her. When she was reasonably certain he wasn’t, she opened her eyes fully and took in her surroundings.
The only furniture in the room was the bed on which she lay. The windows were boarded up from the outside with plywood. Pale slivers of light peeked through where the wood had warped.
Thick plastic cuffs encased her wrists in front, linked together by a seamless metal ring affixed to a chain about six feet long. The chain was looped around the bed’s metal headboard and secured with a heavy lock.
Fear laced with a hefty dose of anger filled her mind with all kinds of violent thoughts about what she wanted to do to her ex-husband, along with questions.
How long had she been here? Wherever here was. Sunlight told her nothing other than she’d been here at least overnight. But Yuri could have been keeping her drugged for days, and she would never have known it. Oh, God.
What effects might the drug have on the baby? More fear and more rage raced up her spine.
Did Yuri seriously think he could keep her here forever? Was it possible he truly was deranged enough to believe she would ever stay with him again?
Yes. Which meant she had to get out of here. Fast.
Her gaze traveled the room, taking in as many details as possible, searching for a way out. There had to be one. She just had to find it.
There were only two doors in the room, both closed. One closest to the foot of the bed, and the other off to the side, probably a bathroom.
Every breath she took brought with it damp, musty air, as if the place hadn’t been lived in or aired out in a very long time.
Strips of faded, pale green paint hung from the walls, and the floor was dirty and unswept.
A large orange bucket—the kind contractors used—lay on its side.
Gossamer-white webs adorned every corner of the ceiling and floor.
In other words, wherever she was, it was doubtful anyone would be stopping by soon.
The rising flood of panic made her want to scream. Assuming no one would come looking, it was up to her to escape.
Easing off the mattress, she grimaced when the chain made a faint rattle. She held her breath, waiting, expecting Yuri to charge through the door any second. When he didn’t, she exhaled the breath she’d been holding.
The distance to the bedroom door was about twelve feet. The length of chain attached to her wrists was maybe half that. She couldn’t even reach the bathroom.
Slowly, being careful not to rattle the chain, she shuffled as far from the bed as the chain would allow and tugged.
At first, the bed didn’t move. She looked at the metal headboard and the thick metal legs.
The bed had to be ancient and made of solid iron.
Using both hands, she grasped the chain tighter and pulled backward.
The sound her efforts made was louder than a screech owl.
The bed had barely moved half an inch. Even if she did make it to the door, how would she get through the doorway with a giant metal bed attached to her wrists?
She sat back down on the mattress. Her stomach growled loudly, indicating however long she’d been tied up, it had been some time since she’d last eaten. How long would it take for her hunger to affect the baby’s health?
She sat absolutely still, mulling over more of her predicament.
Since she’d been unconscious for an indeterminate period of time, the house or whatever building she was in, could be hundreds of miles away from New Jersey or New York.
She could be halfway across the country, thousands of miles from Kyle, Tracee, Brad, and anyone else who would eventually notice she was missing.
She thought again of Kyle and how they’d parted, recalling the pained look in his eyes.
He’d been on the trail of that money for so long, only to find out she had it all along.
Had it? That was a laugh. It didn’t matter that she’d given it away to charity.
The bottom line was she’d stolen it, plain and simple.
How could he have reacted any differently?
And she’d been terribly, terribly wrong in not telling him sooner.
She should have trusted him but hadn’t. Why hadn’t she?
Because ten years ago, he’d lied to her about who and what he really was.
A law enforcement officer, sworn to uphold the law.
But she should have trusted him as a man.
When faced with a situation where they’d had to show their faith in each other, they’d both failed.
Miserably. Now she would never have the chance to tell him anything ever again.
Like, I love you.
Tears flowed freely as the extent of her mistakes and all the ramifications settled deep within her soul.
She massaged her temples, attempting to lessen the throbbing pain.
The rattling of the chain didn’t help her headache.
The combination of an empty stomach and the after effects of chloroform, or whatever Yuri had drugged her with, made the inside of her mouth feel like a cotton ball. She craved water.
It had probably been at least a day since Yuri had taken her, although with the windows boarded up, she had no real perception of time. Again, she listened for any noise outside. Nothing. Not even a bird chirping.
Sweat from her wasted effort at moving the bed beaded on her forehead, and she swiped it away. A shudder ran through her, and she tugged a blanket around her body. The sound of a key turning had her jerking her head to the door.
Yuri sauntered in, sporting an unpleasant smile that immediately put her on edge.
“Ah, Vika. You are awake. I brought you something to eat. You must be starved.” He dropped a pre-made sandwich in a clear plastic wrapper on the bed and handed her a bottle of water.
She accepted the water, twisted off the cap, but didn’t drink.
The sandwich wrapper appeared to be unopened, so that was probably safe to eat.
The water bottle she couldn’t be sure of, but hunger pains and thirst overrode her concerns.
Besides, what was the point of dosing her food or water when all he had to do was place another chloroform-doused cloth over her face?
The baby’s needs came first. She drank greedily from the bottle, then tore open the sandwich wrapper and dove into it with gusto.
“Aren’t you going to thank me for the food?”
She ignored him, swallowing a mouthful of the sandwich and washing it down with more water.
He lashed out and sent the bottle flying from her hand. It smacked against the wall, splattering water everywhere. “Pizda!” He seized her bound wrists and held them in the air with one hand. With his other hand, he smacked her across the face.
She cried out, more from shock than pain.
The side of her face stung and throbbed.
He was using the same old tactics he’d used on her years ago.
Fear threatened to overwhelm her, like it always did when he resorted to physical violence.
Just as quickly, it was replaced with subdued anger. She’d needed that water to re-hydrate.
Victoria glared up at Yuri, preparing a nasty retort, when sanity returned.
Angering him would do nothing to help her situation.
He held all the cards. The last thing she needed was for him to hit her again.
Pounding on her face was one thing, but what if he switched tactics and kicked or punched her in the stomach?
For the sake of the baby, pacifying him was still necessary, even if it meant donning a sickly veneer of subjugation. The thought disgusted her.
She squeezed her eyes together hard, trying to produce tears. At first, they wouldn’t come.
Think of what makes you sad.
Kyle. Losing him and never again seeing him gaze into her eyes with love.
Tears welled in her lids, spilling down her cheeks.
“I’m so sorry,” she whimpered, shaking her head.
“Please, don’t hurt me. I was so hungry and thirsty, I didn’t think.
” She couldn’t be positive but thought for an instant he loosened his grip.
“Don’t hit me again. Please.” Her cries seemed to have the desired effect, and he released her.
“That’s better. That’s my little Vika.”
She gave herself a mental fist pump. Score one for Little Vika.
“You are still pathetic,” Yuri said confidently, nodding his head in confirmation.
The wall of strength that years of counseling and healing had erected was firmly in place, and she held onto her truths, blotting out his demeaning words. There was nothing wrong with her, and she had nothing to be ashamed of.
“Good,” he smiled. “Now that we’ve straightened things out, you will tell me what I want to know.”