Chapter 33 | Him
Iknew she was tricking her the moment she vanished. Jess was never kidnapped, and it was just a matter of time till we could get our hands on the bitch.
But did Disha trust me on that? No!
Was she wrong not to do so? No!
Because what have I ever done to earn her precious faith.
It’s all my fucking fault!
Treachery is one of the worst sins that could go unpunished. Not like I will actually let it go. In fact, I am more than excited to kill the bitch first chance I get; she’s not only facilitated her abduction, but she has also literally mutilated Disha’s trust.
My muffin’s only mistake was petting a snake. And chasing her when she ran away.
And I’m done being weak... I can fall once she’s back into safety.
The snake reminds me of the one that I left unattended after Divit’s return with Anya. I take my jacket and head out to the cellar.
The room stinks of bleach and my first guess is that it could be Anya. But she could prove to be worth way more now that we know who the rat was.
Descending downstairs I realize how all the walls even here are painted in her colors. My Disha’s memories. Finding her is not a need, it’s all that’s left to do with my life, everything else can wait.
On reaching inside the torture room, I find her bound to the chair I last saw her in. Only this time she’s bruised in places and there are cuts, superficial but enough to tell me what Divit has been subjecting her to. He’s the worst.
I ignore the brutality painted all over her visible skin and pull a chair facing her.
“All alone? Black’s not giving you company?” I ask.
All she gives me is a blushing smile through her thick dark lashes.
I ignore the obvious skip straight to the point, “Did you know?”
“Sorry?” Her brows furrow in response to the rhetoric question.
“You knew about it all along. Didn’t you?”
“Yes, and no?” she shrugs.
The threshold of my patience is diminishing swiftly, but I have no use being harsh with her especially since she already looks quite miserable. Also, since she surprised me that day... I never expected her to be unhappy about Disha’s abduction.
“Are you testing my patience? Because I can guarantee, its wearing thin.” I ask, restlessly exhaling a pained breath.
“Do I look like the type to make the same mistake twice? I have no intention to...” She looks around, “Forget that...”
“Look, I can assure you there’s only the two of us here. But I can invite him to join, if you want that.”
“But I’m telling you what you need... Just give me a second to breathe,” she retorts, “can we please talk like normal regular people, not the threats and all...”
Ignoring how she shifts in her seat uncomfortably the moment I get up and take a step towards her, I head behind her to unrestraint the cuffs, “Go ahead. Tell me everything you know about it.”
She breathes in before making eye contact again, “She has been picked up by Miss Versatility aka Jessica. That bitch has been trying to lure her in for many months now. In fact, when I joined, I was told I was replacing one of theirs who was killed... by you.”
“He was trying to coerce her into... Never mind. That story is irrelevant. And I guess you must know that already.”
Her eyes widen, “No. I don’t know about it. I tried to talk to Disha a number of times but Jess always hijacked our conversation. That was the reason I started doubting her in the first place. I had very little info but I knew the basics, that a woman here controlled all the dirty work for King. I was transported here because I had the duty of looking over Merlyn’s end of business, but I was replaced by the woman who went by Miss Versatility as soon as they learned I was trying to talk to Disha.”
“Wait... You know who King is? And who’s Merlyn?”
“King is an alias he goes by. His real name is Konstantin Ivanov. He leads a drug cartel in the Balkans, notoriously popular for his high-profile parties which are mostly orgies to be precise. I’ve fortunately met him only once when I was in transit to Merlyn’s, and thankfully I did not make it to any of those parties. Although Merlyn is no better, she handles the websites and a high-end escort service.” Tears fill her blue eyes as she looks into the distance, “And just in case if you’re wondering, yes, I was a product too.”
I feel my muscles tense as soon as she says it.
“But how is all this related to Disha? I mean why her?”
She smirks but there’s pain behind it, “Tell me, do you think such people need a reason to pick up a young – beautiful woman who’s out there by herself? It’s called business.” She readjusts herself into a thoughtful position, “However, it’s not impossible they wanted her specifically. I mean I had seen her before – your make out video. You guys really had no idea about someone keeping an eye on you two? Because this had been going about for months now. I had heard her name from someone in one of our audio meetings. It was short but I knew they were keeping an eye on her specifically.”
“Why should we trust anything you’re saying?”
“I am not the villain you people think I am. And I am certainly not the perpetrator here. I am only trying to save an innocent. Bring her back or you might never even find her remains. By the little experience I’ve had with King, all I can say is that he’s worse than Merlyn. He’s the most ruthless and remorseless man you’ll ever meet... Disha is not ready for that place.”
For the first time since I met this woman, I see sheer dread in her eyes and something else too. Maybe her own nightmares dancing in those blue depths.
I want to know and not know at the same time. Cause something tells me it might feed the inferno raging inside me.