Chapter 31 Alina
Chapter thirty-one
Alina
Acirculating pain drums against the side of my skull like a relentless jackhammer. I groan as I come to, my eyes blinking open and adjusting to the darkness surrounding me, illuminated only by a few distant bulbs dangling nearby.
What happened?
I attempt to lift my hand to my head, but something stops me. I try again and swallow hard before glancing over my shoulder, realizing I’m bound to a chair by thick pieces of rope, digging into my skin. I scream, but the sound is muffled against the duct tape pasted over my lips.
My chest heaves as I breathe too quickly through my nose, my eyes blurring with tears. Where the hell am I?
A gust of wind enters the building through the front, where a large garage door is open. Snowflakes dance across the threshold, approaching my feet. A powerful tremor rakes over my body, leaving me practically numb, as my coat offers little protection against the elements.
The sound of an engine rumbles nearby. But this isn’t a regular engine. Not like one you’d hear from a vehicle.
This is louder.
More powerful.
Fear drips through me as I scan the surrounding area, my eyes stopping on dried blood on the floor near me as bile invades my stomach.
Suddenly, it all comes rushing back to me.
The vile images of the memory care facility flash across my mind like a movie I can’t stop.
Blood. So much blood. Andrea. Agony spreads through my chest. Bodies lying lifeless.
My father… My heart stops beating as anxiety wraps its claws around my neck.
Where is he? My eyes dart to every corner of the room, but there’s nothing here.
I need to get out of here.
I begin to scoot my chair forward a few times, but suddenly a large hand lands on my shoulder, halting me. Coldness creeps over me, goose bumps spreading around the back of my neck as he leans closer, his warm breath blowing over my skin.
“Hello, sister.” He steps around me until he’s standing before me, peering down at me with evil in his eyes. “We meet again.”
Kazimir.
I swallow hard, not looking away as he pulls a knife out of his pocket and plays with it. “I was wondering how long it would take for you to wake up.” He tilts his head from side to side. “Would she wake up before or after her flight?” He grins.
Flight?
As if on cue, a plane crawls ahead of the opening, stopping directly in front of the entrance. The door on the side opens, and a few people appear, helping to stage a set of stairs.
“Right on schedule,” Kazimir notes. He looks over his shoulder, and his grin grows. “I was just letting our guest know that we will be leaving soon.”
With a demeanor too calm for the man I know him to be, Mikhail walks down the stairs and approaches, staring down at me with so much disdain. “It’s unfortunate it had to come to this.” He tilts his head to the side. “But you can blame your dearest husband for this predicament.”
My brows furrow. What could he possibly mean by that?
“They will all regret interfering with us,” Emil says, appearing from around the corner of the hangar. “Fucking Alaries can’t keep their noses out of our business. They must be bored or something.”
The icy tip of Kazimir’s blade rests on the side of my neck before he drags it across my skin.
“And you…” He tsks. “You, dear sister, have let us down.” I swallow hard, the tip of the knife creeping lower, not stopping until it reaches the center of my chest between my breasts.
“You are quite beautiful. Maybe before our flight, a proper punishment should be delivered—”
“We don’t fuck our own blood relatives,” Mikhail states with boredom, crossing his arms over his chest.
Kazimir shrugs. “Why not? I always heard it’s good to try new things.” He winks, and panic floods my insides as I have no idea if he means it or if he’s just trying to get a rise out of me.
Emil leans against the wall. “Sometimes I question if you were dropped on your head as a child.”
“A few times,” Kazimir responds, his eyes never leaving me.
Mikahil shakes his head before turning his deathly stare on me. “We wanted to keep things simple, but now everything has become messy. And I really do hate a mess.” He sighs. “It’s bad for business, which means now it’s time to clean everything up.”
“And we’ll do that,” Kazimir begins, “by starting with you.”
Horror overtakes me, every muscle in my body freezing.
“All you needed to do was sign over the land.” Mikhail rubs his jaw deep in thought.
“You were supposed to sign over what was rightfully ours, and then we would have let you go on with your miserable, pathetic life. But then you backed out of our arrangement. Even knowing the consequences.” He crouches before me.
“Your father is going to be so disappointed to learn that you played with his life in your hands with such recklessness.” He reaches out, tucking a loose piece of hair behind my ear, and a shiver spreads over me.
“Out of all of the men on this planet, you chose a goddamn Alarie, which made things worse for you. You see, they took from us, so now, we’re going to take from them.
An eye for an eye. Or in this case, a girl for a girl. ”
My breath feels labored, my chest tight.
“Because of them, we’ve lost a lot of money. Too much money. But you… You will help us make up for that loss.”
“Oh, I just love how this all worked out,” Kazimir says with amusement, rubbing his hands together.
“After you sign all of the paperwork to give us the land,” Mikail begins, “you’ll be working for us, starring in our next auction.”
I shake my head adamantly.
This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening.
Mikhail places his hand on my cheek. “There, there. It won’t be so bad. They will take good care of you.”
Kazimir scratches his head. “Think we can get more for her, seeing that our blood runs in her veins?”
Mikhail considers this, dropping his hand. “Possibly.” He stands and checks his watch. “I’m going to see what time takeoff is.” He looks down at me. “What a vicious twist of events your life has led to.” And then he walks away, heading toward the plane and up the stairs, disappearing inside.
An SUV pulls to the side, and Emil hooks a thumb over his shoulder. “That would be her father.” My heart races at the mention of him. “I’d better make sure he’s still breathing. He’s no good to us if he’s dead.” He walks over to it, vanishing behind the other side.
Leaving just me and Kazimir.
He stares down at me with cruel intentions glossed over his eyes.
“Mikail says I shouldn’t fuck you because we’re related, but it feels a shame not to test out the goods before others.
And besides, you know what they say… Durakam zakon ne pis’an.
” The tip of the blade travels up the column of my neck, pressing beneath my chin until I lift my head to look into his eyes.
“I’m going to fuck you, dear sister, but the question is…
” His rough fingers pull back on the tape, ripping it entirely off my face.
I bite down on my lip, holding in a scream of pain.
“Should I fuck those soft lips, your pretty pussy, or…” He leans forward, brushing his lips over my ear.
His tongue snakes out as he says, “That tight ass.”
My body stills, every muscle locking in place. The only thing that moves is my heart that thunders so loudly it’s the only thing I can hear.
Kazimir bites down on the lobe of my ear, and I scream out, his hand dropping his knife to seize my neck in a death grip. I gasp for air as he towers over me, watching me with pleasure in his eyes as he tries to steal my life from within me.
“Look how wide those lips open,” he muses with lust. “I’ve made my choice.” He reaches for his zipper and—
Boom!
Blood splatters across me as Kazimir curses, holding out his injured hand. “Yebat’!”
A god-like roar thunders in the distance.
Terrifying and destructive.
Lethal and venomous.
“Alina!” I hear for the first time escaping between Mauro’s lips right before chaos ensues.