Unwanted Sacrifices (Russkaya Mafiya Book 3) (10 page)

Oh how I tried to stand up for myself at first, but after being hit so many times and starved, you begin to cave, to stop caring. I’m not even really cold anymore. I don’t feel anything temperature wise. Just numbness. And pain. I do feel the sting each time I upset Chek and he has to punish me though.

Gazing at the door, I watch as his booted feet approach. A square piece of bread about the size of my palm is dropped in front of my face, and as much as I want to rush to grab it and eat it, I’ve learned. Chek likes manners, and if I don’t show them along with obedience, he will take the bread.

Keeping my eyes trained on his boots, I ask eagerly, “May I eat now, Mr. Chek?”

He crouches, his body coming into my view as he runs a finger over my cheek.

“No tears today, beautiful?”

“Would you like tears, Mr. Chek?” I shoot my gaze to the floor, giving him a fake display of respect and submission.

“No. You’re being very polite today. I like it. You may eat now.”

I go to grab the slice and he steps on my hand lightly. Instead of calling out, I swallow deeply, collecting myself and utter, “Thank you.”

Once the words leave my mouth, his foot moves and I’m able to bring the food to my mouth to take a few small nibbles. The first time I ate it too fast he told me it was unbecoming and punched my stomach until I threw it all up.

That was the last time I thought of his long dark hair worn tightly pulled back, his chiseled jaw, and stony eyes as being handsome. He grew into something else entirely. He became a sick fucking monster whom I despise with every breath in my body.

I cried, pleading with him to stop, to show kindness. Then I tried to bargain, offering whatever he wanted. Nothing worked; he laughed and then struck me again for acting like a whore. 

He doesn’t like to make me starve, but he told me it’s his job to break me and make me acceptable for Kolya unless I want to end up dead like his last wife. I think the only thing that has kept me going for this long is thoughts of Nikoli. I imagine him storming in and rescuing me.

I’ve used a tiny rock to make indentions in the ground and I think I’ve been here for a week or longer. I’m starting to believe Chek that Nikoli isn’t coming—that he isn’t looking for me. Perhaps he’s right about me being too much trouble and the Bratva wanting to be rid of me.

My heart hurts; no better word can describe it than
Toska
.

I fell in love with Nikoli and all of his friends. I thought of them as my friends, as my family. Was it all fake? Was I really such a burden as Chek says? I would have gladly cleaned and cooked to try to help make up for my stay. I know I’m not the most pleasant to some, but I thought that they had opened up to me. It’s even more miserable toying with the notion that no one out there cares for me. Am I so wretched that not anyone really loves me, even just a small amount?

“You become more beautiful as the days go on.” He pets my skin again, this time by my shoulder. “Get rid of the filthy clothes, fix your hair, and you will make the perfect companion for Kolya. If he doesn’t want you, I may even take you.”

“Will I get to leave this place, Mr. Chek?”

I’m met with a swift kick to my mouth, blood and a throbbing ache burst through my gums, making my entire mouth hurt. I do my best to hold back, but can’t help the depleted whimper that escapes.

Chek clicks his tongue, about to give me a new lesson of some sort. He always does it before telling me something that I need to pay attention to.

“You know better. No questions until I permit it. Now you must stay longer until your face is not fat.”

“Yes, Mr. Chek,” I gasp out, feeling the blood run down part of my chin. I have to make myself say something. If I don’t respond I’ll get reprimanded again and the pain in my mouth will be far less than if I were to keep quiet. I don’t know how much longer I’ll make it down here and part of me is looking forward to it finally being over.

Nikoli, I will see you again in death my love
.  

NIKOLI

I rip open the
door to another huge maroon shipping container. It’s the exact same as the one we found on the last boat. It’s just a large metal box, and right inside the door is a clear plastic sheet with pockets hanging up. Each pocket holds a Polaroid picture of every woman in that specific container. It makes me sick to my stomach as I breeze through the sheet, over the many malnourished faces, praying I find Sabrina, and at the same time, hoping she wasn’t exposed to this way of life.

I swear when I find the vile fucks responsible for torturing these women, I will gladly scalp them.

“Anything?” Tate asks coming up beside me.

“Nyet, Boss.” Shaking my head in sadness, I hand him the plastic case so he can see the faces and names for himself.

“Fuck!” he shouts, frustrated and punches the metal, causing the women to huddle farther into the corner even more. “Lev,” he demands loudly, “get the blankets and come help get these women loaded up for the doctor to examine.”

Tate shakes his head and turns to me. “I have to call my wife and let her know to expect fifteen new girls. She needs some notice to get enough supplies for them.” He runs his hands over his face, knuckles bloody, but they don’t mean anything. It’s the sadness in his eyes that tell me this is starting to wear on him heavily.

I nod and head back over to my laptop in my truck. I don’t get it. How is the tech guy able to find the containers but no trace to who’s actually responsible for shipping them and picking them up? They can’t all be registered under false names. Someone has to be accountable for this shit.

It’s been a fucking week for God’s sake.
Where is she?

I feel like I’m losing my mind. I’ve gotten shit for sleep. I can barely eat. What if she’s hungry somewhere? I can’t eat at the thought of her not being able to.

I’m like an angry bear. I don’t want to talk to anyone and my knuckles are raw from getting pissed and punching shit. I can barely bend my fingers without cracking the scabs open. I gave in and had my tattoo guy script her name down my thigh. I needed some kind of pain, to do something for her. I couldn’t sleep, the thoughts and images were killing me.

I keep playing it over and over in my mind what it’ll be like to pull the responsible fucker apart, limb by limb, for taking her from me. I’ve never wanted to kill someone so much in my entire life. I feel like I could rip him apart with my goddamn teeth.

There’s a rap on my window. Blinking, I look up to find a drained looking Tate. Her disappearance is weighing on him more each day, on all of us actually. I know he feels like a failure for not yet getting her home safely.

With the massive search going on for Sabrina, we’ve opened up so many gaping wounds, looking in every crevice of the criminal areas we can, including finding the shipment containers of women looking like they’re on the brink of death. I can only imagine what they’ve been through. I don’t know if they will ever be able to recoup and hold meaningful lives. Hell, I doubt many of them are even legal to be here in the first place. The last container held women from all over the world.

“Da, Boss?”

“We’re headed to the club where we’re keeping the other girls. Elaina and Viktor are looking for more bilingual doctors and therapists to fly in to help with rehabilitation.”

“Okay, good. I’ll follow.”

“Stop by the house and grab a shower. You’re filthy and I don’t want you scaring the women any more than you do by being a male.”

“Boss.” I reply, and pull off after he gives me a fake half smile. I think he does it to try and reassure me, but nothing will set me at ease until I have Sabrina in my arms, safe and healthy.

I head to mine and Tate’s house. I haven’t been back to Viktor’s for a few days. I brought Bina’s pillow with me; otherwise, I don’t even want to look at the place with her not there. She should be there, cooking too much food and fluttering down to the beach while I try to talk her into swimming.

Viktor and Elaina returned home immediately once they found out why we’d been calling them so much. Sabrina and Elaina have grown close and she was a mess when she found out Bina had been taken. Viktor said she threw a huge fit until they were back on his plane headed home.

I already liked her, but after I heard that, I grew a huge amount of respect for her. I know she wanted home so Viktor could help aid in the search and honestly I couldn’t have asked for better friends. They’ve been with me through each new clue, and shared my devastation when the lead didn’t take us to Sabrina.

I never imagined I could possibly love Sabrina any more. Since she was taken, my feelings have grown into a whole other level completely. I had no clue before, but now I know my heart only beats for her.

My phone pings as I’m stepping out of the shower, and these days, anytime it makes a sound, I practically leap to check it.

Tate: 
Get to the club.

Tate: 
Are you on the way yet?

Tate: 
Nikoli, it’s important. At least call me.

Me:
Was showering. I’m coming

It could be her. He could know something. I yank on a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt as I run out the front door. Tate likes for us to be dressed professionally at all times, but with the hours I’ve been holding, he’s lightened up on me. Slamming down on the gas, I drive like a maniac racing to the club.

When I arrive, I don’t even shut the truck off or bother to close my door. Instead, I park directly in front of the club entrance, hop out of my truck, and run inside. I’m met by Tate waiting for me in the front entry.

“Tatkiv! Where is she? Is it her?” I pant, catching my breath.

His eyes go round, realizing I was thinking Sabrina was here or that he had found her.

“Fuck! No, Nikoli. I’m so sorry, man. Fuck. It’s not why I texted you.”

“Aghhhh!” I let loose a gut-wrenching scream, clutching my hair and pulling. I haven’t bothered to cut it so I actually have some to grip now. “No! Fucking shit! Where is she?” My eyes fill with tears of despair, because for the first time, I truly feel like there’s a chance I won’t actually find her.

“I don’t know, Niko. I’m so fucking sorry I got your hopes up.” He pulls me into a huge bear hug, holding me to him tightly as the tears trickle down my face.

Where is she? I need her; I’m breaking.

Emily comes in, looking worried. When she sees my face she runs to me, “Oh, Niko!” She hugs my back and even being wrapped in my two closest friends’ arms, I feel empty. Hollow.

Toska.

After a few seconds, Emily let’s go, and Tate tells her to give us a minute.

“Niko, I wanted you to come down because I think we may have found someone important.”

“Da? Important huh?” I chuckle miserably, because what could possibly be more significant than the woman I’ve been searching for?

“Her name is Vishna, and Nikoli, she looks just like the photos of your mother. I think she’s around the same age as your youngest sister, Vishna.”

“Vi-Vishna?” My mouth gapes, caught off guard. No way, she and my three sisters have been gone for too long; I don’t believe it.

“I could be completely wrong, but it’s a good possibility.”

“Where is she? I need to see.” If he’s screwing with me on this, I may sincerely lose my mind and strangle him. I’ve been searching for my family my entire life. I knew there was a good chance the men on the boats had taken them, but I’ve never been able to find anything about my family leading directly to them.

“Wait! I had the doctor speak to her first, once I noticed the name and saw her for myself. The doc informed me that Vishna got lucky and was a maid the majority of her life. However, that being said, she’s pretty fucked up now. She also told the doctor that she was ‘broken’ by someone named Chek. I guess he ‘taught’ her to be perfect and was finally being shipped off because she was sold to someone.”

“If she is my little sister, I will break whoever this was that touched her,” I growl, already feeling my blood begin to boil, and I haven’t even seen her with my own eyes yet.

“She, ah, she’s really frightened of men. You need to tread lightly and try to keep calm. I know you’re pissed—and you have every right to be—but when she’s scared, she won’t speak at all. Oh and you will have to ask her the questions; she doesn’t really volunteer to say anything first.”

“I will keep calm. This I promise.”

He nods and heads into the club, and I dutifully follow.  I’ve gotten my emotions more under control and I may appear calm, but I’m raging on the inside. This is a blow from the left; I wasn’t expecting our intel to lead us to finding them. I had begun to think of my family as probably being dead.

If I’m honest with myself, I haven’t been looking for the girls. I’ve been looking for who took them, so I can make that person pay.

We wind our way through the club’s hallways into the back towards the business rooms until we get to room number three. Tate peeks his head in, talking quietly to someone for a moment. After a few seconds, he opens the door wider and I see Emily inside holding the tall, thin woman’s hand. Her face is surrounded by long stringy blonde hair, the color matching my own.

I don’t think before her name tumbles out, “Na-na?”

It was a childhood name I called her. I had them for each of my sisters, but she was so small and instead of calling me Nikoli she called me Niki. In return I started calling her Na-na.

Her head shoots up, wide ice blue eyes looking at me with alarm. “Niki, moy brat?” Her mouth gapes. Her cheeks are sunken in and her face has an unhealthy yellowish tint to it.

“Da, Na-na moy say straa?” At ‘my sister’ she leaps at me.

“Oh, Niki! Natasha and Brenna told me so many stories of you!” She rambles excitedly, “They used to say we were princesses and when you were big you would come save us! Oy moy brat!” She finishes in a flourish, hugging me tightly.