Chapter 24
Hannah
I sat at the table in shock as the man walked into the room and took a seat across from me. As soon as I saw him, I remembered him from the house Rhys and my brothers had rescued me from. I’d mentioned him, but it wasn’t until he walked in that I knew there was something else going on.
“Who are you and what is your fascination with me?” I asked as I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back in my chair.
He smirked at me and poured himself a cup of coffee without saying a word. I’d guess he was playing mind games, but I wasn’t easily intimidated. Where all this newfound bravado was coming from, I didn’t know, but I’d like to think Rhys had something to do with it.
The man retook his seat and sipped on his beverage while staring at me, so I gave him the same treatment and stared back. One of us would break, and at that moment, I vowed it wouldn’t be me.
“I wouldn’t say I have a fascination with you, Hannah, but there’s a connection between us that is deeper than you can imagine,” he remarked with a sinister smile.
“Connection? Is that why you keep kidnapping me and dragging me into whatever this bullshit is?” I asked, flittering my hand into the air.
“Poor Hannah.” He chuckled and added cryptically, “You have no idea what’s going on, do you?”
I popped a grape into my mouth and chewed it before I replied, “Why don’t you explain it to me, since you think you have all the answers?”
He threw his head back and laughed, and over his shoulder, I saw a mop of shaggy hair peek around the corner before ducking out of sight.
Waylon must be listening in, though I couldn’t begin to decipher why.
It was taking everything in my soul to be brave and not let the fear wracking the inside of my body show.
Whatever this was and whoever he was didn’t matter.
Getting Pearl, myself, and anyone else they had stowed away to safety was the most important thing right now.
“I suggest you show me some respect, before I make your life a living hell,” he said, and it was my turn to chuckle. My reaction to his threat seemed to anger him, and he slammed his hand onto the table.
I brought my eyes to his and it was my turn to smirk as I saw my laughter had pissed him off. Raising my eyebrows, I advised, “If you tell me what’s going on, then we’ll be on the same page and maybe I’ll be more . . . amenable.”
“She said you’d be a pain in the ass, but I didn’t think you’d be this annoying,” he remarked and rolled his eyes.
I perked up at the mention of a mystery woman and leaned forward to ask, “Who?”
“That’s not important right now. What is important is for you to understand the role you’re expected to play.
And if you don’t, well . . . I’m sure my friend explained what would happen to you if you fought.
” I gave him a slow nod, and he added, “Or what would happen if someone tried to save you?” Again, I slowly nodded. “Then we understand each other.”
What he didn’t understand was I never agreed to play by their fucking rules. If I gave in, Pearl and I would meet a fate she wouldn’t recover from, and I’m not sure I’d want to. I had to keep him off-kilter until I was able to find a way out of this.
He pushed away from the table and stood up, pulling his sleeves at the end of his suitcoat. “Then I’ll leave you to it.”
He started to walk out, but I called out to him. “Do you at least have a name, or do I keep calling you ‘asshole’?”
He spun around and marched to my side of the table.
Damn it. I knew my smart mouth was going to bite me in the ass one day.
The man gripped my throat and squeezed as he pulled me from the chair.
I reached up and held onto his wrist as he applied pressure while walking me backward until my body slammed into the wall.
His green eyes bore into mine as he leaned closer to my face. I could smell alcohol on his breath as he spoke. “You’re going to watch that smart fucking mouth, or I’m going to invite some friends in here to shut you up. And I’d really hate to destroy you before the big finale.”
“Big . . . finale?” I managed to eke out as I felt my face growing hot.
He released his grip enough for me to take a full breath, but didn’t let go as he whispered, “It’s my time to rule as the second son, and I have to have an offering for the family.” His hot breath brushed across my cheek as he added, “And you’re mine.”
What he said made no sense, but slowly, he began to release his hold on my throat.
He let go completely and stepped back from me as I fell over, grasping my throat and coughing as the pain radiated across my neck.
Lifting my head, I saw him straighten his tie before turning around and walking to the door.
Just before he walked out and left me alone, he turned and, with the most malicious smile I’d ever seen, he said, “And my name, little Hannah? My name is Sergey Lenkov, the second. Welcome to the family, big sister.”
My eyes grew wide, and I tried to gasp, only to start coughing again as he began to laugh and walked away. There’s no way he was my brother, was there? I didn’t remember my mother having another child, so who did he belong to?
Now, I knew I had to get out of here. He’d left me alone, so I had to at least try.
There was no way I would become an offering for his demented ass.
And there’s no way I would let Pearl experience that horror.
Looking around the room, I didn’t see a phone, so I carefully walked through the door Sergey left open and swung my eyes around, finding nothing.
As I moved with silent steps down the small hallway leading away from the dining room, I heard the faint sound of a printer.
This house wasn’t as big and luxurious as the last one I’d been taken to, but somewhere, there was a computer, so there must be a phone for me to try to call for help.
I followed the sound of the printer, and when I was outside the door, I tried to look through the small gap to see who was inside.
A head of floppy hair was sitting behind a laptop, and slowly, I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. Waylon looked up and his eyes grew wide as I pressed a finger over my mouth, asking him to stay silent. He nodded, and I took a step closer to him.
“What are you doing here?” he whispered. “You’re going to get both of us in trouble.”
I took another few steps and whispered back, “I’m already in trouble, and I need your help. Please, do you have a phone, or can I use your computer? I need to call for help.”
“If they found out I did that, they’d kill me now and you later. I . . . I can’t.”
“Would you at least make a call for me?” He seemed unsure, so I added, “It’s to my new job.
I need to tell them I won’t be in, so they don’t come looking for me.
You know their reputation.” I’d let my co-workers know I was going to work for Callahan, but I never divulged my relationship to the owners.
He ran his hand through his long hair, brushing it away from his face, only for it to fall back down as he debated my request. Something inside him must have reasoned my appeal was valid because he pulled out his phone and punched something into it.
He turned it so I could see he’d pulled up the number to Callahan in Pierce Bluff.
I nodded, so he pressed the call button and handed me the phone.
My heart was racing and my hands were sweaty as I listened to the ringing, hoping someone would pick up. If this didn’t work, I was out of ideas besides fighting, and I had no doubt these men could easily beat me.
“Hello?” I heard James ask, and I nearly cried hearing his voice.
“I’m trying to reach James Callahan. This is Hannah Johnson,” I said, trying to play the game I fed to Waylon and hoping to keep James on the line long enough for his system to track my location.
I wasn’t even sure they could do that, but I was grasping at straws.
“Hannah?” James asked with an even tone. “Reply with ‘okay, I’ll hold’, if it’s you.”
“Okay, I’ll hold.”
I looked at an observant Waylon and mouthed, “I’m on hold.”
He looked over my shoulder at the closed door and walked over to it to listen.
Half a second later, I heard multiple voices on the line. “We need twenty-two more seconds to track the call, but say whatever it is you need to say for whoever is listening.”
“This is Hannah Johnson, and I was supposed to start work next week. I wanted to let you know that I’ll be unable to start on the date we agree. I’ve had a family situation arise, and my younger brother needs me for a few weeks. Is there any way I can delay my start date?”
“Eight seconds,” I heard Devlin say.
“I love you, baby. We’re coming for you,” Rhys whispered as Waylon jumped from the door and snatched the phone from my hand before disconnecting it and shoving the device into his pocket.
Immediately, he grabbed my wrist and muttered, “Play along.”
The door crashed open, and Waylon yanked me, causing me to fall to my knees, and I cried out at the real pain. “I caught her coming out of my bathroom. I got to her before she was able to use the computer.”
My brother, Sergey, walked up to me and yanked me to my feet by my hair.
I yelled as strands were ripped from my scalp.
Waylon released my wrist, and Sergey turned me to face him before he backhanded me with such force, I felt my teeth cut the inside of my cheek, causing my mouth to fill with blood.
It poured down my chin and onto my white shirt as Sergey yanked me back up again by the hair. I tried to hold onto my roots, hoping to stop them from being torn out, as he pulled me closer to him with a grip of my chin.
“I told you I’d hurt you if you didn’t comply.”
“I had to pee and went looking for a bathroom. I swear, I didn’t break a rule.” Tears flowed down my face, and I felt sick from swallowing blood as I added through cries, “I swear.”
He stared at me, and I tried not to let him see the lie in my eyes.
Eventually, he released me with a push, and I fell to the floor once again.
Sergey looked at Waylon and ordered, “Take her back to her room and make sure she’s locked inside.
I don’t want her wandering around the house. She’ll ruin the surprise.”
He smirked at me and chuckled at his inside joke as Waylon lifted me by my forearm. Sergey left the room, and I whispered, “Thank you.”
I looked at him, and he seemed sad as he pulled me back down the hallway and into the dining room.
He grabbed a few bananas, a bottle of water, and gave them to me in my free hand.
As he opened the other door and started walking me upstairs, he whispered, “So you have something for lunch. They’ll punish your disobedience by skipping meals. ”
When we got to the door to the room I was being kept in, he opened it and pushed me inside. He looked side to side then whispered, “I hope they find you in time.”
Pulling the door closed, I realized he knew what I was doing and helped me.
The taste of blood was overwhelming, so I swished some water around my mouth and spit it into the trash can near the door.
Sinking down against the door, I closed my eyes and hoped they were able to track me.
Waylon made it seem like the more I acted out, the worse punishments I would receive, but his ominous words pushed vomit into the back of my throat.
Why would they need to find me in time?
And what would happen to me if they didn’t?